New to me .45 with odd leading

[ScottJ]

So I picked up a Taurus PT745 to have a .45 ACP which conceal carries easier than my 1911.

Have run several magazines of the 230 grainers I've sized .451 for my 1911.

Rather than smeared lead I'm getting these long, thin shavings in the barrel. The only smearing comes from them getting caught under subsequent rounds.

Is this still a fit issue or something else?

I sort of bummed that I won't be able to interchange practice loads between the 1911 and PT745.

[runfiverun]

try a harder alloy.at 452. my 9 took to 358 before it behaved
tauruses have shallow rifling.

[ScottJ]

Casting with straight WW now. Guess I need to get some lino.

[RobS]

Try to water quench those WW bullets and size them .452 or .453 and it may take care of your problems. I can push bullets to 900 fps with unique or herco with not a bit of leading. Using LARS Carnauba Red for lube.

[Bass Ackward]

Rather than smeared lead I'm getting these long, thin shavings in the barrel. The only smearing comes from them getting caught under subsequent rounds. Is this still a fit issue or something else?


You could be breaking seal. Two ways to look at it. What size did the slug tell you that you need? If you did what you needed to do, then it's the gun.

Ask yourself, does it keep shooting well / OK? If so, forget about it and bang away till the gun cleans up and it stops. Flip side is that everything is going to need to be cleaned eventually.

[ScottJ]

I am water dropping. I figure it's the .451 diameter that's the issue.

I know I could go to .452 but then those won't work in the 1911. So I was trying to come up with a way to have the same loading happy in both.

[ScottJ]

Good point, BA. Accuracy never falls off. Even 40 rounds in.

I'm just trying to be lazy with the cleaning thing. It actually requires field stripping and brush work to get clean rather than just some gunslick and the bore snake.

And full confession, I didn't slug the thing. Just banged away with what worked in my 1911.

[gray wolf]

have you shot bullets sized .452 from your 1911 ? They may work fine for you unless you no for sure they wont. .451 works for a 45 but most I have seen like the .452.
You may try to water drop your WW metal but that may mess your 1911 up.
What powder are you using and what Vel. do you think you are getting?
Do you have a .452 sizer. If not pay the shipping and I can send you some from a lyman 452374 mold this is a good copy of a ball round.
Your lube may be a problem but I wouldn't go there at the same time. One thing at a time.
Being a low pressure round it is inportant to match your pressure to the hardness of you metal. I shoot range lead and WW metal at .452 with a home made lube and have no problem. But thats me and here we are trying to help you.

GW.

[ScottJ]

I know for a fact that .452 is too big for the 1911's chamber. Even seated so deeply I'm having to reduce charges to keep pressure down. My brother has a .542 sizer I was using. After much experimenting I finally solved my feeding issues with the 1911 by sizing .451.

I'm loaded over 4.7 grains of Bullseye. No chrono but I'm guessing around 800 FPS.

[BD]

In my experience short, thin shavings are an indication of lack of throat in a 1911. The abrupt start of the lands cuts the grooves in. Test for this is to fire one round out of a clean barrel and then have a look. The shaving will still be there and apparent before the next round irons it in.

I am in the minority in the belief that almost all modern 1911s will shoot better, and lead less, using boolits sized .451. The reason being that virtually all modern 1911 barrels are .450 groove diameter. I also am of the opinion that the true reason for seating SWCs with just a fingernails width of drive band showing is that most 1911 shooters are actually headspacing the round on the front drive band of SWCs sized .452 making contact with the end of the chamber.

I've never encountered a modern 1911 that didn't shoot better using a RNFP or "cowboy" style nose sized .451 seated so the boolit ogive could center up in the barrel. A touch of throating reamer makes a big difference in a barrel that didn't get it from the factory. The same end can be achieved with 2,000 rounds of condoms, but the throating reamer is faster, and less costly.

BD

[Bass Ackward]

nd full confession, I didn't slug the thing. Just banged away with what worked in my 1911.

I know. Been there and done that. Realize that you can size in .0005 if you use some emery on a stick.

And if you can't size up, you must slug up. Try 5 grains until it cleans up. With a slabbie, you should have 4k or 5k through it by next weekend.

[docone31]

If you size to .425, I am going to bet you solve the problem.
Water quench the castings, then pan lube and size to .452. My Taurus eats them all day long without a blink at .452.
At the end of the day, I fire a few jacketeds to clean the bore also.
clean up is simple.

[BD]

I clean the bore in my 1911s about every 700 to 1,000 rounds. Never any leading, but the lube gunk does build up after a while.
BD

[gray wolf]

I might agree with the lack of barrel throat, but not much of the other stuff.
Take a look at your barrels and compare rite after the chamber ends and see if one has more lead (freebore/area with no rifleing) than the other.--May be a point there.
Try em at .452 you may be happy, and if you need to different sizes for two different guns so be it.

[243winxb]

I'm getting these long, thin shavings in the barrel. Air cool your bullets. More lube,50/50 alox/bees wax. Your accuracy stays the same , so not really a major problem.
I'm loaded over 4.7 grains of Bullseye For a 230gr, change to Unique or lower your Bullseye powder charger.

[runfiverun]

you might just be able to get away with the 452 size.
or just by aircooling.
each gun is a bit different as youv'e found out.
you know what works in the one you just gotta mess with the other.
i'd try air cooled 452 first. same load then go from there.

[boommer]

Soft lead is what you you need in 45acp, w/w lead bhn no more if not less. Hard cast bullets will cause more problems in leading in low volocity loads Thousands diff in diameter wont make a hill of beans in leading in a 45 acp. Softer lead and lower temp lube your leading problems will go away.

[ScottJ]

Finally got around to slugging the PT745 tonight. It's .452 while my 1911 is .451 and a chamber too tight for rounds loaded with .452 boolits.

So now I have to build each its own supply.

Ugh.

I'm thinking maybe mil headstamps in .451 for the 1911 and commercial headstamps for the PT745. I can probably go unsized for it since my mold drops .453. Going to load up a magazine full and see how they feed.

[9.3X62AL]

WHAT? You were maybe expecting EASY? C'mon, now!

My 32 caliber handguns require boolit sizing from .309" to .314". Like herding cats, sometimes.

[cbrick]

First, drop the quenching. The 45 ACP at 800 fps and boolits at 18 BHN+ do not play together well. I shoot 6 BHN HP's in my 45 1911 at 800-850 fps with zero leading,

Second, re-read post #10. If a throat reamer is needed it's a cheap easy fix. Your mention of "long, thin shavings" indicates this is a very real possibilty.

Rick