45ACP random failure to feed

[jonp]

I've been playing with MBC 200gr rnfp and Promo powder. I have a good luck with this but a vexing problem. 1 round out of a magazine will not feed. The slide stops 1/8 -1/4 in from going into battery. I can push the slide in with my thumb easily. I've adjusted the oal and crimp but still have the problem. I am using a mid,range 4.6gr of promo and it's pretty accurate otherwise.
Any ideas?

[Bonz]

I'm having the exact same problem with a new Colt Defender. I am loading a 200gr RN with 6.4gr of Vihtavuori N340. That load shoots fine in my Colt Government but not in the defender. I am moving to a faster powder, VV N320 to hopefully resolve the problem. Not sure about you, but I definately can see unburned gunpowder in my guns, more in the defender than in the government

[jonp]

Not having the powder problem but it does remind me of something. I am using 45acp small primer brass. Im going to try both large primer and small pistol magnum and see what happens

[MtGun44]

Inadequate or non-existent taper crimp is the primary cause of this problem.

Are you taper crimping as a separate operation? If not, start, if you are, add more
TC.

This has been about 80+% of the loading problems with .45 ACP over decades of
assisting IPSC shooters.

[fredj338]

Check your mags. Does it happen at with the same mag @ the same round count? If it does, the mag is suspect. New mag or new mag spring.
If it is totally random & you are using mixed brass, isolate which brass manuf. It could be a slightly thicker case.

[Doc_Stihl]

As MtnGun44 pointed out, I'd check the crimp first.

[trixter]

I know this sounds too simple, but I found that I either had to seat the boolit deeper, or clean the gun. I run 4gr Bullseye and a 200 gr HP or SWC and because it is a light load, it is very sensitive to a dirty slide.

[rond]

Try increasing the powder a little, it may not have enough power to completely cycle all the time.

[jonp]

All great ideas.
I am taper crimping and seating at the same time with my rcbs die. The crimp is .473 which i measured after seating the boolit. This should work. OAL at 1.173 and it seems to plunk fine.
I did not think to check the brand of brass and will do it. I should have thought of that because a Blackhawk I had was fussy about one brand of brass.
The charge is about mid for Promo/red dot and should work. I can increase it but I'm going to try checking the magazine. I don't know if it's the same number round each time just about the 4th or 5th. I have a brand new mag still in the package and will break it out and try it.

[gwpercle]

After shooting various 1911's for years and experiencing the seemingly endless things that make them not feed, function, eject and whatever. I even brought an AMT Hardballer to the local priest for an exorcism ( I swear that gun is possed by the devil ). I bought a Taurus 455, 45 acp, 5 shot revolver, 2 inch ported barrel and fixed sights. I wasn't looking for another 45 acp , but It was such a cool looking gun , 45 cal 2 in. snub nosed J frame...This thing is now my favorite 45acp. Any thing that slips in the chamber fires. Full wadcutter, semi-wadcutter , roll crimp, taper crimp, no magazine to be concerned with....and more accurate than my Gold Cup..its spooky the groups it shoots. If you get tired of semi's and all thier idiosyncrasies, try out a 45 acp revolver...I really like mine and keeping an eye out for another with adjustable sights. And the best thing is I don't have to chase brass all over the place...out of each box it seemed as I always lost one or two cases.
Gary

[C.F.Plinker]

Try the plunk test again. If it passes, rotate the cartridge 45* and do it again. Keep rotating the cartridge until you have tried it through all 8 positions and verified that it passes in all of them. If the cartridge can get hung up occasionally because because it is ever so slightly out of round you will get intermittant failures to chamber and will need to crimp just a little bit more.

What is the OD of the case mouth on a freshly sized round? Mine are around .470. Taper crimp down to the diameter of a sized round or a little less to make sure you get all of the belling out.

[35remington]

The 1911 and many of the RNFP designs aren't all that compatible. These are mostly cowboy action bullets for the 45 Colt and as such load to a nonstandard length. This produces steeper and kachunkier feeding and makes things more malfunction prone. Shape matters. Length matters.

What magazines?

[daniel lawecki]

+1 MtGun 44

[jonp]

Issue mags. I have a Pro Mag new in the pkg and am going to try one out. I'm also going to try rotating the brass now to see what happens.
With this boolit, 200gr 45acp rnfp it has a crimp groove which I put up in another thread asking if it was a crimp groove. Would seating the boolit to the groove and crimping it down to .471 cause the case to not space on the mouth since the boolit itself is .452? how much brass must be showing for a proper headspace to feed? Just enough to catch?
I will try and find a separate taper crimp die like a lee factory crimp I guess but they are in short supply and I hate to ad another step although I hate non-feeding guns even worse.

Question on the taper crimp/seating die: when initially adjusting the die downwards to stop on the case mouth that is the point that it is at .473, the recommended size in my lymans or should be, right? So even though it is a carbon I should turn it more to get to .471 then go ahead and adjust the seating depth for the boolit?

Thanks everyone for the ideas. I've spent most of my reloading on revolvers which are far easier, this is the first auto I've tried to go after in detail and it's a little frustrating.

[waksupi]

May need more grip.

[robpete]

I'm also a huge fan of crimping as a sererate operation. A little more work, but absolutely worth the extra effort.


PS- Midway does currently have the 45ACP factory crimp die available. I wouldn't hesitate on ordering though.
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/716...cp-45-auto-rim

[MtGun44]

Don't by a Lee Factory crimp die. Just get the taper crimp die.

TC as a separate operation to .471.

Bill

[jonp]

Thanks for the link and info, robpete and MtGun44. Are you guys saying I need a separate taper crimp and a seating die as opposed to one crimp/seating die or can I use my crimp/seating die before or after the separate crimp die.
I just measured my fired brass and it measures from .892 - .894. Should I trim them all to .892, .888 as the book gives as a trim-to-length or will .002 make that much difference?

[robpete]

Bill, I want to start by saying that I truly value your opinions....but out of curiosity, what do you have against the factory crimp die? I love them. Is there an advantage to using a standard TC?

Thanks,
Rob

[archmaker]

I had all sorts of problems trying to get my 45 to shoot consistently. New to auto, long time reloader. Found the Wilson pistol max gauge, as i was doing the test with the barrel off and still having some issues. Well I started with one round no crimp, seat the bullet deep in the case (dummy round), started to adjust my crimp until the round dropped in with no problem. The I seat the bullet where I thought it should be, and problems, only had to seat it a little bit more to have no problems. Added a touch more depth and crimp (1/4 turn) and tested a production run. Now I know the rounds are good, from two of the common problem have to deal with others . . . one at a time.