What's the proper bullet size for .45ACP

[tbonifie]

I'm shooting with a Glock 21 and LWD barrel. Should I be sizing to .451 or .452?

[Longrange]

Need to slug the barrel, my .45 ACP is sized to .453

[RobS]

Welcome to the forum, glad to have you here.

As been stated you should slug your bore to find out what your groove diameter is (the bigger diameter measurement of the bullet). Slugging the barrel is simply taking a soft piece of lead that is larger than the bore and driving it through usually with a brass or nylon mallet at first to start the slug, I use a nylon mallet to start it, and then using a dowel rod to drive the slug through the length of the barrel. I often use a fishing egg weight with the hole in it, but make sure it is soft as some are not these days. A simple test is to see if you can dent it with your finger nail.

Most firearms will do fine with a .452 bullet but there are those exceptions. Larger groove diameter barrels and the possibility of having a tight chamber that will not chamber a round that is loaded with a .452 bulllet; due to the bullet expanding the brass out to a point where the reload will not chmaber. In reality you'll probably be fine with a .452 but you never know with all the possible variables.

[tbonifie]

Slugged the barrel and it's 0.451 inches, so my understanding (after reading around a bit) is that I want the bullets sized to 0.452 inches, to give it a good seal when the bullet is shot, right?

Any reason I might go to 0.451 inch sizing instead?

My cast bullets are 0.454, I'm thinking that's a bit too much in the end, so looking at getting a sizing die.

[RobS]

Yep, .452 is what would be ideal. The only thing that could happen............but I haven't see it in person is a tight chamber not allowing for a .452 bullet to be loaded and then chamber. Your Lone Wolf barrel does not have the reviews of being this way so you'll probably be good to go with .452.

[tbonifie]

Yep, .452 is what would be ideal. The only thing that could happen............but I haven't see it in person is a tight chamber not allowing for a .452 bullet to be loaded and then chamber. Your Lone Wolf barrel does not have the reviews of being this way so you'll probably be good to go with .452.

Actually, when I first started shooting cast bullets through this barrel (MOBUCO .452's), I had to play around with the seating and crimping quite a bit to get them to fit the LWD chamber correctly, which is why I'm almost inclined to get a .451 sizing die instead of .452. The chamber does seem awfully tight. I have to seat 230Grain XTP's much deeper than normal to get them to chamber in this barrel correctly as well ('course I usually shoot those with the stock barrel, which can handle the 'normal' COAL for that round).

I guess the dies aren't that expensive, maybe I'll get both and see which works best.

[RobS]

Your throat may be short.......since you have to seat 230 grain J-bullets shorter than normal that is what I am thinking. The bullet diameter is not an issue the nose of the bullet is engaging the barrels rifling and making for a shorter COAL in order to chamber.

[RobS]

I have somewhat the same issues with my XD's barrel with flat nose bullets such as the Lee 200 grain RF and to an extent the Lee 230 TC bullet.

[mroliver77]

I must have forgot or I just put the wrong die in and sized some H&G 68 in a .454 die. They measure .4535. For kicks I loaded a couple and they cycled through my Colt just fine. I tried them in my Springfield 1911 with success. They work in my buddies SA 1911 also. My accuracy is great with only 1 FTF in many rounds. Barrels are squeaky clean after firing. I might not change that die atall.
J

[chris in va]

Sounds like my 9mm. I had to go .003 over to eliminate accuracy and leading problems.

[NSP64]

I've found that .002 over works better in most .45ACP pistols because they have such shallow rifling.

[tbonifie]

Still considering which sizing die to get, or simply to shoot as cast. I loaded up some bullets last night and crimped with LFCD, they seat just fine and once crimped, are fitting in the chamber just fine.

I think I'll try these out for a while before worrying about a sizing die.

[NSP64]

Why not. I shoot my 40 s&w boolits as dropped because the barrel is .403

[waksupi]

The gun will have to tell you the story. My .45 ACP's don't like as cast, sized them down a bit, and cut the group by 2/3.

[mpmarty]

Still considering which sizing die to get, or simply to shoot as cast. I loaded up some bullets last night and crimped with LFCD, they seat just fine and once crimped, are fitting in the chamber just fine.

I think I'll try these out for a while before worrying about a sizing die.

Pull some of those boolits and mike them again. I'll bet they're smaller by a good deal than when you seated then. That LEE factory cramp die is junk in 45acp it sized the case and boolit down as it comes out of the die. Use a normal taper crimp die and just BARELY turn in the mouth to touch the boolit.

[tbonifie]

Well, of course they are smaller, that's kind of the point. Just for kicks I pulled one. It mics at .451 - .452 near the base and .454 at the top ring (that I don't seat completely into the case).

but even .452 sized MOBUCO bullets require the LFCD in order to chamber smoothly in the LWD barrel.

In other words, I think my crimping operation is sufficiently sizing the bullets anyway.

Using just a taper crimp with these would result in a case with a bit of a bulge that would not chamber correctly, even with jacketed XTP rounds. Ask me how I know

Pull some of those boolits and mike them again. I'll bet they're smaller by a good deal than when you seated then. That LEE factory cramp die is junk in 45acp it sized the case and boolit down as it comes out of the die. Use a normal taper crimp die and just BARELY turn in the mouth to touch the boolit.

[Echo]

I have always counseled shooting the fattest boolits that will chamber reliably in Ol Slab Sides. And taper crimping shouldn't cause any bulge in the case. Might you be seating and crimping at the same time? Not a good idea...

While GI brass is good quality, it is also thicker, and would be less likely to allow chambering with fat boolits. If possible, try using R-P brass - I have found it to be the thinnest (in the neck area) of any I have reloaded. As such, it would allow you to use fatter boolits than most other headstamps.

[Bret4207]

Well, of course they are smaller, that's kind of the point. Just for kicks I pulled one. It mics at .451 - .452 near the base and .454 at the top ring (that I don't seat completely into the case).

but even .452 sized MOBUCO bullets require the LFCD in order to chamber smoothly in the LWD barrel.

In other words, I think my crimping operation is sufficiently sizing the bullets anyway.

Using just a taper crimp with these would result in a case with a bit of a bulge that would not chamber correctly, even with jacketed XTP rounds. Ask me how I know

I would be inclined to try them then. Shoot 'em and see.

[fredj338]

LW bbls have a rep for short throats & tight chambers. I would try the 0.452" size, I prefer taper crimping, but my tests w/ the LFCD show it doesn't do much to my accuracy w/ ww alloy bullets. Maybe softer alloy, it ruins my plated bullet accuracy though.