.45 ACP Headspacing problems

[voicesinmyhead182]

I recently starting reloading .45 ACP rounds and haven't been able to get them to headspace properly with my .45, I've tried to crimp them but even when the round is obviously over-crimped they still sit slightly above the rim of the barrel. I've been using once-fired federal brass and Berry's 200gr Hollow Point bullets. Any tips as to what I'm doing wrong?

[312shooter]

So you fill a mag, insert and release the slide and your slide does not close completely? A 45acp case does sit above the chamber slightly when properly headspaced. If they are not headspacing correctly as you say the casings are excessive in length, something I've never witnessed with 45.

[voicesinmyhead182]

No, I've removed my barrel and have been doing a plunk test comparing them to some factory .45 rounds, the factory rounds sit slightly below the rim and the reloads sit slightly above the rim. I also measured my cases at about a .890 just slightly below the maximum case length listed in my manual.

[X Ring]

What type and weight bullet are you using? And is the OAL correct for the bullet?

[LDBennett]

voicesinmyhead182:

Exactly which crimp are you using? A roll crimp is wrong... It should be a taper crimp. Even a taper crimp over done will expand the mouth of the case so that it will not fit in the chamber. The crimping is done by pushing the case wall in and down. Get too much crimp and the case may bulge somewhere in its length.

Are you perhaps using a non-45ACP bullet? Are you seating it to the correct overall length.If seated wrong the nose of the bullet will run into the rifling in the barrel before the case is fully seated. There are case gages available (try Dillon Precision) that allow you to check all the dimension by inserting the cartridge into them. While the barrel will work it may leave some indecision in the results whereas the cartridge case gage will not.

The reloading manuals have the critical dimensions (diameters and lengths) that the cartridge must have after reloading to be correct. Get some calipers and compare the sizes you have with the specs. That should lead you to what the problem is.

LDBennett

[carver]

Originally Posted by voicesinmyhead182

I recently starting reloading .45 ACP rounds and haven't been able to get them to headspace properly with my .45, I've tried to crimp them but even when the round is obviously over-crimped they still sit slightly above the rim of the barrel. I've been using once-fired federal brass and Berry's 200gr Hollow Point bullets. Any tips as to what I'm doing wrong?

I have 2 questions.

1. Do you have at least one good reloading manual?

2. Have you read it?

[steve4102]

I think you are looking in the wrong direction.

If the brass is within specs then it is NOT the brass.

Your OAL is to long, meaning your bullet is not seated deep enough.

Seat it deeper until it fits in YOUR firearm correctly.

[243winxb]

Some 45 acp's need a .451" bullet to fit the chamber correctly. The fix is, seat the bullet deeper/shorter COL.

[voicesinmyhead182]

Originally Posted by LDBennett

voicesinmyhead182:

Exactly which crimp are you using? A roll crimp is wrong... It should be a taper crimp. Even a taper crimp over done will expand the mouth of the case so that it will not fit in the chamber. The crimping is done by pushing the case wall in and down. Get too much crimp and the case may bulge somewhere in its length.

LDBennett

I think this might be my problem, I've been using the die included with my RCBS set, which I assumed was a taper crimp because it was for a .45, but I recently heard these are actually for roll crimps. I'm going to try to ordering a new crimping die and see if that solves the problem.

[steve4102]

Before you go get a new die, you might want to check your OAL. Even if you are crimping with a Roll crimp you should NOT have the round sitting proud in the barrel. In fact a roll crimp would most likely cause just he opposite as the case mouth would not make contact with the chamber.

What bullet are you loading and what is your OAL?

[LDBennett]

voicesinmyhead182:

If the dies with the RCBS die set are marked 45ACP (not just 45) they have a taper crimp die as part of the set if they are newer than 30 or 40 years old (I have no info on what crimp was in die sets of old only that for the last 25 years 45ACP dies include only a taper crimp system).

if the dies are for 45ACP then you have another problem. What bullets are you using (are they specifically for 45ACP?) and what is the cartridge overall length (is it within the manual specs)? Are the diameters of the loaded case correct per the manual specs?

It probably is not a good idea to just order another crimp die without knowing what the problem really is. If you insist on buying another crimp die then let it be the LEE Factory Crimp Die as it resizes the cartridge after the crimp is done and might just fix any mistakes you are making during the rest of the reloading cycle. But that really just masks the problem.

LDBennett

[voicesinmyhead182]

I'm using Berry's 200gr Hollow Point bullets, and my OAL is 1.198, my manual suggests a 1.20 OAL and the factory rounds I've been comparing to are 1.258

[PanhandlePop]

Originally Posted by steve4102

Before you go get a new die, you might want to check your OAL. Even if you are crimping with a Roll crimp you should NOT have the round sitting proud in the barrel. In fact a roll crimp would most likely cause just he opposite as the case mouth would not make contact with the chamber.

What bullet are you loading and what is your OAL?

I suspect Steve4102 is onto your problem. First, work with dummy rounds and shorten the OAL until you get a good "plunk." It can take very, very little adjustment to make a world of difference. Once you get a good fit, work your loads up from the start load (or a little below if you are shorter than specified in your manual).

Good Luck.

[LDBennett]

voicesinmyhead182

If all the diameters are right then it is the bullet bumping into the rifling in the barrel. That means you need to more deeply seat the bullets. I see the Berrys Bullet is truncated rather than round nosed. That could make the bullet bottom into the rifling before the case hit the headspacing ledge in the chamber.

My Lyman manual has a listing for 200 gr Jacketed HP with an OAL of 1.178 inches.

The shape of the bullet makes a big difference. As a test take a fired case (not sized). Stick the chosen bullet in it with a piece of paper to tighten the fit up a bit but still allow the bullet to slide into the case if pushed. Manually seat the bullet extra long and insert it into the barrel's chamber. Push it all the way in. Now remove it and measure the cartridge OAL. That will be the maximum and you should NEVER exceed that with those bullets and in fact use a OAL at least 10 to 20 thousandths shorter. But use the starting load for powder and work the load up as the deeper seated bullet (if significantly deeper seated) will raise the pressures.

You have yet to tell us all the diameters are less than the manual's spec. It still could be that you over crimped and bulged the cases.

LDBennett

[voicesinmyhead182]

Thanks for the help, I got them to sit properly around a length of 1.175-1.180, I just wasn't sure how safe it would be to go below the OAL listed in my manual for that bullet.