Been struggling a bit getting set up properly for 45ACP. However I think I've pretty much got it under control. The taper/seating die was giving me troubles (previous thread), but I've got it dialed in pretty well.
Took about 70 rounds to the range yesterday to shoot with my XDS. Everything went well. Had one fail to fire which I'm attributing to a loosely seated primer (had a loose shell plate on my l'n'l, which I've fixed with a lock washer).
This other round failed to feed. By the looks of it, I should be thankful. It was one of the earlier efforts, when I was struggling with the seating/crimping. I'm not sure if it came of the press like that, or it happened as it was feeding. I do examine the loaded cartridges coming out of the press, but it's possible I missed this one.
I have been studying these pictures for 5 or 6 minutes and I am sort of stumped. I can't tell what is going on. I do have some random thoughts.
My thoughts - in the bottom picture it looks like the slide might have traveled down the case until it stopped suddenly where that "gash" is. I am curious if the base of the bullet is where the mark is. The top picture makes me think that these are 185 grain bullets and, again, the base of the bullet is right there at the gash and that has something to do with the mark, but I really can't see anything obvious to cause it.
Simple failure to feed. Round hung up on the feed ramp, and the slide dented the case. Thus the bullet is pushed back into the case. One thing a lot of folks miss is that a lighter bullet has to be shorter. And feed ramp problems are very common on new inexpensive pistols.
Yep, Carver nailed it. The round hung up on the feed ramp and the slide dug in right at the base of the bullet.
It sorta looks like the bullet got pushed into the case a bit before the slide rode over the round and jammed on the case too. Is it still at the same COAL that you loaded it too? Or is it shorter?
It sorta looks like the bullet got pushed into the case a bit before the slide rode over the round and jammed on the case too. Is it still at the same COAL that you loaded it too? Or is it shorter?
The hornady manual for the 185gr xtp calls for an OAL of 1.213. The bullet pictured, as it sits right now has an OAL of 1.214. I believe that is how it was loaded as I spot checked several of them while loading.
The bullet looks to be seated too deeply. I always want to have a little of the straight side of the bullet showing, maybe 1/16 or 3/32". For me, it seems to make feeding a little smoother.
My 4th Ed. Hornady manual lists 1.230" as the COAL for the 185gr XTP. My current one is down at the farm but I'm pretty sure the COAL is still the same.
If that's how you loaded them, that wider ledge at the casemouth/bullet juncture might've been the cause of the feed hangup too. Double-check the dimension on some of the other ones you loaded in that session.
My 4th Ed. Hornady manual lists 1.230" as the COAL for the 185gr XTP. My current one is down at the farm but I'm pretty sure the COAL is still the same.
Wondering why they changed it? The bullet looks like it's seated with a small lip of the case showing. I honestly don't know enough to second guess the manual, so I went with what it said.
Had another round from this reloading session fail-to-feed.
Upon inspection, the lip of the brass was crinkled. I'm pretty certain it was OK going into the mag and crinkled while the gun was attempting to chamber it.
My thoughts are that the OAL (1.213) is too short with the 185gr XTP.
Sorry if this is a dumb question, but can I just lengthen the OAL a bit so there isn't a lip on the cartridge? I don't know if it's apparent in the pic in the OP, but there is an ever so slight lip with the OAL at 1.213". As long as the round fits in the mag, and still chambers (plunks) correctly, is there any other side effect of increasing the OAL by say .01"? I'm looking online and seeing information that varies all over the place.
As long as the round fits in the mag, and still chambers (plunks) correctly, is there any other side effect of increasing the OAL by say .01"? I'm looking online and seeing information that varies all over the place.
According to the NRA "Handloading" book increasing OAL will have two opposing effects. The first is that you reduce the free run to the rifling which tends to raise pressure. The second is that you have reduced powder density which tends to lower pressure. Which one dominates, if any, depends on your firearm. In a revolver the free run is large so powder density dominates.
I actually have a box of 185gr XTP and a few empty cases, just no dies as I haven't started reloading 45ACP yet. I went out and pressed a bullet in to 1.230" and the mouth of the case was right where the nose begins to taper. Continuing on to 1.213" left a bit of the case mouth hanging out in free space. It seems to me like it would be difficult to get a good crimp as there would be nothing stopping the bullet from slipping in deeper. Were it me I'd change to 1.230" COAL and then use an L.E. Wilson case gauge to make sure I was getting enough crimp and nothing was sticking out to get hung up on.
Based on what I saw when I seated that 185gr XTP last night I will be using the 1.230" COAL from the 4th edition when I start loading .45 ACP. I'll just start at the starting load and work my way up just like I would any load development like you would if you were to alter any of the components. As long as your COAL is under the maximum of 1.275" you shouldn't be hitting the lands.
You'll never know what pressure you are running at. My 1911 can handle +P ammo (with accelerated wear) which provides a level of safety from accidentally hot loads. A chrono won't tell you the pressure, but it can help identify if your load is hotter or weaker than expected, and I've found Hornady load data to be very accurate once differences in barrel length are accounted for.
I just loaded 3 sets of 5 dummy rounds of 185gr XTP at 1.230, 1.240 and 1.250. (used same cases/bullets, just pulled 'em each time).
At 1.230, the mouth is right at the edge, maybe even a coupla thousandths over (i.e. lip showing). 1.240 looks better, and 1.250 looks a little long.
Test fed into my XDS, they all went into the mag fine and the first round fed fine. Racking the slide, the 1.230 ejected easily, a couple of the 1.240's got stuck ejecting and every one of the 1.250's got stuck ejecting. Of course I won't be ejecting rounds w/bullets on 'em (on purpose), but it does show how tight the XDS is.
I'm going to load a light'ish load with 10 at 1.230 and 10 at 1.240 and try 'em.
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