Home Forums Reloading Handgun Reloading 45 acp 1911

I am looking for tips on reloading this ammo. I have loaded rifle and revolver ammo for 60 years. I bought a couple 1911's and enjoy them a great deal. Also have a Smith revolver for this round. I loaded a bunch of ammo for it, but something is not quite right. Sometimes the sized cases would not chamber in the 1911. So I got a Hornady die to taper the cases. Now my ammo sometimes will not fire since using the taper die.
Any suggestions would be appreciated!!

Disassemble your gun and use the barrel as a cartridge gauge.

A resized case should drop into the chamber with no resistance and the head of the case should be just below flush with the end of the barrel hood.

A loaded round should drop into the chamber with a "plunk" sound. The head of the case should be just below flush with the end of the barrel hood.

The barrel hood fits very closely to the breech face of the slide. If the round sits above the hood, the slide may not close. If the round sits more than a slight amount below the hood, the round may not fire as the firing pin can not reach.

Michael

Disassemble your gun and use the barrel as a cartridge gauge.

A resized case should drop into the chamber with no resistance and the head of the case should be just below flush with the end of the barrel hood.

A loaded round should drop into the chamber with a "plunk" sound. The head of the case should be just below flush with the end of the barrel hood.

The barrel hood fits very closely to the breech face of the slide. If the round sits above the hood, the slide may not close. If the round sits more than a slight amount below the hood, the round may not fire as the firing pin can not reach.

Michael

Just finished loading some 45 ACP ammo....

Loaded some more 250 gr plated (.451") with AA 5

You being the seasoned reloader...your die set consists of......?

My suggestion on any auto pistol loads...Lee Deluxe 4 piece die set...#4 die...factory crimp die (FCD) works wonders

I also use a Lyman 'M' series expander die....expands in two stages for 45's (ACP or Colt)

Nothing more frustrating when your hand loads have hick ups in your auto pistol

Link for the ole 45's history

Pic........my newest 45 ....XD-M Elite compact

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.45_ACP

[img]https://i.imgur.com/XbOyRdm.jpg?1[/img]

only a suggestion.....FCD is amazing

Under sizing die for tight chamber ?

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1011209519?pid=716704

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1012827841?pid=572212

If they're not firing, then they aren't head spacing on the the chamber mouth. I'm guessing that you are crimping so hard that the case edge is slipping past the case mouth.

But, usually the case is held by the extractor sufficiently for the firing pin to ignite the primer, so now I'm wondering if your problem Description is faulty.

Probably what you really mean is that your reloads don't chamber, so the slide doesn't close enough to depress the disconnector - so you don't get a "click".

Since you shoot revolver, it is possible you are trying to use a revolver cast bullet in your auto.

I think you need to provide a bit more info.....

Don't over do the crimp! A taper crimp die is your friend. If you roll crimp the ammo, it won't headspace on the mouth, thus seating too far into the chamber. True, the extractor may support it somewhat, but may give you some light strikes on the primer. Use the removed barrel to check your loads.

No cast in either the revolver or 1911. I am going to reload some soon and give things a check. I didn't crimp the loads as I remember and it doesn't look as if I did. Thanks. I have some time coming up, I will get to loading some more.

My thought is that you are over-flaring and subsequently over-crimping. Take a turn or two off the flare die and then reset your crimp. Use your caliber and measure the brass at the crimp. If it does not read between .470 and .471 you have a problem.

Multiple times I have had to take a case gauge/barrel and test every adjustment for set up. 10mm with cast 200s kicked my ass for some reason. The key for me was to keep it as close to “plunking” as possible during the flare step.

Taper crimp to .471" and watch your OAL. What bullet are you using?

Horn. 230 hp and berry's 230 fmj!

I had to add a fourth crimp die. The seating crimp rcbs did couldn't get it set right to do it all in one operation. Now I seat and then run through a crimp die. I'm using the Lee factory crimp.

Yesterday I carefully loaded 10 acps with 8 gr. of AA#5. The powder I have been using. All 10 functioned fine. I am going to load another batch to nite. It has been so long since I loaded those shells that miss function I am not sure what the problem might have been.. But thanks for all the help. I will try and keep this going till I am confident with my loads. The Lee die has been added to the process, thanks again.

This.

Also, as others have said, do the plunk test. Also make sure you can spin the round in the chamber. If not, OAL is too long and engaging the lands.

I use the taper crimp die in my Lyman four die set. I do the plunk test on every single round I load, with an old Midway branded test die so as not to have to strip the barrel(s) out of the guns. Do they even make those plunk test dies anymore? Mine has worked 100% flawlessly for years.

I bought a Lyman 4-die set and have come to prefer it over the RCBS dies.

Sounds like you have solved the problem but what I did before I got a taper crimp die is run the loaded round about 1/16” into a 45 Colt sizing die.

The Lee Factory Crimp die is the answer, I'm sure. I don't load any of my pistol ammo without one. Makes them 100% reliable. YMMV..

While talking about dies

I started using Lyman's 'M series' expander on 357---44 & 45 Colt/ACP

Have one coming too for the 9mm

Kinda like the Lee collet or factory crimp die

Once ya use it...you'll buy more

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1011246697?pid=794181

No issues at all with my 3 die RCBS set. I have found it preferable to seat the bullet to the desired depth using the seating/crimp die and then back off the seater plug and set the taper crimp in a second pass.This is only applicable if you are using a single stage press though. I have set it for 0.469" at the mouth since Bill Wilson recommended it in his book 30 years ago.

No real need for a Lee crimp die. BSA is always over complicating things... grin.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1337878279...=&widget_ver=artemis&media=EMAIL

I use the tool above for the plunk test.
Also the gray box RCBS dies expander plug looks the same as a Lyman m die expander.
I tried almost everything the prevent the shaving of lead while seating the bullet. My newest die is the Redding expander which is coated. Seems to be working fine. Hasbeen

If you are using your seating/crimp die in two passes isn't that basically turning it into a 4 die set, with the added complication of adjusting the die between seating and crimping? Sure you can minimize adjustments by doing them in larger batches but I figured it would be easier to just use a fourth die to crimp even if it was another rcbs die or something. The LFCD just seemed like a well reviewed option so that is what I went with. I just put it in an RCBS jr press so I don't have to readjust and can just go from one to the next. I would like to get a progressive at some point though.

That is correct. As I said, the extra die is not really needed unless using a progressive. The RCBS die I have makes a perfect taper crimp and I used to load in batches of 1000 so a quick adjustment was no big concern.

Sounds like you have your system working now, so all is good.

Loaded 10 more ACPs. All functioned fine. Maybe when I was loading that batch, I did not pay enough attention to detail. Shot 10 of the old ones in my .45 acp revolver day before and they all worked fine, but the revolver may be more forgiving of errors in seating depth of the primers. Thanks for all the help.

Glad you're getting it sorted out.

I had used a progressive that I didn't like, it seemed too easy to tie up. Found about close to 1000 rounds of .45 ACP I had loaded on it and set aside back in the early '90s. Had one high primer and one with no powder when I shot through that batch, so that was better than I thought it would be.

Quit using that and bought a Dillon 550C. Night and day difference.

Hope your improvements continue.

Some good info on this thread. A neighbor asked if he could have some of my cast and coated 45 bullets. I gave him some and he had all kinds of problems starting with sticking a tight fitting load in the chamber of his new gun. He's a former Ranger sniper special forces guy too but hadn't heard of the kerplunk test with just the barrel.

I inquired as to his process and he didn't use an expander at all. He just figures the case will cut the bullet to size. That particular mold casts a little out of round but they work fine in my gun unsized but I flare the mouth and then taper crimp it back down which sizes it a bit. I told him I'd size some with my push through if he wants to try again but he needs to start using an expander instead of shaving the coating off with the case mouth.

Bb