.45acp oal issue with new bullets

caligula

New member
HELP! Bought a batch of hard-cast 225 gr .45 ACP bullets and set up the OAL of 1.2/2" for the recommended (Lyman) dose of 5.5 gr of Tite group Problem is that this bullet won't battery unless the OAL is set around 1.20". Any longer than that and the upper lube land contacts the rifling and jams the action.

So, at this point, I need a safe starting charge for this bear using either Unique or Tite group. Primary object is soft target loads. If any of you folks have dealt with this problem please share. Thanks -

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Ok, Im guessing you are newer to reloading and I will try and break this down for you.

Not all cast bullets are the same, and this one is clearly not the same as the one in your lyman manual. Also not all guns are the same. What matters is that the round fits in your gun, think of the manual as a rough estimate. when you start loading a new bullet I generally load 2-3 dummy rounds with no crimp to make sure the seating depth works in my firearm using the plunk test method. Just keep adjusting them till they fit properly. there are also loaded cartridge gages, but if you just loading for one gun, your barrel is the best gage you will ever get.

With cast bullets in semiauto guns generally you should not have any of the lube groove showing. if it is showing it is not seated deep enough.

Lastly, work your load up from the starting load! DO NOT jump straight to a recommended load. most manuals have a start and a max, they are there for a reason. Load up 5-10 or so at start and shoot them, see how they behave. Progress from there.

Ok, I just pulled out my lyman 50th, and we have another issue, you appear to possibly be over max.

Lyman 50th, 45 auto, 225g cast bullet (mold#452374) shows a recommended starting load of 4.5g of titegroup, and a MAX of 5.1g of titegroup. Im hoping you mis-typed.

What I would recommend is loading to the length that will fit in your gun, load 5-10 with the STARTING load from the manual, and shoot them and see how they shoot in your gun.

The listed starting loads in my Lyman 50th for 225g cast lead are as follows, and this is where I would start. If your concerned with the bullets being seated deeper and the reduced case capacity you could reduce these by 0.5g and start there.

Listed starting charged
Titegroup 4.5g
Unique 5.5g
 
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HELP! Bought a batch of hard-cast 225 gr .45 ACP bullets and set up the OAL of 1.2/2" for the recommended (Lyman) dose of 5.5 gr of Tite group Problem is that this bullet won't battery unless the OAL is set around 1.20". Any longer than that and the upper lube land contacts the rifling and jams the action.

So, at this point, I need a safe starting charge for this bear using either Unique or Tite group. Primary object is soft target loads. If any of you folks have dealt with this problem please share. Thanks -

.
I just zipped over to Hodgdon's load data site. 230gr data is 4.8gr maximum. So I don't think you'll blow anything up, but you should check multiple sources first - and I recommend not using max load data starting out.

Cartridge Overall Length (COL) is going to vary with bullet profile, as you discovered. Look up "plunk test".
Have fun!

Ih one more thing, make sure your COL also works with your magazine.
 
.45acp OAL with new bullets

SHADOW9mm: Once I solved the failure to battery issue by changing the bullet depth, the issue became the charge alteration to suit the new OAL. My 5.5 post was a typo; the Lyman book said 4.5 gr for a starting charge with an AOL of 1.272". Thinking of starting at about 4.0 gr. Thanks for your reply.
MEHAVEY: T&B Bullets. Thank you.
TOTALDLA: Darn! I pulled the barrel, checke4d the chamber, and "plunked" until I had five rounds that sang. For a day, now, I thought I invented the test. Also reducing the loads to 4.0 gr. per your suggestion. Thanks.
 
T&Bs Truncated Cone 225gr bullet is a wholly different shape than the
Lyman 225gr 452374 (which can accommodate a longer OAL of 1.272")

See HERE for some TiteGroup/OAL discussion.

See also ToteGroup data for the HORNADY 45 CAL .451 230 GR FMJ-FP (also a TC)
for rough compare & contrast
,
 
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THANKS! The data you noted matches what I discovered throught experimentation (with the exception of the CUP and velocity info.) I'm going with a starting load of 4.0 Titegroup and new undies. ANd yes, truncated bullets seem to have mischief of their own.
 
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