Messed up chamber or stoopid shooter?

A

Ankeny

New member
Help me out here guys. I have been shooting factory ball through my Gold Match since it was new. I set my Dillon up yesterday to start loading some 200 grain lead SWC rounds.

To make a long story short, the slide won't close all of the way on the lead SWC. Yes, the sizing die is down all the way and the OAL is 1.260. Even taper crimped in a separate stage.

Anyhow, the rounds fall right into the barrel on my Series 80 so I had a buddy come over with his Colt and they fall right into his pistol. Turns out the rifling in my barrel starts immediately beyond the chamber. Obviously it is set up for hardball. I seated the bullets deep enough to get the case mouth almost even with the end of the shoulder on the bullet and they finally chambered. I shot a few rounds and the pressure was excessive even though the charge is well below max. Since the bullet is contacting the rifling and seated deep I guess I should have predicted the outcome.

OK, now what should I do? This pistol was sent back to the factory twice for other problems so I cringe at the thought of even talking to them. Is it common to leave no room between the rifling and the end of the chamber? Suggestions?
 
First off, back off your load! Seriously, if your gun requires that you have to seat the SWC down so that the shoulder of the bullet is even with the case mouth - that should be fine. Since you're reducing the volume inside the case that combustion occurs in, you're going to see higher pressures. As you may know, you'll need to workup this load from scratch based on your new seating depth required to feed properly in your pistol.

In the several hundred SWC-L, 200gr bullets that I've fired (loaded more than that, tho), I have not had the same problem in my USP45f. I seat with a fingernail height between case mouth and SWC shoulder and they feed very reliably.

If you're dead-set against sending this gun back to have it done right, I'd recommend seating to what works and then start working up from there based on velocity and feed reliability. HTH,
 
Long Duck:

I backed off right away. Just curious, on your HK does the rifling commence right at the case mouth or is there a little "freebore"? I hate to pester the custom shop if the pistol is set up properly and I am just too ignorant to get it to run.

[This message has been edited by Ankeny (edited February 10, 2000).]
 
This is one of the problems I had with my Kimber. I was using 200 gr. SWC's also. Brian said the chamber was tight and no lead into the rifling. Took care of that and it has been running perfectly ever since.

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John
(formerly johnboy)

[This message has been edited by John Forsyth (edited February 11, 2000).]
 
Thanks John. I'll call Brian in the morning and talk to him. I was trying to sell the pistol, but I don't want another TFL member to inherit the problem. As long as I am at it I'll have him trash the MIM parts. Heck, for a couple of hundred dollars he can probably make it run right and I might even keep it.
 
Ankeny,

The chamber just needs to be reamed. The leade into the rifling is too short and the bullet hits it and sticks. It's cheap to correct. Load your rounds to 1.240-1.250 oal. Just so the shoulder is about .020-.030 over the case mouth.

Brian
 
Ankeny,

Is there any reason why you have to use SWCs in your pistol ? Seems that it would be cheaper and easier just to use round nose bullets if the pistol's feeding those reliably.
 
224:

I have 2 1/2 five gallon cans full of .45 auto brass and 4 bulk packs (4000) of 200 grain SWC. Also, I can get the 200 SWC delivered for $30.00 a thousand. In my experience the SWC generally is a bit more accurate and the targets are easier to score. I was going to sell the pistol on TFL, but I won't do it knowing the pistol doesn't shoot the most common types of practice ammo.
 
Well that certainly explains why you'd want to use the SWCs ! :)

Years ago I had an Auto Ordinance 1911 that wouldn't feed anything reliably *except* SWCs. Go figure.
 
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