1st Time 45 ACP Reloading Question

[jkeiler]

I'm reloading 45 acp for the first time. Using Titegroup and 230 grn Berry's roundnose plated bullet. Hodgon's data (and Lee's too) gives a COL of 1.200.

I seated a test bullet (in an unprimed and uncharged case) at 1.200 and the bullet seemed to be sitting quite deeply to visual inspection. I compared it to 3 different commercial brands of 230 grn roundnose FMJ bullets and they are noticeably longer and to me more "normal" looking (measuring from 1.256 to 1.266 COL.)

I understand that the plated bullet is not FMJ (and is treated as lead) and that commercial rounds use different powders and data, but the difference is so distinctive that it has me a bit concerned. Ought I be?

 

[BradMacc82]

.45 is pretty forgiving, so I wouldn't be TOO concerned by your dummy round.

Just pull your barrel (if loading for semi-auto) and do the 'plunk' test. Just drop the dummy round into the chamber, ideally I like to see the rim even with the back of the barrel hood. You can adjust the seating die to get you where you want to be.

 

[platekiller]

Isn't that a min length? I measure my mag to see how long I can go and try to be somewhere in the middle.

 

[Clippers69]

The .45 ACP is a good round to reload for the first caliber. Different manufacturers of bullets have different shapes to their bullets. Some are more rounded than others. The OAL can be up to 1.250 so I would increase your OAL. I have loaded lead, jacketed, and plated bullets in the .45 and use the OAL to determine the depth of the bullets except for a 200 LSWC where I use a visual determination for the seating depth. I leave about a 1/16" of the shoulder above the rim. If I use the OAL, then it is too deep and it doesn't feed well or at all. When I increased the OAL and visually determined the seating depth, I have never had a problem feeding the round. I have not used Titegroup in .45 and use WST instead. Since the .45 ACP is easy to load for, I used powders I was able to get.

 

[jkeiler]

Thanks all for the advice, I appreciate it.

 

[Bikebreath]

The Speer Manual gives 1.200 for every weight and size, except the SWC's. I go with the 1.200 for mine and they do just fine.

 

[frogman68]

I do mine to 1.26 with 4.4 grains of Titegroup (same bullet) My 1927 loves em

 

[Pinecone]

Seat one dummy round a bit long. But no longer than what will fit in the mag. Do NOT crimp.

Do the plunk test mentioned. If it doesn't drop in, slowly seat it deeper until it fits.

 

[Bikebreath]

The Speer Manual gives 1.200 for every weight and size, except the SWC's. I go with the 1.200 for mine and they do just fine.

ETA: Speer says 1.275 is Max OAL and no Min. listed

 

[ihriec]

I agree 45acp is fairly easy to reload. For Berry's and Rainier's 230gr CRN, I find an OAL of 1.25 - 1.27 works best in my Remington 1911 R1. For an easy target load, I like 4.0gr of Hodgdon Clays, but it is hard to find lately. I find a lot of different powders work well for 45acp.

 

[Pinecone]

Too short will cause feeding problems in 1911s.

 

[kalister1]

I load 230 Gr Round Nose Rainier plated bullets to 1.260 AOL.
Remember the 45 ACP head spaces on the case mouth, so Crimp is important. I use a Lee Factory Crimp die.

 

[alucard0822]

Rainier and Berry's plated have a sharper ogive shape, more like most FMJ 9mm bullets than the round 45 ogive most are used to, longer bullets will seat deeper, and give higher pressure for the same OAL. This is why you work up loads, especially with generic LRN or FMJ data. Data for that specific bullet is best, but working up loads will help you avoid going over pressure, or at least give signs when you are. Probably not enough to be concerned with though as most have said. In most cases the OAL given is a minimum, or "as tested", and you can usually increase it as long as it fits in mags and chambers, which tends to feed better, runs at lower pressure for a given charge and may give better accuracy.

 

[Magnumite]

I've been through difficult feeding this with several different bullets. I started looking close at feeding contact points and characteristics.

A method I use is to ensure the feeding contact points of the handloaded bullet coincides with that of a 230 grain ball round. Especially useful with differing SWC profiles and RNFP designs. It is not perfect since some bullets are too short or have much different geometry (truncated cone of some makes). Late release mags help with those rounds.

 

[deesly1]

I have a FNP 45, Not an FNX 45 witch is very finicky about the length of ammo. (Spoken to the FN rep. at TROP in PA about this issue) I set my length to 1.268" and not longer and it cycles like a champ. Also this same size cycles in my buddies Mac 10 chambered in .45 ACP. I factory crimp and never have a problem re-using brass.

 

[Seabee]

Seating too short will also increase pressures. I'd recommend using the length as listed in whatever data you were using.