# 45 auto reloading



## blademanmichael (Mar 22, 2012)

I have recently started reloading 45s. 40% of my shells don't feed smoothly and some stop 1/16" before seating into the chamber. If I load them individualy, one at a time the majority,95%, shoot. any ideas?


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## Plainsman (Jul 30, 2003)

There could be a number of reasons. One could be a cast bullet a couple of thousandths oversize. Two could be you have not adjusted your sizing die far enough down in the press. Three your trying to reload badly bulged cases. You can purchase a special press set up for bulged cases from Midway for about $15. Fourth you could have stretched cases. Fifth you didn't chamfer the outside edge of the case mouth. etc.

Maybe you can throw a pic on here for us. Then give us a length measurement of the case, and a diameter measurement of the case mouth of a loaded round.


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## Sasha and Abby (May 11, 2004)

You may also need to polish up your feed ramp on your pistol, but it is probably what Plainsman said...


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## blademanmichael (Mar 22, 2012)

Sorry for the delay, 90 thousandths for unloaded shell length, 73thousandths for loaded round @ bullet end next to lead. Originally my setting on the crimp was preventing the shells from feeding at all so we backed off the crimp to keep the measurment at that end between 70 and 74 thousandths.


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## Plainsman (Jul 30, 2003)

Sorry you have lost me completely. Your case should be .898 inches. OCL should be 1.190 minimum, 1.275 maximum. More important at this moment is diameter at case mouth with a loaded round. Compare that to factory and how much larger are yours?

edit: my diamter is .471 at case mouth with jacketed bullets and .473 with my own cast bullets.


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## blademanmichael (Mar 22, 2012)

Case length is .900, diameter at mouth of loaded round .471 -.474. For some reason they vary in this range. Diameter at mouth of factory loaded round .470 -.471. I am a total rookie at this so that might be the reason for the differing measurments.

edit: I shoot all jacketed, berry bullets. Ocl is 1.238 on reloaded rounds.


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## Plainsman (Jul 30, 2003)

Your in the ballpark alright. Berry bullets???? I'm not familiar with them. Are they the jacketed or just plated?

Are you flaring the mouth before you seat the bullet. The reason I asked about jacket or plated is because some of those with thin plating can have the same problem as cast bullets. Fragments will can be shaved off the edge if you don't chamfer the inside, or you don't flare the mouth enough to accept the bullet with ease. The shaved fragments can lay next to the bullet and when seated completely they increase the diameter of your case just behind the mouth. If you have a match chamber one or two thousandths of an inch can cause problems. A diamter of .474 is at the edge where problems can start. At least that is true in my Kimber.

What handgun are you shoting these in? When they jam do you find a scuffed up area on the side of your case?


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## blademanmichael (Mar 22, 2012)

I shoot a Ruger KP90. Sometimes I get scuffing on the cases after a jam but not always. The berry bullets are plated but I don't know how to chamfer unless it is doig it already. We have a RCBS reloader that we got from a friend with new dies.


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## Plainsman (Jul 30, 2003)

You need this: http://www.midwayusa.com/product/465641 ... 60-caliber

Does your die set still have three dies?


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## blademanmichael (Mar 22, 2012)

Our die set has three dies. I followed the link you gave, now I know how to chamfer and I will buy the tool. Does using this tool reduce the amount of times you can reload these shells? Also, it seems that the reloaded rounds dirty up my gun faster than factory loads. I'm using Bullseye powder and am wondering if another brand burns cleaner. Thanks for your help by the way, I am, like I said before, a rookie at this.


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## Plainsman (Jul 30, 2003)

It will not reduce the number of times you reload at all. The dirt in your chamber and barrel are the results of the type of powder you use. Go to these sites and look at some of their powders and what they say about them. For example many people still don't use Unique because it was so dirty. About hmmm five or six years ago they changed something and had an add about how much cleaner it burns. I now use Unique for my cast bullet loads in 45 auto and in my 44 mag.

http://www.alliantpowder.com/products/p ... ndgun.aspx

http://hodgdon.com/shotpist.html

I also shoot a bit of Universal Clays, and Power Pistol

http://www.alliantpowder.com/products/p ... istol.aspx


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## blademanmichael (Mar 22, 2012)

Thank you for all the info. Sounds like chamfering will help and some cleaner burning powder. I'll try it out


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## macker13 (Nov 7, 2006)

I use bulleye for several of my handguns and yes it is dirty especially with cast bullets. On the up side it is versitile. I'm trying some different powders and they are buring cleaner than bullseye.


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## Savage260 (Oct 21, 2007)

You need to buy at least one reloading manual(I have 5) and read the whole thing. If you didn't know what chamfering is, you probably don't know a number of other things you need to be doing.


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## Plainsman (Jul 30, 2003)

Savage260 said:


> You need to buy at least one reloading manual(I have 5) and read the whole thing. If you didn't know what chamfering is, you probably don't know a number of other things you need to be doing.


That is good advise. Some may get a little ruffled but advise like this can save an eye, half your face, or even your life. Anyone reading this should take that advise as it is intended, and that is help for a fellow shooter.

Savage :thumb:


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## Savage260 (Oct 21, 2007)

You said it, Plainsman! I tend not to mince words, but loading safely IS more important than any thing else. Read a few manuals and enjoy this hobby safely! Good luck!


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## xdeano (Jan 14, 2005)

And don't go off "internet" numbers either. Many can be to hot. The only numbers I take off the internet are off reputable powder sites, and their numbers are usually a little on the cool side. "Lawyer Proof".

xdeano


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