OAL tolerances for .45 acp

[OofieXD]

I just received a used Square Deal (not B) yesterday and I tried setting it up today. I got the powder measure where I wanted, at 5.0gr of w231.

However, when I was setting up the bullet seater die (station 3), I got several measurements from what I wanted. I set it up for 1.250" but from 48 bullets (without powder and primer), I got readings anywhere from 1.256" to about 1.241". I probably got half over 1.250" and half under. Is this normal? I'm using once fired brass and 230gr LRN. What are the acceptable tolerances for .45acp OAL?

[joelogic]

How are you getting a variance in OAL? The die shouldnt move and the shellplate shouldnt move.

[Fjold]

The nose shape and length will vary that much. As long as they fit in the magazine and cycle through your gun, you're fine.

[Jonathan Doe]

I just seat to the magazine length and had no problems yet.

[Revoman]

Are you sure that the shellplate is snugged down. Sometimes the center screw/bolt that holds the shellplate in place becomes loose, causing it to be unstable enough to produce inconsistent OAL's. The plate should not wobble......at all.

If that's not the issue, perhaps the seating die has debris in it from previous loadings, lube, lead, etc. Try cleaning it. Or, the seating die is not the correct die for the shape of the bullet you are loading, they come in WC, RN, SWC, etc.

My bet is on the shellplate hold down screw being slightly backed out.

There are tolerances also though and the shape of the bullet has a great impact upon the OAL. That's why it's important to look at the actual bullet that the manual shows to see if it's within the basic perimeters of the bullet that you are loading for. Sometimes close is as good as it gets, but sometimes close is not a good thing especially if you loading maximum loads.

If you can, try getting loading information from the bullet manufacture, that way they have the correct information for that particular bullet shape and size,OAL and so on.

[buffybuster]

Ammo within that tolerance range will generally function. The source of your variance could be the bullet or your shellplate or die isn't fully tightened down or you are not stroking the lever consistently. Consistent stroke is very important. Think of the lever going up and down at the same speed, all the way UP and then all the way DOWN with the same speed in both directions. Smoothly and consistently with no jerking or speeding up.

[OofieXD]

I forgot to mention, these bullets (230gr LRN) were cast at home. I got them from a guy who sold me a scale, he gave me 350pcs of LRN. Maybe it has something to do with that?

The shellplate is snug, but I haven't checked the die if it's clean or not. How would I know which seater cups are which? I got this used and I had no idea there were different seater cups.

[diginit]

I hope he sized the bullets.
I've loaded almost every bullet for the 45. FMJ's. ball and FN. jacketed swc's, LWSC, HP's-Lead and jacketed. TC's. TCHP's, etc. Never had to change the seater cup.
I'd say short,uneven stroking or play in the press somewhere. But some bullets are just different enough in size to go +/- on OAL.

[Flying Bones]

I've been dealing with the same problem more/less in my new 650.
First finding: My shell plate was too loose. That tightened my "range" way up but i'm still getting variances in OAL from 2.27 to 2.22...There is "play" in the top die holder, I don't like it, I think it's causing my problems but that's how it's manufactured.

[OofieXD]

I did a few bullets again this morning and all 15 were over 1.260 and averaging around 1.268. I have no idea whats happening everything is tight as they're supposed to be. What I found though was that my crimping die was dirty with lube. Could this have helped with the inconsistencies?

[sza]

Three tips for getting more consistent OAL with a Square Deal:

1. When you're setting up the seating die, have a case in every station. The pressure from sizing will cock the ram over slightly, affecting your seating depth.

2. Don't over-crimp. Check your OAL before and after crimping. If it's changing, you're over-crimping.

3. Measure the length of a some of your bullets (or better yet, use a comparator). Don't expect to hold your OAL to anything better than the variation in the bullets you are using.

[OofieXD]

Thanks for the tips sza. Does the projectile length matter with OAL? I was under the impression that longer projectiles would just get seated in more.

[sza]

It's more the difference in profile that the overall length, which is why a comparator is better.

It comes down to where the seating plug is contacting the bullet. If you're using the rounded seating plug, and the nose of the bullet is a slightly different diameter or different profile, the plug will contact the bullet in a different place and the OAL will be different.

You can still get a (rough) idea of how much variance there is from bullet to bullet by measuring their overall length--the idea is to set your expectations appropriately.

[Revoman]

sza........Excellent advise on both posts.

OofieXD....Yes, lube can change the OAL somewhat, even in the crimp station.

I would recommend, if you haven't already done so, to clean the entire setup, dies, shellplate, etc. When you remove the shellplate, DO NOT tip the machine over until you have removed the detent ball (it sits toward the front center, closest to the handle), and it's spring or you will lose them both.

Since this machine is new to you, but used, you may even take the time and effort to clean the entire machine, by taking it completely apart and lubricating when reassembling. This may not remedy the problem, but it could make you machine run smoother/better.

[OofieXD]

Revoman, yeah, I'll probably do that when I have time this weekend.

Well, I just did 52 rounds this afternoon, 21 with 4.8gr, 21 with 5.0gr and 10 with 5.2 gr of W231. I'm going to the range tomorrow so I wanted a variety of powder charges. During my first 21 rounds, I was all over the place with OAL, maybe a .010" spread. I checked every round with my magazine and barrel. Out of the first 21 rounds, I had (1) 1.228", (2) 1.239" and the rest were +/-.010 from 1.250".

Second batch which was 21 rounds again, I had better consistency. Out of 21 rounds, I had (3) 1.245" and rest were from 1.251" to 1.259".

Last 10 rounds, I got (1) 1.260" and rest were +/-.003 from 1.255".

I guess I was getting the big inconsistencies because of the uneven strokes yesterday and only loading one case at a time. I think it does help when you have all stations with cases at it probably distributes the shellplate better.

By the way, I'm getting some Bear Creek 200gr bullets tomorrow and I'll see if I can produce more uniform bullets with those.