.45 ACP FMJ Reloads Jamming

[goodlookin1]

Hey guys,

I've reloaded quite a few rounds of 45 ACP over the past 5 years and have never had an issue until now. I purchased some military pulled .45 FMJ bullets that look like they are made of brass. Thought nothing of it. Loaded a bunch up just like my 200 and 230 LRN moly coated Bear Creek bullets. Had a chance to go out shooting a couple of times and I noticed that after firing about 40 or so, the new rounds will start to jam up, and more often as the shooting continues. I'm shooting them out of a Kimber 3" Ultra CDP II. My load of choice is 5.0 grains Bullseye and Winchester/CCI 300 Large Pistol. OAL is currently 1.245". Taking the barrel out of the gun and dropping in a round shows the case base sitting just under flush with the barrel's base.

It seems that the dirtier the pistol gets, the more they jam up. My LRN's and Berry's plated RN projectiles have never had this issue. But I noticed that the nose on these new bullets are very blunt and more rounded, less pointy than my others. I'm wondering if this has anything to do with it?

Generally speaking, should I be giving them a shorter OAL with the wider, more blunt nosed bullets, or make them longer? Just looking for a rule of thumb, because as I have found out, not all RN bullets are the same. My thinking is that it is either the material they are made out of that do not allow for good sliding on a fouled chamber surface, or the OAL needs to be adjusted to chamber correctly. It's just weird that they work for the first 40 or so without jamming, but then they start acting up. And for the record, I know it;s not the gun because I can go back to using my LRN rounds and it will function flawlessly.

Thanks for any advice.

[G-forceJunkie]

Since the round headspaces off the case mouth, the bullet should never touch anything when in battery. Or when you say "jam up", they are not even getting into the chamber? Perhaps your cases are too long and need trimmed, these bullets are larger in diameter, or your crimp needs to be adjusted for these different bullets. Its not voodoo, but science, so a mic or calipers should be able to tell you whats different between these loads and your previous ones. If your getting a failure to go into battery because the round is not even getting into the chamber, then the shape of the bullet and the oal would be suspect.

[G-forceJunkie]

Since the round headspaces off the case mouth, the bullet should never touch anything when in battery. Or when you say "jam up", they are not even getting into the chamber? Perhaps your cases are too long and need trimmed, these bullets are larger in diameter, or your crimp needs to be adjusted for these different bullets. Its not voodoo, but science, so a mic or calipers should be able to tell you whats different between these loads and your previous ones. If your getting a failure to go into battery because the round is not even getting into the chamber, then the shape of the bullet and the oal would be suspect.

[goodlookin1]

Since the round headspaces off the case mouth, the bullet should never touch anything when in battery. Or when you say "jam up", they are not even getting into the chamber? Perhaps your cases are too long and need trimmed, these bullets are larger in diameter, or your crimp needs to be adjusted for these different bullets. Its not voodoo, but science, so a mic or calipers should be able to tell you whats different between these loads and your previous ones. If your getting a failure to go into battery because the round is not even getting into the chamber, then the shape of the bullet and the oal would be suspect.

The bullets are not being jammed into the lands, so that's not the problem. It's jamming up when the round hits the feed ramp and bumps up 45 degrees and basically the nose is getting caught on the top of the barrel just outside of the chamber. Basically it gets stuck in an upright 45 degree angle.

I'll take some measurements to make sure the final rounds are the same sizes as the LRN rounds that work fine, but I didn't change any of the crimp sizes or OAL adjustments between the two.

[Bill Steele]

I would give a little long OAL a try. Maybe something in the 1.265 to 1.270 range. I usually go longer first when I am having feed issues.

[stphnman20]

CCI 200 are large rifle primers..

I hope you meant CCI 300.

[goodlookin1]

CCI 200 are large rifle primers..

I hope you meant CCI 300.

No, I thought the 200's were Large Pistol Primers?!?! Oh crap....

Just kidding You are right, it was a typo.....I'll go back and fix.

[goodlookin1]

I think what I should do is find a retail FMJ with the same shape profiled nose and copy its' OAL. We'll see what happens....

[rsrocket1]

Longer OAL might help. Also if you have a Lee FCD, you might try running it through with the crimp stem putting a very light taper crimp on the case mouth. Try it with a dirty barrel and dummy rounds. Don't overdo the crimp or you risk a kaboom if the crimped case slides into the throat.

Sometimes the slightest adjustment is the difference between 100% reliability and frustrating 3 point jams that ruin your day at the range.

[J-cat]

The bullets are not being jammed into the lands, so that's not the problem. It's jamming up when the round hits the feed ramp and bumps up 45 degrees and basically the nose is getting caught on the top of the barrel just outside of the chamber. Basically it gets stuck in an upright 45 degree angle.

3" 1911's are sensitive. Bump the OAL to 1.270" if that still chambers. You should be fine after that.

[Wrangler John]

This is an old problem with any 1911 in .45 ACP, even Colt's, GI's to Gold Cup models. It is most likely a problem with the bullet shape relative to the feed ramp. Even custom built 1911's may have problems feeding anything but standard hardball military bullets, including any hollow point or flat point bullet. In these instances the feed ramp needs to be contoured and polished by a gunsmith familiar with the 1911. The easiest solution is to use newly manufactured bullets that have proven to feed reliably. This is one reason that I avoided avoided using reclaimed components in any of my four competition and combat 1911's.