SWC overall length

[Ken]

Greetings: I am having chambering issues using 200 gr SWC in a 1911. The loaded round hits the feed ramp and pops up at a 45 degree angle well before the rim is caught by the extractor. It jams solidly at this angle. Am I seating the bullets too deep? Does anyone know what OAL the loaded cartridge should be to feed properly? Thanks for any help you can give.

[MikeA]

Ken,
The Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook shows 1.153" OAL  for the 200 gr. SWC #452460.
Semper Fi.
MikeA

[fc60]

Greetings,

The malfunction could be magazine related.

Try different magazines to isolate the malfunctions.

If the lips of the magazine are not adjusted for wadcutter ammo you will likely have feeding problems.

Cheers,

Dave

[tony barone]

1.255 was the oal for the H&G# 68 which is similar to the Lyman.

[cc656d]

IF (remember that I said IF) the magazine does not release at the right time a swc is going to jam.  The mag must release just momentarly before the extractor is over the round.  The round underneath or the follower should cause the round to pop up, the extractor catches and the round goes home.  Remember thet the 1911 was designed for round nose bullets. I have a specially altered pair of pliers that I can use to move the release point back.

[Rolling Stone]

Your experiences mirror mine trying to use a H&G 130. I went to a #68 and they fed like hardball. The profile of the bullet is a really important part of these feeding  in a 1911.
RS

[LeupoldMRK4]

My #130's would jam too... would fail to chamber until I tighten the crimp.  Now they run PERFECT.

[Ken]

Thank you all for the info and feedback. I will start with OAL, which I suspect is the problem. Cheers. Ken.

[Ken]

Re: crimp. Is 0.469 at the case mouth too tight or OK?

[cc656d]

Ken
Take the recoil spring out of the pistol and also take out the firing pin. With this done put a magazine in the pistol and slowly move the slide foward. You will be able to  see in slow motion how it functions.If the round pops up to soon you have mag problems. When I shoot I have about 1/16 " lead out beyond the case and I have never used any crimp. I just try to get the case wall back to straight with the crimp die. My pistols function flawlessly with both the short 185 swc and the 200 swc.

[Ken]

thank you cc656d. i never thought about checking the mags that way - cannot wait to try it. thanks again.

[dbltapster]

Sound advice above Ken.

For me, I have never really worried about OAL or crimp with my 200 gr. SWCs.  An old-timer gave me some advice years ago that has served me well.  He said to seat your bullets so that a "finger nail" thinkness of the shoulder remains above the case mouth.  He also said to only crimp the round (esp. if using cast bullets), only enough to chamber.

With a light to standard load, I have never had a FTF with that advice.  -- The FTF's I did have were magazine problems.  For instance, I use Wilson 47 D magazines.  They work well for me when they are new(er).  As the magazine spring weakens over time, the 8th and last round in the mag starts to misfeed.  I correct the problem by replacing the springs (cheap fix), or using the mag only for practice and loading it with just 7 rounds (I know the 7 round thing sounds wierd, but it works...at least that has been my experience)  

Good luck with your troubleshooting.  Let us know how you make out.

Jon.

[Ken]

Thanks to everyone for your input. i seated the bullets shallower (1/16 bullet shoulder exposed) and the feeding problem went away; even with older mags. difference between the problem rounds (1.230) and shallower bullet depth (1.270) seemed to cure the problem. thnaks again.

[Steve Doering]

Glad to hear that you got your problem solved.  For years I seated the H&G #68 or clones with the shoulder about 1/16" ahead of the case mouth.  When I got a Sig P220, however, I had trouble with these shells feeding from the magazine and eventually went to seating the bullet shoulder basically even with the case mouth to get them to feed from the P220 magazine.  They still work fine through my 1911's so I seat everything to this length now.