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.45 acp cartridges jamming in barrel?

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TamThompson

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Jun 19, 2003
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Location
Texas Hill Country
Does anyone know what's going on here? I did a new batch of reloads and took them out to our ranch this weekend. (I have not been reloading for very long--only a month. That may be the real problem.) I used Hornady 185-gr. flat-points, Blue Dot powder, brand-new Starline brass and Federal 150 primers.

The Problem: about ten out of 100 rounds got stuck in the barrel such that the slide on my Glock 30 would not go all the way forwards--it hung back about 1/8 inch. I realize that 'ka-booms' can happen with the unsupported barrel that Glocks have so I did not try to fire these. I had to pull them out of the barrel. One was so stuck I had to hammer it out with a squib rod, which made me very, very nervous with a live round. These were not stuck bullets--they were entire, unfired rounds.

The only thing I can think of is that I read that with new brass, you don't have to resize it, so I skipped the first station on my Dillon Square Deal B reloading press. Was that bad?

Planning to shoot in the IDPA this weekend, but I'm not going to take my reloads until I'm sure they're reliable.

Ideas?
 
Tam,

I think you self diagnosed the problem. Where ever you read you don't have to resize new brass was mistaken. The tapper crimp is what allowed the 90% to chamber, but that just masked the problem.

Hope you have better luck on the next batch...

Joe
 
one way to stop that is

to buy a dillon case gauge for about $8. At times my resizing die would come loose and I had the same problem. A cheap way to check and easy too.
 
I checked OAL on all of 'em right after I made them, but now one or two of the unfired ones look REALLY short.

I'll get me a case gauge, and I'll go ahead and run all new brass through all the steps.

Thanks, y'all!
 
You'll be happy with the case guage.

I checked OAL on all of 'em right after I made them, but now one or two of the unfired ones look REALLY short.
Click to expand...

Hmm, sounds like you need to crimp those rounds a wee wee bit. "REALLY" short bullets are exceptionally dangerous due to increased pressures.

Please do stay away from anything hot in a load. I loaded and shot about 1,000 40S&W loads through a Glock 27 with absolutely no problems, but that unsupported feedramp problem prompted me to get rid of the Glock.

I still got to keep my "black plastic" gun :) by buying a Steyr M40.
 
The setback is due to not sizing the brass. Case tension has more to do with stopping setback than does crimp.
 
I'm planning to buy a new barrel soon for that Glock, to cure the unsupported problem, and so that I can shoot lead out of it if I want. I'm looking at Barsto's.
 
Save the money from the gauge and put it towards a Lee
FCD. Use your barrels chamber to check your cartidges. They should easily slide in with a distinct "clink" and fall out of their own accord when you tip the barrel. I have a KKM in my G30 and that's how I do it however to each his own.
Bronson7
 
I should clarify

I put the loaded round in the case gauge. I would rather use a gauge than disassemble my pistol or worse, cheat and try to cycle rounds through the gun at the bench. I advised the gauge as a safety measure and if it fits in that gauge, it fits in your pistol. If it doesn't, you will be able to see why on the round itself, after you pull it back out. Hope this helps.
 
I'd recommend a lee factory crimp die as well, but the press you have doesn't use standard sized dies, and I doubt that lee makes their FCD in the dillon small size.
 
I always suggest when new to reloading dont reload more then 5-10 at a time,
I know if your driving to a range its inconvenient but it will save some disappointment with your reloading(take a box of commerical with you also).

Its sound like a sizing and crimp problem, I also recommend the Lee Factory
Crimp die I use it for all auto reloads now, I have a 45 and a 9mm with very
tight chambers. If the die wont fit your press you can purchase a Lee single
stage for about $29.00, set it up with the Lee die then you seat bullet on your
press and crimp on the Lee setup.

Reloading skills like shooting takes time but well worth the effort.!
 
I wouldnt waste your money on a new barrel. The only real problem with the unsupported barrels is in the 40's not the 45's. get a check guage and size your brass always even if it is new. The only other possibility is that you crimped too much and dimpled the brass.
 
Skipping a step on a fully prgressive machine??
How.? by running 'em through one eat a time??That would work but would take more time and effort than just running it 'the right way'. IMHO
Far safer to just run the machine the way i'ts designed to avoid double charges,which are BAD NEWS.
about the only step that a pistol reloader can 'skip' is case trimming.......straight wall cases don't "grow" like bottle necks do.
Take a loaded round and try to push it into the case with your thumb.push hard,If it moves,it will jam.
The taper crimp on auto rounds pretty much just removes the flare since ther's no groove on the slug,so sizing is important.Too bad sombody told ya different.
Load safe,have fun.
 
If you over crimp, you'll push so hard on the case mouth that you bulge the case. Also, the cartridge headspaces on the mouth of the case. If you overcrimp, you lose headspace

if you under crimp, the case won't grip the bullet tight enough and may leave the case too big to chamber

IMO, not sizing the case is asking for disaster. There's a reason for the steps as outlined. If you don't have calipers, I'd STRONGLY suggest getting some

I use the Lee FCD, but if the other steps aren't right, you're just masking the real problem
 
Simple answer, NEVER skip a step. I've got a load of new Starline brass also, I put them thru the sizer just like everything else.
 
I encountered a problem like this but it turned out to be out of round (improperly sized?) cast lead bullets. Now I know why I got 'em cheap! :)

A case gauge and a set of good dial calipers belong on every reloader's bench, particularly if you load for an auto. Now that I have a case gauge, it's easy to weed out funky rounds.

Tim
 
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