Anyone else Load/Re-Load .45 Auto for a Revolver?

[SteveChuck]

Lately I have been perplexed at my Re-loads for my S&W Mod 625 using once fired nickel casings (Starline, fired through my .45 autos and 625). The Problem?? Well, after tumbling the casings and cleaning them well, using a good case lube, loading them on my Dillon 550, precisely following the load specs, and yet - SOME of my loaded moon clips slide right in and others, not a chance! The ones that don't fit, well, they will be hung up a 1/16th of an inch out..and no amount of adjustment changes it. I cannot figure it out. This will happen randomly. I can re-load 100 rounds and out of 16 loaded moonclips - 4-5 will not "fit". Any ideas fellow Loaders?
P.S. I have tried many different types of bullets as well. This happens to all but Jacketed SWC.

 

[Jim Watson]

Will the individual rounds out of an offending clip chamber?

 

[SteveChuck]

Will the individual rounds out of an offending clip chamber?

Not sure what you mean. When I go to load the moonclip into cylinder, out of 6 rounds, possibly 2-4 are not wanting to slide into the chambers. No way to tell beforehand why this is so. My only theory is that the nickel casings having trouble are the ones I recover from my .45 auto firing versus the ones I take out of my expended moonclips. Maybe the rounds I fire using .45 auto expand more?

 

[mcb]

Check to make sure you sizing die is going all the way down and just touching your shell plate. If they are going most of the way in but stopping just short of fully chambering (assuming I read you post right) it sounds like your not sizing far enough down the case. Check that your sizing die is not loose and set as low as you can get it.

If your using Dillon carbide sizing dies you can pull the die and file the bottom of the body of the die down flush with the carbide insert. This will get you another couple 1/100 of and inch further down you can set your die. I had to do this with my 40S&W die to help removed the Glock bulge from range brass I was picking up.

 

[drband]

I load RMR 230gr plated RN and MBC 200gr coated LSWC for my 625.
Lately, just the LSWCs. I have not experienced chambering issues with either of these loaded in moon clips.

Is your cylinder really clean, especially around and under the extractor star? That would be my first guess.

Edit: just saw your second post. Checking for full sizing was suggested and I agree. It would not hurt to check your amount of crimp. You don’t need much but you do need “enough” when chambering LSWCs in a revolver. RN bullets chamber more easily/are more forgiving when used in moon clips.

 

[SteveChuck]

I load RMR 230gr plated RN and MBC 200gr coated LSWC for my 625.
Lately, just the LSWCs. I have not experienced chambering issues with either of these loaded in moon clips.

Is your cylinder really clean, especially around and under the extractor star? That would be my first guess.

Absolutely..that was the first thing I thought as well. With everything being the absolute same as I can make it, I'm thinking that the rounds that won't slide in there, those are the ones I have fired from my .45 autos - they may expand slightly more and stay that way through cleaning and reloading, but, I guess I'll have to segregate my rounds and run them through the process.

 

[drband]

Absolutely..that was the first thing I thought as well. With everything being the absolute same as I can make it, I'm thinking that the rounds that won't slide in there, those are the ones I have fired from my .45 autos - they may expand slightly more and stay that way through cleaning and reloading, but, I guess I'll have to segregate my rounds and run them through the process.

See my edited post above.

 

[SteveChuck]

Check to make sure you sizing die is going all the way down and just touching your shell plate. If they are going most of the way in but stopping just short of fully chambering (assuming I read you post right) it sounds like your not sizing far enough down the case. Check that your sizing die is not loose and set as low as you can get it.

If your using Dillon carbide sizing dies you can pull the die and file the bottom of the body of the die down flush with the carbide insert. This will get you another couple 1/100 of and inch further down you can set your die. I had to do this with my 40S&W die to help removed the Glock bulge from range brass I was picking up.

I'm thinking I get that bulge from firing some of my rounds through my .45 autos versus when I shoot them through the revolver. I will try your advice about checking and adjusting the sizing die. Thanks!

 

[Jim Watson]

What I meant was, if you take the cartridges out of the clip that did not load, will they chamber one at a time? If so, you might have some crooked clips.

I keep revolver brass separate from auto brass. I also gauge reloads.

 

[9mmepiphany]

The first thing to determine is if the issue are the cases or the clips.

Are you case gauging all your cases?

Will the cases which don't chamber, when loaded into a specific moon clip, chamber when loaded into another?

 

[Sistema1927]

I have been loading 200 to 250 lead using my Lee Classic Turret Press for my S&W 22-4 without encountering any problems. However, I have only used brass cases.

 

[Havok7416]

I had a similar issue with 10mm in my 610. Turned out to be a flare/crimp issue

 

[highlander 5]

I load 45 acp for pistol and revolver with Dillon dies and don't have a problem for either. I agree that it sounds like a crimp problem. I use all brands of brass with large and small primers with plated and cast bullets.

 

[ReloaderFred]

My Model 625-3 has chamber throats that gauge .4525" for all of them. If perchance a bullet was slightly larger than the throat, or was being held slightly off center by the moon clip (out of alignment), and was seated out of the case where the bearing surface was inside the throat, that would cause a round to stop at the point the bullet was contacting the throat. Just something else to check.

Hope this helps.

Fred

 

[Toprudder]

I've not seen any problems such as this with my 625. All of my moon-clips are a little loose on the cases, in other words the rounds can move around freely inside the moon clip. They always fall in for me. FWIW, I am using a Dillon 550 press, with Hornady sizing die, Dillon expander/powder funnel, Hornady seating die, and Lee FCD. Mostly RMR and Xtreme 200 and 230gn RN plated bullets.

It is interesting to note that the RMR 230 HM bullets that I have to seat short for my semi-auto (1.200" oal) can be seated to 1.275" in my S&W 625, and are VERY accurate for me.

 

[reddog81]

First you have to determine what is causing the problem. Is the bullet too large for the throat? Are you expanding the case mouth too much and not removing all the belling? Or is the problem a bulge near the head of the case? There are probably other possibilities but these are the ones I have experienced. You might be able to tell where the interference is based upon marks on the brass or bullet, or you might need to use a Sharpie to mark up a case, re-insert the case (try and wiggle the case once it gets stuck), and then remove the case to see where the marker has rubbed off. Once you determine the problem, finding a solution will be easy. Without knowing what the problem is, finding a solution is just a guessing game.

 

[PapaG]

Check the extractor groove for burrs from the semi-auto's extractor. A few thousandths burr will cause a hangup. Also, the ejector can displace metal causing the same thing.
My 625 gave me a few problems but now, except for speed matches, I use AR. Can't use moons in my Blackhawk.

 

[thomas15]

Also just for the heck of it check to see if that your moon clips are not bent.

 

[SteveChuck]

What I meant was, if you take the cartridges out of the clip that did not load, will they chamber one at a time? If so, you might have some crooked clips.

I keep revolver brass separate from auto brass. I also gauge reloads.

I am definitely going to separate revolver from auto brass...as far as the gauging - I do the same. I think the auto fired brass causes the brass to compress and/or bulge slightly more than the stuff I pry out of my moon clips after firing. I started to separate some of the clips as well - just in case they did in fact get bent somehow. Thanks for the suggestions - I appreciate it.

 

[SteveChuck]

First you have to determine what is causing the problem. Is the bullet too large for the throat? Are you expanding the case mouth too much and not removing all the belling? Or is the problem a bulge near the head of the case? There are probably other possibilities but these are the ones I have experienced. You might be able to tell where the interference is based upon marks on the brass or bullet, or you might need to use a Sharpie to mark up a case, re-insert the case (try and wiggle the case once it gets stuck), and then remove the case to see where the marker has rubbed off. Once you determine the problem, finding a solution will be easy. Without knowing what the problem is, finding a solution is just a guessing game.

True that about guessing - however, I have gone through a process of random selection, mixing different problem rounds with different moonclips - and there doesn't seem to be any definitive or observable difference. The bullets are all from the same lot - yet 75% will fit no problem and 25% will give me fits because they seem to be bulged somewhere. Might be the fact that when fired from an auto, they compress slightly and bulge the sides just enough to cause a problem. Everything else I am doing is the same. One other factor - when I use brand new brass, no problems with ANY of the loads. It's got to be the effect of being fired and I suspect it's from the autos based on comments from others. Thanks for the reply!

 

[SteveChuck]

I've not seen any problems such as this with my 625. All of my moon-clips are a little loose on the cases, in other words the rounds can move around freely inside the moon clip. They always fall in for me. FWIW, I am using a Dillon 550 press, with Hornady sizing die, Dillon expander/powder funnel, Hornady seating die, and Lee FCD. Mostly RMR and Xtreme 200 and 230gn RN plated bullets.

It is interesting to note that the RMR 230 HM bullets that I have to seat short for my semi-auto (1.200" oal) can be seated to 1.275" in my S&W 625, and are VERY accurate for me.

Wow..I have noticed the same thing with my seating of RNF HM bullets as well as the HM Hollow points. I don't always go up to 1.275" OAL but at 1.255" OAL works really well in my 625. I think you may be onto something with the moon clips being loose on the casings. I have about 200 moonclips but have noticed some are much tighter than others and will now try to determine if THOSE are the culprits contributing to the problem. My main suspicion is that the once or twice fired casings from my Autos (S&W 1911TA) and Kimber Grand Raptor II could be causing a compression of the casing that bulges the side slightly - just enough - to cause a problem with sliding into the chamber. Thanks for your reply!

 

[mcb]

Even if your autos are bulging the cases slightly your sizing dies should be removing all of that bulge.

Have you tried chambering the rounds that cause issues without the moonclip? Will they drop into the cylinder and stop on the case mouth?

Do you have a case gauge that you check you loaded rounds with?

You might trying sizing a small quantity of cases and before reloading them see if they will all individually fit into your case gauge or chamber before you reload them. If the problem is evident there then you know you have a sizing problem. If they all chamber OK then load them and check them again. That would then point to a seating or crimping or similar problem.

 

[jmorris]

If you case gauge all of your rounds and they pass, I would say its your clips.

How are you loading and unloading them? Other than stepping on them, thats when you could damage them.

I use 45 GAP in my 45 acp revolvers now. No tools needed and get to use small primers.

These are moon/demoon tools I used before I switched to GAP brass.