I don't fully understand how cartridge oal affects semi-auto handgun cycling. I know that you need to seat the bullet deep enough to fit in the magazine. I know you need to seat it deep enough to ensure that the bullet does not make contact with the rifling. On the other end of the spectrum, you don't want to seat the bullet too deep so as to create pressure issues.
I've been working with 200 grain .45 caliber Hornady XTP bullets for use in a Kahr CW45 and a Taurus PT1911. I'm loading them to 1.230" oal with both power pistol and longshot. The rounds fail to feed about 5% of the time. The FTF looks the same in both guns: the round makes it past the feed ramp, but makes contact with the top of the chamber at too steep of an angle, thus preventing the round from chambering.
Yes, there are other factors to consider such as condition of the magazine, the strength of the recoil spring, extractor issues, feed ramp issues, etc that are the fault of the gun, not the load. For the sake of discussion, let's assume those aren't the issue.
Can you change oal to minimize this type of FTF? Make them shorter? Make them Longer? Or am I barking up the wrong tree?
I've been working with 200 grain .45 caliber Hornady XTP bullets for use in a Kahr CW45 and a Taurus PT1911. I'm loading them to 1.230" oal with both power pistol and longshot. The rounds fail to feed about 5% of the time. The FTF looks the same in both guns: the round makes it past the feed ramp, but makes contact with the top of the chamber at too steep of an angle, thus preventing the round from chambering.
Yes, there are other factors to consider such as condition of the magazine, the strength of the recoil spring, extractor issues, feed ramp issues, etc that are the fault of the gun, not the load. For the sake of discussion, let's assume those aren't the issue.
Can you change oal to minimize this type of FTF? Make them shorter? Make them Longer? Or am I barking up the wrong tree?