Pistolero
Well-Known Member
A while back, we were discussing loading the .45 ACP and after loading it in large quantities for a sport which
is absolutely unforgiving of any malfunction, IPSC shooting, I have definite opinions on the correct way to make
ammo the absolutely WILL run in any properly made 1911 platform. The standard bullet used by me
and the overwhelming majority of folks in that game (and in the target game, too, although not quite as
much to the exclusion of others) was the H&G 68 200 gr SWC. This will feed with 100% reliability in almost
any 1911 if loaded properly.
One of the most critical things that I have found for making reliable .45 ACP ammo with the H&G 68 is to taper
crimp the case mouth so that there is a definite, measurable crimp of about .005" diameter smaller than the
cylindrical portion of the case, which is at .470" diameter. So, I always tell people to taper crimp to .465 or so at the
case mouth for proper reliability. This is at odds with the conventional wisdom of taper crimping "just enough to
remove the flare, to .470 diameter". IME, this does NOT work with 100% reliability in many guns, you need the extra
crimp to ensure perfect feeding of the round in to chamber.
Brad and Ian were having trouble even approaching this crimp, and were telling me that it was crunching the
bullet and all sorts of things that I couldn't quite understand, so we had to back off and try to figure out why
we were seeing such different results with a simple taper crimp die. It turns out that the type of taper crimp
die that I have been using since about 1980 is NOT what Hornady and Redding are selling these days as a
taper crimp die. I have been using an RCBS taper crimp from about 1980 production, which has a rapidly
tapered step inside, probably tapering from .473-ish down to .455-ish (not measured!) in about .10 axial length or so. The
Hornady and Redding taper crimp dies are entirely featureless inside - a perfectly smooth taper from the
die mouth to the opposite end! So, with an RCBS die, it is a matter of turning the die in another quarter turn
or half turn to get the case mouth from .470 to .465, where in the straight-thru dies, it may not even be
possible to get to .465 at all within the case length, and you are likely to size down the whole bullet inside
the case due to the extremely gradual taper.
I am not sure whether RCBS even makes a separate taper crimp die any more, they are selling "taper crimp
seaters" now, which sound problematic to me. However - I just purchased a Lee taper crimp die for .45
ACP and it appears to be just like my old RCBS die. I haven't actually tried it yet, but a visual inspection
looks perfect. I did know that many of the shooters that I helped get their ammo working properly in
the 80s and 90s did use Lee taper crimp dies with good results, so I wanted to know if Lee was sticking
to the original design, and they appear to be.
So - when I say "taper crimp to .465" realize that this dimension only exists exactly at the case mouth
and the case is at .470 within .030 or less of the case mouth. I cannot yet recommend the current
production Lee TC dies, but when I get a chance to load with it, I will report here, and I am about
90% sure it will be fine.
Bill
is absolutely unforgiving of any malfunction, IPSC shooting, I have definite opinions on the correct way to make
ammo the absolutely WILL run in any properly made 1911 platform. The standard bullet used by me
and the overwhelming majority of folks in that game (and in the target game, too, although not quite as
much to the exclusion of others) was the H&G 68 200 gr SWC. This will feed with 100% reliability in almost
any 1911 if loaded properly.
One of the most critical things that I have found for making reliable .45 ACP ammo with the H&G 68 is to taper
crimp the case mouth so that there is a definite, measurable crimp of about .005" diameter smaller than the
cylindrical portion of the case, which is at .470" diameter. So, I always tell people to taper crimp to .465 or so at the
case mouth for proper reliability. This is at odds with the conventional wisdom of taper crimping "just enough to
remove the flare, to .470 diameter". IME, this does NOT work with 100% reliability in many guns, you need the extra
crimp to ensure perfect feeding of the round in to chamber.
Brad and Ian were having trouble even approaching this crimp, and were telling me that it was crunching the
bullet and all sorts of things that I couldn't quite understand, so we had to back off and try to figure out why
we were seeing such different results with a simple taper crimp die. It turns out that the type of taper crimp
die that I have been using since about 1980 is NOT what Hornady and Redding are selling these days as a
taper crimp die. I have been using an RCBS taper crimp from about 1980 production, which has a rapidly
tapered step inside, probably tapering from .473-ish down to .455-ish (not measured!) in about .10 axial length or so. The
Hornady and Redding taper crimp dies are entirely featureless inside - a perfectly smooth taper from the
die mouth to the opposite end! So, with an RCBS die, it is a matter of turning the die in another quarter turn
or half turn to get the case mouth from .470 to .465, where in the straight-thru dies, it may not even be
possible to get to .465 at all within the case length, and you are likely to size down the whole bullet inside
the case due to the extremely gradual taper.
I am not sure whether RCBS even makes a separate taper crimp die any more, they are selling "taper crimp
seaters" now, which sound problematic to me. However - I just purchased a Lee taper crimp die for .45
ACP and it appears to be just like my old RCBS die. I haven't actually tried it yet, but a visual inspection
looks perfect. I did know that many of the shooters that I helped get their ammo working properly in
the 80s and 90s did use Lee taper crimp dies with good results, so I wanted to know if Lee was sticking
to the original design, and they appear to be.
So - when I say "taper crimp to .465" realize that this dimension only exists exactly at the case mouth
and the case is at .470 within .030 or less of the case mouth. I cannot yet recommend the current
production Lee TC dies, but when I get a chance to load with it, I will report here, and I am about
90% sure it will be fine.
Bill
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