Problem loading 45acp

[wallacem]

I loaded up some cast bullets and went out to the range today to try them in my KahrCW45. Just made 30 to test for function and grouping. Took the Kahr and also a Ruger P9o just in case I wanted to shoot it,. They would not fully close in the Kahr. The slide stopped about 1/4" from home. Put them in the P90 and they shot fine, Came hime and got out the mike, and found my reloads measure .472" dia up front where the bullet is inside. To the rear they measure .467". I grabbed some JHP reloads off the shelf and measured them as the same. Then tried some factory rounds and they measured .467" front and rear. Evidently this Kahr has a tight chamber and will not accept the larger reloads but my other 45's will. Would someone tell me if my dies are the problem or do your reloads measure same as mine? Thanks, Wallace

 

[jjrock]

Measure the chamber with your caliperst. I doubt the chamber is that tight on a Kahr, it may just not like feeding the SWC.

Have you fired SWC with the Kahr before?
Do you have a crimping die? If so, put a tighter crimp on them and check your results.

 

[Tomthumb]

First; Sometimes when you put a cast bullet in a military case it makes the loaded round too large diameter for a tight chamber.
Second; From the dimensions you give you may be trying to put a 45 Colt bullet in a 45ACP case.
Jacketed 45ACP bullets measure .451". Cast 45ACP bullets measure .452". 45 Colt cast bullets measure .454".
So.....If you put a 45 Colt cast bullet in a 45ACP military case it can be very over size.

45 Colt cast bullets in 45ACP cases work very well in the 455 Webley revolvers that have had the cylinders cut down to accept 45ACP 1/2 moon clips. Read up on load data for the Webley before loading full house 45ACPs with 45 Colt bullets.

Hope this helps.

 

[bearpugh]

yep. sounds oversized for 45 acp

 

[moosensquirrel]

Use a Lee factory crimp die and 95% of your .45 chambering problems go away, unless the problem is actually in the pistol itself.

 

[woodstock]

First; Sometimes when you put a cast bullet in a military case it makes the loaded round too large diameter for a tight chamber.
Second; From the dimensions you give you may be trying to put a 45 Colt bullet in a 45ACP case.
Jacketed 45ACP bullets measure .451". Cast 45ACP bullets measure .452". 45 Colt cast bullets measure .454".
So.....If you put a 45 Colt cast bullet in a 45ACP military case it can be very over size.

45 Colt cast bullets in 45ACP cases work very well in the 455 Webley revolvers that have had the cylinders cut down to accept 45ACP 1/2 moon clips. Read up on load data for the Webley before loading full house 45ACPs with 45 Colt bullets.

Hope this helps.

and hopefully not 45/70 projectiles at .458.....

 

[Flashover16]

might want to check the SWC by doing the old plunk test in the Kahr!
remove the barrel, drop the finished round in the chamber, apply very gentle pressure to the back of the case and try to rotate it.
if it rotates then it fits the chamber fine, if it binds and will not rotate then something is hitting, then try to invert the barrel and see if the round doesn't just fall out?
also with SWC the amount of case to nose distance matters as does the crimp.

 

[jglenn]

if the Kahr is like the one I saw a few years back it had very little to no throat from the end of the chamber to the rifling...I would guess you SWCs are jamming into the rifling and stopping the round from completely chambering..

how much lead shoulder is exposed after the end of the case... you might try and shorten this up to no more than 1/32 exposed

 

[wallacem]

I did the drop in chamber test already. It will not go in all the way. I pretty mush have already proven to myself it is a tight chamber on the Kahr. The reloads drop in all my other 45 acp pistols, but will only go in about 3/4 in the Kahr. It is not a feeding problem, it is a "going completely home" problem. I am using real acp bullets. .451 jhp, and .452 cast. It is not the crimp, it is the front part of the loaded case, about 1/4" down measures .005 bigger than the back part of the case. And, as I said first, factory ammo measures the same dia, front and back, as the back of my reloaded case.

 

[jjrock]

Oh, I see what you are saying now. My reloads measure .472 at the base of the bullet (1/4" from top of case) as well. What is the measurement at the very top of the case where you measure your crimp? Grab one of your hand loads, turn your crimp down a little more, try the drop test, and repeat until it chambers. Let us know how you make out.