Thread: C.O.L. for .45ACP issues

So I am a self professed newb to reloading but have banged out a few thousand .40, 9mm and .223 rounds without any issues.

Reloading for a HK USP .45 using HSM 230g HP bullets and I ran into an issue with the C.O.L. Max is supposed to be 1.275 and I loaded a bit below that but the bullet was hitting the rifling of the barrel and jamming. I had to go all the way to 1.215 before jamming issues went away. That seems excessively short to me. Looks like the ogive is very close to the tip of the bullet vs being back a bit farther and having more taper.

Anyone else have issues with this? (and yes I know HSM aren't very good quality bullets but I figured they would be fine for plinking)

I've seen a similar problem with the Ruger 1911 when using more than one type of bullet, but my Colt, Dan Wesson and Para didn't. If loading for only one .45, I'd just find where the bullet hits the rifling and back it down a bit more. The other option, one I'm contemplating with the Ruger, is to have a gunsmith run a finishing reamer in the chamber to push the leade a bit further forward.

1.20" is not uncommon for a flat nose or HP bullet profile. I would load a dummy round and seat the bullet at a long COL, now use your barrel as a gauge ...
THR
With a jacketed or plated bullet it's good to have a little jump

Originally Posted by jib

1.20" is not uncommon for a flat nose or HP bullet profile. I would load a dummy round and seat the bullet at a long COL, now use your barrel as a gauge ...
THR
With a jacketed or plated bullet it's good to have a little jump

If you have seen the HSM hp bullets they are basically a round nose with a hole in them. But that's what I did...started at 1.230 and kept dropping the length until they chambered reliably

I agree with others. Your OAL isn't extreme. Here's where it's nice to have a chrony just to check bullet speed as one way to try to see if you're building too much pressure due to inside case pressure. (Smaller area gives higher pressure.)

I hadn't seen those bullets, but darned if they don't remind me of the old lead FBI bullets. Molds for those are hard to find and casting is tedious. There is a hole in the mold right through the mold halves, and you put a "plunger" in the hole to create hole in the bullet. You have to pull that first before opening the mold.

Link to .40's

Link to similar mold

Grommit, Interesting that your USP fed cartridges that were so long. I started at around 1.270 with a Springfield Champion, and they wouldn't feed a damn until I got under 1.250. Now I generally use lengths around 1.225, though one of the good loads for this pistol is 1.240.
With a 200 LSWC, seating to the shoulder on the bullet, my OAL is something like 1.18. So I'm echoing what everyone above said, No, 1.215 does not sound excessively short to me at all.