200 SWC Lazer cast problem

[Txsailor]

I have two pistols chambered for 45acp. One is a out of the box Springfield loaded and it feeds about everything and shoots especially well with the 200 swc's. I have another 45 built with a Caspian frame and 3 1/2 slide & barrel. It will feed the 200's but most of the time the slide wont go into battery. Sometimes a tap will finish chambering it but not always. I can take the barrel out and use it for a guage and they all drop in fine. They also fit in a Dillon gauge. I have used 200 grain Berrys HP and they are the same diameter with no problems in it. Same with 185 Berrys SWC, factory ball no problem.

I would like to shoot the same bullets in both guns, should I just find something else that they both like or keep trying to figure out why they wont chamber right? I am about out of bullets and will need to order something before long.

[noylj]

Pull back the slide all the way on the 5" gun and you will see a LOT of the ejector. Pull back the slide on the 3.5" gun and you will see very little of the ejector.

A 3.5" barrel has very little time to have the slide go back and the magazine get the next round up. Feeding in such a short gun is problematic.

However, since you can close the slide with a little pressure, I would say that you are still "breaking in" the gun.

[BallisticianX]

It sounds to me that the case extractor groove is not sliding into the extractor. The COL will have an effect on feeding in a non- ramped barrel. Though it may be a weak slide spring or burrs on cases in the extractor groove.

If the COL is too short it will pop the round out of the magazine before the nose can ride the frame feed ramp. That will cause your bullet to be unguided creating an incorect feed angle. This will usually direct the bullet nose to hit the bottom edge of the barrel ramp head on causing a stunt to the slide momentum. Then the round wont engage all the way into the extractor. Check the nose of the bullet for damage to confirm. I load 200 SWC at 1.255" OAL and keeps the round aligned by the mag to hit the frame ramp and guides them in the chamber no problem. I figured this might be your problem as it was mine with my STI.

[Txsailor]

Finally figured out what the problem is. I tried the 200 swc bullets again and the first one I chambered wouldn't go into battery. I also couldn't get the slide to open to eject it. After struggleing with it for a while I finally jerked the slide open. The bullet had rifeling marks on the small area of exposed lead just past the crimp. I don't know if I can seat them enough deeper to make them work and still have anything to crimp on or not. I am presently out of them but will probably buy some more since my other guns shoot them so well.

[NickJ]

Finally figured out what the problem is. I tried the 200 swc bullets again and the first one I chambered wouldn't go into battery. I also couldn't get the slide to open to eject it. After struggleing with it for a while I finally jerked the slide open. The bullet had rifeling marks on the small area of exposed lead just past the crimp. I don't know if I can seat them enough deeper to make them work and still have anything to crimp on or not. I am presently out of them but will probably buy some more since my other guns shoot them so well.

I had the same issue. I've used those bullets forever, it seems, but when I got a couple of new guns it turned out that the chambers were a lot tighter than my old ones. Why? I don't have a clue. Maybe the manufacturers are using their reamers until they're really worn out? Anyway, my gunsmith reamed the chambers for me, and all is good.