[muddcatt54]

I am fairly new to loading 230 grain for my PT1911 the only way I can get my loads to cycle is to seat the bullet is to seat it to OAL of 1.190 that will cycle and shoot 1.196 will not the bullet is a Lee TC 230 grain. The top of the case is right on the edge of where the taper starts
The book calls for 1.200

 

[olfarhors]

not familiar with that projectile as I do not cast but if it takes a shorter or longer OAL to operate correctly then that's where it needs to be.
IF you are not loading at top pressure levels then you should be fine.
IF you really think about it and take a look at the varied factory ammo out there the OAL is all over the place as long as its not to LONG for the magazine.
so many thing make the OAL different, like HP or not, material that the projectile is made of, try loading all copper or frangible sometime.
weight of projectile of course, design of the projectile, powder type. etc-etc-etc.

 

[Sawfish]

In the situation you describe, it is probably not the OAL that is a problem, but the bullet profile, which is preventing the pistol from locking up. I have exactly the same problem when loading the Extreme 225 gr SWC bullet in a Springfield. The gun runs perfectly at 1.190. Anything longer and it will not go into battery. Same story with the P-90 Ruger using the same bullet. My S&W 645 feeds most any length. Try running a couple of magazines through your gun manually. That way, you can see what length will actually work the best. As olfahors pointed out, load it where it needs to be.

 

[muddcatt54]

I was hoping to hear that I also had to shorten my Lee 200 SWC and the RCBS mold 201 GRAIN. There is nothing wrong with the Lee mold but once I find a bullet that I like I'll usually replace it with a Lyman or RCBS I've ran into trouble with Lee mold after about 1500 pours and I like the steel molds better I know Lee makes a good product I use them to see if I like a particular projectile if I don't I'm only out 20 bucks. The jury is still out on the Lee 230 TC. For targets I have been using regular printer paper the 45 just rips it up so I bought some 64lb paper it does much better the SWC does much better but I'll get some heavier paper next time

 

[JeeperCreeper]

I was hoping to hear that I also had to shorten my Lee 200 SWC and the RCBS mold 201 GRAIN. There is nothing wrong with the Lee mold but once I find a bullet that I like I'll usually replace it with a Lyman or RCBS I've ran into trouble with Lee mold after about 1500 pours and I like the steel molds better I know Lee makes a good product I use them to see if I like a particular projectile if I don't I'm only out 20 bucks. The jury is still out on the Lee 230 TC. For targets I have been using regular printer paper the 45 just rips it up so I bought some 64lb paper it does much better the SWC does much better but I'll get some heavier paper next time

I use paper plates and orange target stickers. Paper plates are obviously dirt cheap and the target stickers came in a pack of about 300 I believe and were also dirt cheap. I tried just getting some sticker dots from a craft store, just some plain old dots. They were twice the price of the target stickers with crosshairs and a black dot in the middle from Cabelas Make sense of that! I dare you! :rofl:

 

[Flash60601]

Paper plates and orange/red/black/green/blue stickers ? ? ? Sure, but go to Staples (or your favorite office supply store) and they are available in different sizes and CHEAP !

Now if you need a bigger paper, zip on over to the local grocery store and buy freezer paper in 22"rolls for a couple of bucks. That way, you can staple up a two-foot by two-foot background for eazy-cheapie. Put red spots on wherever. (NOTE: put the plastic side toward the target backing, the paper side toward the firing line and the stickers will stay on better.)

 

[Peacemakr40]

I load 230 gr FMJs to 1.275 and they load without a hitch. For the Lee 230 TC's I've been loading them to 1.193 and they load just fine at the shorter length. It all has to do with the ogive of the projectile. I use the same bullets in 45 colt and it doesn't matter what length I load them to for an SAA revolver.

 

[olfarhors]

I use paper plates and orange target stickers. Paper plates are obviously dirt cheap and the target stickers came in a pack of about 300 I believe and were also dirt cheap. I tried just getting some sticker dots from a craft store, just some plain old dots. They were twice the price of the target stickers with crosshairs and a black dot in the middle from Cabelas Make sense of that! I dare you! :rofl:

well what I do is go through the trash can at the range and use targets that I find there!
they are free.
this works really good when Police officers are there practicing.
and normally they work great for me as I only use the very center of each target anyway!---

 

[muddcatt54]

I've been known to g through the can and get the small dots around the center target they just use the center target and throw the small dots away I use the small target dots for 100 yards targets for my 25/06. Here lately I've been giving them to my niece for target shooting with my pellet gun that I might not get back I never seen a kid the to shooting like that Eleven year old