Reloading HK USP 45 issues

[jdefranc938]

This is my first attempt at reloading for a handgun. I have an HK USP 45 tactical and it shoots very well and usually will cycle pretty much anything and everything. I decided to start reloading for it and stockpile a bunch of ammo. I have started with Federal brass, RCBS carbide dies, CCI primers, Hornady 200gr XTP bullets and 8.2gr Unique powder. I have no ignition issues and is grouping rather well for only using one load thus far. The issue i'm having is feeding and cycling. If I load single shot at a time with no clip, the slide closes completely but is tight. If I am using a clip, the slide will not completely close, and it takes a good bit of force to pull back the slide to extract the live round. And occasionally I get a stovepipe jam. I don't want to use the expander too far because if it bells out too much then the blank case won't feed into the chamber. And I have the OAL almost identical to factory loads. I guess I'm just looking for ideas to help ease the feeding issues. And I haven't overlooked the possibility that these bullets may be the feeding issue since they are jacketed hollowpoints and not FMJ. But I would like to exhaust one possibility before jumping around. Any help will be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance!
Jeff

[glenn asher]

Well, it sounds to me like you need to invest in a taper crimp die. NOT a Lee factory crimp die, but a taper crimp die from one of the major makers like RCBS or Redding. That will fix up your feeding issues forthwith, it sounds like. It's an extra step, but a necessary and needful one. You don't want to overdo it, just turn the case mouth back to straight, maybe a touch more.

You also may want to seat your bullet a fuzz deeper, if it's jamming into the rifling enough to keep from extracting easily. If that's not the case, it's probably just that you need to taper crimp the case.

Who cares if it won't feed an empty case, an empty case is what comes OUT of the gun

Seriously, though, I'm betting a simple taper crimp die will make ALL the difference in the world. I've loaded over 100K .45 rounds over the years, and tapercrimped every single one of them, and had very few issues of any kind. They usually sell for less than $25, I probably paid $10 for mine 35 years ago. They don't look like much, but they make or break an autoloader.

[Critter]

In my opinion, line of least resistance is the 230 grain FMJ Round nose. Recoil operated pistols tend to be a little sensitive. You may have head spacing issues or power issues or something as simple as a die adjustment for crimping. All loading dies should have ability to taper crimp on .45 ACP seating dies.

I load 231 and generic LP primer with 230 FMJ Montana gold bullet. Paper targets can't tell the difference.. Your standard off the shelf 1911 or other is typically throated and ramped with this service round equivalent in mind. If you go to lighter bullet or SWC, etc then you may need to fiddle with variables including recoil springs, barrel feed ramp, max power loads, etc.

If you would really want to force this light bullet configuration in your pistol, I would suggest buying speer or other factory load to get some feeling as to the felt recoil and functioning of such a round. Also consult reloading tables for bullet you are using for hints as too recommended loads and powders.

If you are talking personal protection, there are any number of reasons for carrying factory rounds.

If all else fails, consult competant pistol smith for help. Anybody else on this non-trivial question?

[futuretrades]

Although I am not an autoloader guy, I do a lot of reloading for my wheel guns. I started out with a roll crimp, and was having some problems with feeding the rounds into the cylinder. I am now using a lyman taper crimp die. Now I have not had a problem feeding rounds into the cylinders, even after loading at least 1000 rounds. So I would have to agree with glenn asher, and get yourself a taper crimp die.

[Ray P]

Here I go throwing in my .02. Most pistol dies auto or revolver are usually a 3 die set. The seating die is also a taper or crip die depending on the bullet. I have a rcbs carbide die for the 45 acp and the rounds feed with no problem. Now I'll admit I haven't loaded as many as Glen A. but the rcbs dies work. Setting up the dies properly is amust for auto loaders. Compare your loaded round to a factory load and when all dementions are the same your good to go!
Later
Ray P
P.S. My case mouth at the bullet measures .471 With a caliper I'd check yours to see if your getting a tappered crimp.

[jdefranc938]

Thanks guys! I loaded up a couple more rounds this morning and will be out of town til tomorrow morning, so I will see how these feed after adjusting the taper crimp when I'm back home

[jdefranc938]

Well, I tried the taper crimp with the current seating depth of 1.270 OAL and still no luck with feeding. So, I set the seating depth to 1.200 without a crimp and it feeds smooth as silk. The way the XTP's are formed, they have a flat wall and then taper a bit later to form the round head in comparison to the factory FMJ ammo. So I just put all of the flat wall inside of the case. I may play around with the crimp later on since it's an autoloader but for now life is good! Thanks again guys!

[glenn asher]

Crmping pistol bullets should be done separately from the seating die, that's why Dillon has four stations on their presses I don't think you can really get a decent bullet seat AND crimp with the same die, at the same time. By all means, experiment with the dies and see what happens, but there's a really good reason Dillon sells FOUR die seats, instead of "the other guys" three die sets (of course, they all like to sell that fourth die, separately, for more money).

But after about 20 years worth of competition shooting (IPSC, NRA Action, and similar stuff) I had many years with no problems at all in the ammo department, the ammo ALWAYS worked. It was rarely, if ever, roundnosed stuff, either, I almost always used 200gr. SWCs, as they cut the targets a lot better than RN, and kicked a little less, MAYBE. I see no issues with the 200 XTP HP, except for price!, as I cast a bullet from a very similar mould, when I was shooting a lot. It worked very well, but I went back to the SWCs for cutting targets, they cut cleaner holes and often stole me a higher score.
I'm really more of a pistol guy than a rifleman, I shot 3 times a week, for 17+ years, until arthritis took the fun out of it.

[Jim White]

I echo what Glen is saying, get a seperate crimp die, you'll be glad you did. Use good magazines because thats the root cause of a lot of feeding issues in auto-loaders. Make up about 5-7 dummy rounds and check if they will feed thru the action, if so, they should cycle when fired, if-not then they won't.

Jim

[jdefranc938]

Loaded up 10 rounds this morning with the taper crimp. Had SLIGHT flattening of the tip but nothing major. To fix that I guess I can't seat and crimp at the same time. But it's not enough to make me buy a seperate die. Shot 6 and all fed and cycled flawlessly. Thanks guys!

[Ray P]

jdefranc938...........Way to go I knew you could do it. Sharpie markers have many uses on the loading bench. I mark my the body of my die at the 12 O clock when turned down on and empty piece of brass, charge and seat bullet to the oal I (U) need, mark 12 O'clock on the seater stem. Next back out the seater stem 1/2 turn , next turn the die body down 1/4 or so to crimp the brass. Check the mouth of the brass for the .471 diameter and your good to go! I guess this is why some people use a progress reloading press for pistol loading over a single stage press.
Later
Ray P
P.S. You can seat all you loaded round 1st, then back out the seat stem and adjust the die down and go back over the loaded round to crimp.

[glenn asher]

I'm glad it's working out for you I will predict, though, that eventually, you'll see the light and get a T/C die . Trust me on this, it's worth it.

The .45 ACP is bone-simple to load for, once you figure them out you can practically do it in your sleep. You still have to pay attention when charging the cases, but that goes without saying.

It almost HAD to be a crimping issue, or seating depth issue, there really isn't much else that causes the problem you were having. You had both problems at once.

[Jim White]

Just so you know, 45 ACP's headspace on the case mouth.

HTH,

[jdefranc938]

Well, went out and shot 12 shots with the HK and these newly loaded rounds. I put 10 of them in 1 inch group and had 2 wingers. I think I found a nice load!