.45 ACP pierced primer

[usmcamp0811]

Load info:
.45 ACP
200 gr. RN http://www.shop.rmrbullets.com/product.sc?productId=18&categoryId=14
5.2 gr Bullseye
CCI Large pistol Primers #300
COAL 1.235"

So I made my first twenty .45 ACP rounds yesterday and I went to the range to test fire them. I fired about half of the rounds when one had more recoil than the others. I stop shooting and collected up the brass and found what I assume to be the round that had the extra recoil. The primer had a hole through it and no other signs of problems with the case. I had about 5 more rounds to shoot and decided to proceed with caution, the next round missfired. I waited to be sure it wasn't a hangfire then extracted the round and checked the primer and it was scratched but not dented. I took my pistol apart and checked the firing pin to make sure it didn't break. All was fine I attempted to fire again and it fired fine.

What do y'all think happend? I use a Dillon 550B so I really doubt I could have over charged that round, I was thinking maybe the primer was bad, or maybe it didn't get seated fully.

Should I use a smaller charge? I've had a hard time finding load data for these bullets. I just want an economical plinking round.


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[RSA-OTC]

Wow that is interesting. Bullseye is my favorite powder and I have loaded 5.2 or more grains over 200 grain bullets with no problems using CCI Large Pistol primers for years.

Two things come to mind:

Bad Primer - Could have been improperly manufactured with softer primer cup.

Did you pickup and use a case that had been laying around the range for awhile. On more than one occasion I have come across old brass that an insect had made a nest in it. If you don't get the nest out you might get an over pressure due to lack of case volume similar to seating the bullet to deep. Or a clump of polishing media stuck in the case could do the same thing if you added polish while the cases where in the tumbler or didn't let the polish dry enough before adding the cases.

Currently my go to load is 4.2 grains of bullseye over 230 grain RN from Bayou Bullets. This load makes IDPA power factor and doesn't beat my aging wrists to death.

Your second missfire was probably from the primer not being seated deep enough. The first hammer strike seated the primer and the second set it off. I would back off the primer depth adjustment a tad and seat by feel. That particular case could have had a deep primer pocket and the adjustment didn't let you seat it properly.

[usmcamp0811]

must be a soft primer then.. cause the brass I used I'm pretty sure I fired the first time and if I didn't it wasn't out for long.. The primer has a nice clean hole with no dimple or anything..

What COAL do you use for your 200 gr bullets? Cause I did have one feed issue that I didn't mention..

[RSA-OTC]

What gun are you shooting these from?
The COL you stated earlier should be right on.

Using my cheap (crappy) RSBS Plastic Caliper they come in a tad under 1.25. Now I'm firing them from S&W 645 and M&P 45's. These guns are known for feeding anything especially the 645. The only issue I ever had with feeding is with the M&P when I didn't seat the 200 grain SWC deep enough and the shoulder of the bullet engaged the rifling to soon not allowing the slide to completely close. This was not a problem with the 645.

Now I tend to seat the bullet just deep enough that loaded round will sit properly in the barrel that I have removed from the gun to perform this check.

Are you crimping the loaded case enough to totally remove the expansion you did prior to seating the slug?

For my other calibers 9mm & 40s&w I found that using the Lee factory crimping die that also does one final check of the rounds dimensions has reduced any feed problems.

[usmcamp0811]

I'm using a SA 1911 MC Operator. I've put about 500 rounds through it and not had a single problem using factory ammo so I've gotta assume its my rounds.. I'm pretty sure I put enough of a crimp on it to remove the belling.

[chadbag]

I would not worry about it unless it becomes a trend. Ie, happens more than once.

[markm]

The rest of the primer isn't even flattened. Looks like a fluke to me.

[762xIan]

I've had a hard time finding load data for these bullets. I just want an economical plinking round.

Rule of thumb for loading plated bullets is to load in between lead bullet data and Jacketed data....but like RSA-OTC said, that is a pretty standard load and I am using a similar one myself.

General causes for pierced primers are soft primers or over pressure. That one round with "more recoil" might have been the cause.

Weigh some charges and check what your measure is throwing, maybe make up a few test batches at 5 grains and see if your gun likes it.

I also load plated bullets for plinking and try to load as light as I can without sacrificing accuracy.

Good luck....likely just a fluke with the one round.

[four]

that's an overcharge, maybe a softer cup than normal.Honestly though CCI's have very hard cups compared to winchester or federal so even if it was a little softer it would probably be alright.

the second misfire was probably the peice of the cup stuck in the firing pin channel. more than likely you cleared it when you took it apart.

I run a 550b as well and I can tell you from experience that a double charge can happen, especially when you're loading something with a big case that doesn't use much powder.

My advice would be to carry on but stay alert. when you stop make sure you clear all the station there's no chance of a double charge.