Just ran through some .45 Auto reloads, using my cast boolits as always, through the Remington 1911R1 and the Springfield XD-s. The load uses the 200gr LRNFP that I had been using for SAAMI-spec (i. e. standard) .45 Colt loadings since 2009. When I use these cast boolits in the Super Redhawk 454, unsized, in .45 Colt cases, I have never had a problem chambering a round. Same goes for the 255gr LRNFP's that I use for the ".45 Colt Magnum" loading. The rounds just drop right in.

HOWEVER....

My pistols chambered in .45 Auto are a different matter. If I don't size my cast boolits down to 0.452", then I run into chambering problems with about 1/4 to 1/6 of the rounds. Since I use a 6-cavity mould for casting, this does make sense. Clearly, one of the chambers drops 'em a bit big, and another chamber drops them just ever-so-slightly big. Naturally, upon discovering this, I started sizing the boolits down to 0.452". That should solve the problem, right?

Nope. Not for my .45 Auto guns...at least, not the 1911's or the Springfield XD-s. The Ruger SR45 is a bit more generous, as it chambers nearly every round without any assistance. Remember, for handgun rounds, most of us use mixed-headstamp brass. That means a slight variance in case thickness as well, and that can make the difference in some cases (no pun intended--yuk yuk). That apparently is enough to prevent easy chambering of the round in my .45 Auto pistols, with about 1/10 of the rounds, i. e. I've gotta help the slide a little bit to go forward and finish chambering the round. Not so good.

So, what to do?

This is where the FCD comes in handy. The FCD sizes the round's entire diameter, including the case, down to SAAMI-spec. This means it will chamber in any .45 Auto firearm. I gave it a shot on my latest run of .45 Auto that I had done a few days ago with the Lee Classic Turret Press (there's a thread talking about that).

Gave the rounds a try with both pistols tonight. Sure enough, every one of them chambered perfectly and fired just fine. It worked.

"Oh, but Cowboy T, doesn't the bullet rattle around in the case a bit after using the FCD to squeeze down the diameter? Isn't that detrimental to accuracy?"

Well, I was consistently shooting 15-20 rounds into a 3" group at 15 yards with iron sights, which, given how out of practice I am with my 1911, and my slightly deteriorating eyesight, ain't bad. It ain't Jerry Miculek by any measure, but it ain't bad. Clearly the FCD isn't detrimental to accuracy, and it's a good step when your chambers are right at spec. Furthermore, I inspected each and every round after making it, and none of them had loose bullets; everything was tight as it should be.

So, yeah, the FCD is actually quite useful. I intend to continue using it for .45 Auto.

I had something similar happen when using some plated bullets without cannelure in .41 mag. I used the CH tool for imparting the crimp groove, loaded as normal and found they would not chamber. Never had that happen before using the groovy tool. I ran the loaded cases ever so slightly into the size die (decap removed) and got them to work. The bullets were probably loosened somewhat but still went bang and made hole. After that I ran the modified bullets through the lube-sizer and fixed the problem.

I have two Blackhawk .45 convertibles, two Colt mfg. .45 ACP 1911's and a Glock 30 and all seem to work with my multi headstamp loads. I am interested in seeing how they do with small primer cases as I have a large bit of those (mixed also) waiting for me to get off my ass and convert my Green Machine to small primer.

Now I want the Lee die too!

Nice to know. Glad I've been ordering the Lee Deluxe Carbide Handgun 4-Die Set that comes with the factory crimp dies.
Thanks for that info CT.

Yes, those are excellent. If you look back at the pic I posted of the dipper I made out of the .45acp case, you'll see my FCD die there. You can tell it by the different design of the ring around the outside.

CDFingers

The Lee 4 die set is great.

I typically don’t use the factory crimp die on revolver cartridges, but as stated, it’s a must for .45 ACP. For some reason .45 ACP gives me the most grief, 9mm and .32 ACP not so much.


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I've also found it useful for the .38 Special. My Ruger Security-Six apparently has somewhat generous chambers. It will chamber just about anything up to and including rounds with 0.3600" cast boolits. This is as measured by my micrometer. This is why I initially didn't size down my Lee 358-105-SWC "Crayola tip" boolits. They drop anywhere from 0.3580" to 0.3605".

But then I bought a S&W Model 64 in .38 Special. About a quarter of my rounds didn't easily chamber in the Model 64. Either I size the boolits to 0.358", or I use the FCD. Either method, either sizing the boolit or sizing the finished cartridge, yields ammo that easily chambers in the Model 64 and everything else that I've tried. I verified this with several other S&W revolvers of .38 Special and .357 Magnum, specifically other K-frames (M10's, M19's, M64's, and M65's). So, the FCD is helpful in this scenario as well.

It really depends on the gun you have and its manufacturing tolerances. There are Security-Sixes out there whose chambers aren't quite so generous, but more like S&W's appear to be.