Testing The Taper Crimp

Since I shoot a lot of cast bullets in the 1911 I got to wondering how well the taper-crimp die worked and did I have it set so it was working efficiently?

I took 2 sized and neck-expanded cases and primed them with CCI Large Rifle Primers. I am sure it did not do the priming compound much good, mashing the primer deep enough so it did not protrude, but I did not want to spend the time and energy reaming the pockets deeper.

I seated my 230 gr. cast FN bullet to 1.232" OAL and crimped them with the Lyman Taper Crimp Die.

Then I loaded one into the chamber of the 1911 and pointing it at a backstop in the shop I pulled the trigger. The bullet stopped in the bore with the base of the bullet just past the leade to the rifling.

I pushed the bullet out of the barrel, wiped the barrel clean and loaded the second one and fired it. This bullet went down the bore about 1 1/4". If I had oiled the bore it may have exited. I think using a Magnum primer would probably push it out of the bore. It's amazing how much power a primer has. In the .357 Magnum the Small Rifle Primer will push a bullet from the cylinder into the barrel, even if you have a stout roll crimp.

Anyway .. looking at the .45 ACP bullets, you can see the marks from the taper crimper. My main concern is whether the bullets could be pushed back into the case as they made their way from the magazine up into the chamber. I think the taper crimper set this way will handle that just fine.