Boomstick Bruce Posted June 22, 2020 Share Posted June 22, 2020 So my main match wild bunch pistol is a chrome Iver Johnson 1911a1. This thing is slick, smooth and beautiful right out of the box! I bought it brand new but accuracy had been a little off compared to my rock island and Thompson. When I first got it I realized it had a white insert in the front sight (dovetailed) so I immediately replaced it with a different sight before I ever fired it. At the last match I shoot last year I realized the front sight was moving around in the dovetail. So over the winter I fixed the issue with the front sight. I shoot the first match of the year yesterday and I'm still missing way more than I did with my rock island. During our lunch break, I pulled the barrel thinking maybe it's full of lead and discovered not only is the rifling very light but it's also over bored so much if you try to drop a love round through the muzzle it stop on the case mouth and not the bullet! I can push a bullet into the muzzle with my fingers! I have a few barrels I picked up over the years so swapping it out is not a problem but each one of them won't fully chamber my reloads like the chambes are too tight. I use cowboy#4 bullets (.452 200gn rnfp) from Missouri bullet. Which chamber just fine in both my RIA and IJ but not my Thompson or any of my spare barrels. What's going on here? I want to order a Wilson barrel but don't want to run into a problem with rounds chambering in a $200 barrel... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abilene Posted June 22, 2020 Share Posted June 22, 2020 Perhaps you could use a cartridge checker. Seems like if they fit that then should fit any chamber. Got any factory rounds you could check? A Lee FCD might make your reloads fit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boggus Deal Posted June 23, 2020 Share Posted June 23, 2020 My suggestion is to have all your barrels chambered by a gunsmith with a new reamer that’s at maximum SAAMI specs. Plus, add a few thousandths extra throat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garrison Joe Posted June 23, 2020 Share Posted June 23, 2020 Bullets seated too far out, ogive on nose is jamming into the lands of barrel. Get a chamber check gauge (for loaded rounds) and test your loads. This is a very common problem, just that you have not run into it with your IJ (and the RIA) because the barrel bore seems VERY sloppy. Most 1911 barrels have a VERY short throat ahead of the chamber. The chances that you picked up several (used?) barrels that are all too tightly chambered for good ammo is minimal. Your ammo is loaded so it jams into the lands, I would guess. Good luck, GJ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boomstick Bruce Posted June 23, 2020 Author Share Posted June 23, 2020 I'm thinking I'm not crimping the bullets enough. Every factory load I have drops in the barrels just fine, only my reloads seem to be the problem. I have a box of someone else's reloads I'll try when I get home from work. If those drop in, then it's definitely me. Those spare barrels are all second hand except for my 6 inch which is from Sarco and has the tightest chamber of them all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackfoot Posted June 23, 2020 Share Posted June 23, 2020 I use that same bullet seated to 1.185" OAL and have no problems. Blackfoot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garrison Joe Posted June 23, 2020 Share Posted June 23, 2020 I'm thinking I'm not crimping the bullets enough. SO EASY TO CHECK THIS! Use your calipers and measure outside diameter of your loads right at the case mouth. Brass should be at 0.471 or 0.472" More than that, tighten the taper crimp. Smaller diameter than that, you are over working your brass and digging deeply into the bullet. Roll crimping? You are doing the WRONG CRIMP!! Good luck, GJ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baltimoreed11754 Posted June 23, 2020 Share Posted June 23, 2020 The easiest thing would be to swap one of the non problematic bbls from one of your other pistols to the Iver Johnson. See how that does then pick up another Rock Island bbl whenever you get around to it. I use an old lee bulgebuster die also that repairs the damage to the brass caused by my rough handling .45 pcc’s. As an aside we are supposed to shoot our first post covid lockdown WB match Saturday and I’m going to use my new to me [older] Auto Ordnance 1911. I do like the bigger sights than what’s on my original 1911. Shot it yesterday and hit everything that I shot at even my cas rifle targets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boomstick Bruce Posted June 23, 2020 Author Share Posted June 23, 2020 So I went through all 400 process of 45 I loaded the other day and dropped every one of them into the "tightest" barrel and not one would drop all the way in. Got on YouTube and watched the video on how to set up my taper crimp die, set it up again and tada! There's the problem. I recrimped every one and checked every one and they all drop in now (other than that amerc crap I keep picking up somewhere) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kid Rich Posted June 23, 2020 Share Posted June 23, 2020 Find one round that sticks. Coat it with black magic marker. Drop it into the bbl. Take it back out, the scrape marks will identify where it is sticking. kR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garrison Joe Posted June 23, 2020 Share Posted June 23, 2020 Do not load AMERC brass. It is so badly made it is not worth keeping. I smash mine with a hammer or pliers and it goes directly in recycle box. I don't want any going on the ground at the range that would have been MY FAULT for it being there. Almost all other brass I find I can make work. AMERC cannot be fixed, except by melting into plumbing fixtures. I'm glad now that I see almost none of it anymore. Good luck, GJ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boggus Deal Posted June 23, 2020 Share Posted June 23, 2020 Do not load AMERC brass. It is so badly made it is not worth keeping. I smash mine with a hammer or pliers and it goes directly in recycle box. I don't want any going on the ground at the range that would have been MY FAULT for it being there. Almost all other brass I find I can make work. AMERC cannot be fixed, except by melting into plumbing fixtures. I'm glad now that I see almost none of it anymore. I’m not sure it’d make good plumbing fixtures.... Good luck, GJ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boomstick Bruce Posted June 24, 2020 Author Share Posted June 24, 2020 so what you're both saying is i should come to one of your shoots and drop some on the ground while you're at the line? ;D really i wish i knew where this crap keeps coming from... i probably pulled 100 or more out of my all of brass... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garrison Joe Posted June 24, 2020 Share Posted June 24, 2020 Must be a right coast thing, since AMERC is cobbled together in Florida, IIRC. We are not finding much here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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