Battle Of The Bulge: Loading the 45 Colt!

[dagger dog]

My 92 45 Colt, bulges the brass right above the base of the case, on inspection the feed ramp is ground up into the rear of the chamber, (maybe that's why my 92 feeds and cycles RNFP's,LSWC's,JHP's), all fired brass has a bulge at the base.

I ran about 100 rounds through it and had to stop shooting because of cataract problems, couldn't see.
Now that my surgery is over I'm planning on shooting alot more and am wondering how this bulging anomaly is going to affect brass life.

Any one else have this problem ?

[joec]

My 92 45 Colt, bulges the brass right above the base of the case, on inspection the feed ramp is ground up into the rear of the chamber, (maybe that's why my 92 feeds and cycles RNFP's,LSWC's,JHP's), all fired brass has a bulge at the base.

I ran about 100 rounds through it and had to stop shooting because of cataract problems, couldn't see.
Now that my surgery is over I'm planning on shooting alot more and am wondering how this bulging anomaly is going to affect brass life.

Any one else have this problem ?

I haven't had this problem at all. I have seen no buldge in factory loads nor my own. My 45 Colt R92 is only picky about OAL little else.

[akuser47]

Sounds like you need to contact rossi about this I would not want to loose my brass like this it will make your brass go out faster from wear. If this was steel cased ak ammo then it wouldn't matter but .45lc ain't cheap. I would try too talk to their C.S. and see what they suggest to do, and keep us up to date. By the way this is not normal you have an out of spec chamber could be dangerous!

[pricedo]

Fortunately I have not had this problem in any of my 3 Rossis.
I have the M92 45LC/454Casull version and at those pressures if there was a tendency to bulge cases it would have manifested itself long ago.
So far so good..........knock on wood.

[Ranch Dog]

I've experienced the issue with every 45 Colt I've owned; Marlin (1), Rossi (2), and Taurus (1), and it is a common experience with any 45 Colt cut to the SAAMI spec. You might not see this if you are shooting factory or "cowboy" type loads as 14K PSI doesn't have much to it. It is simply a matter of too much "airspace" around the web of the case but this is the SAAMI spec.





Here is how the difference compares to the other short cartridges used in the Rossi 92.



I have made chamber casts of all of them and Rossi does cut closer to the SAAMI spec than any manufacturer's product that I have measured. This extends to the entire Braztech line; both handgun and longun. My Marlin 1894S is awful! I've also received chamber cast from customer's Winchester 92 and they are worse.

The only complication with this is case life. With a 44 Mag I see about 20 cycles of the brass. With a 45 Colt I see half. Die-Hard 45 Colt shooters sleeve the chamber for a tighter fit. That is, they have the chamber bored out and a sleeve is seated that has a tighter tolerance chamber. I say "Die-Hard" because sleeving costs as must as your R92 did. The same for a custom barrel or having a 357 Mag barrel rebored/rechambered. Most reloaders that I have contact with that are uncomfortable with the case bulge move to the .454 Casull.

Remember that the 45 Colt was designed for a cylinder fit and the fellows shooting it at low pressure appreciated being able to drop a cylinder of cartridges without any resistance. I think if you send your rifle to Braztech, you are going to receive it back in two months with a note that the chamber is at the SAAMI spec.

[pricedo]

Most reloaders that I have contact with that are uncomfortable with the case bulge move to the .454 Casull.

After a few shots with the 454 Casull your sore shoulder will make you forget about the case bulge problem.

[Ranch Dog]

After a few shots with the 454 Casull your sore shoulder will make you forget about the case bulge problem.

[dagger dog]

This bulge is just in one spot, it indexes right over the feed ramp area,and is about as wide as the feed ramp, I think that portion of the case wall is unsupported causing the bulge, it does not extend completley around the case.

The load is very mild 6grs TrailBoss over @260-263 gr Lee 255,RNFP and the RCBS 452-255 that drops about the same weight with straight WW lead, although I have shot both as dropped and not sized,but I wouldn't think that would be the culprit as the brass extracts without any overpressure signs.

I have segregated the Rossi brass, ironed out the bulge when resizing, and reloaded with the same load. Planning on shooting it more to see how this is going to work out,it may have to be sent back.

Thanks to all for the advice.

[44-40 Willy]

At least they're following SAAMI specs. They sure didn't with the 44-40 I had on loan.

[Ranch Dog]

At least they're following SAAMI specs. They sure didn't with the 44-40 I had on loan.

Was it a Braztech? That is one thing that seems to have come from Taurus.