I have finally assembled 6 dummy rounds...
Geez, that took forever !
...which I have run through the magazine, inserted into the barrel and ejected them several times so I am confident that they will chamber.
You really do want to remove the barrel and make sure that they slide in and out of the chamber under their own weight. (No fair shaking the barrel.) Then measure the crimp dia. It should work out to be in the range of 0.378 to 0.376".
We are double and triple checking the Taper Crimp set up. Once we are dead sure that's right, then any future failure to chamber must be an OAL or brass issue. That's SO very important as you try different bullet weights, shapes and brands.
When you get your incremental test "ladders" loaded, you won't really need a chrono as long as you're in the published load ranges. You're loading for target practice so you're looking for
ultimate accuracy, not a certain PF. Set the heel of the pistol (base plate of the mag) and your 2 hands on a sand bag or other steady rest (as shown in the vid below). Slow fire at
new targets for each load.
videoLater you can compare the targets and measure the groups. The smallest groups are the loads your gun likes with that bullet.
If you'll use the exact same target distance (suggest 30 to 45 feet) on all subsequent tests, then you'll be able to compare powders and bullets in your future loads to see if there was any improvement. Obviously, you'll be improving as you shoot more, and you'll want loads that are likewise getting better and better.
All the best.
