CZ97 & handloads

[Boogalou]

Ok, I've read the reports about how the CZ97 likes 230 gr. hardball, how about 185 & 200 gr. SWC's or FP's?

Also, any handloaders out there using longer OAL's on their loads to help with reliability, and have they been sucessful?

[dleong]

You will find that the 97B feeds 230 gr. "hardball" cartridges much more reliably if you size them towards the upper end of the SAAMI-spec'd COL of 1.275".

The 97B was my first 45ACP-chambered pistol; when I was working up a handload several years ago for it, I discovered that cartridges sized below about 1.250" would occasionally encounter a FTF. Increasing the COL to around 1.270" fixed that problem completely.

I have also not had any problems with 200 gr. LSWC projectiles in my 97B (in this case, Oregon Trail "Lasercast" 200 gr. LSWCs). They fed reliably and were extremely accurate, but I have not loaded them in a while as I wanted to reduce my lead exposure.


DL

[ATCDoktor]

My 97B feeds 200 grain SWC's without a problem. 4.3 grains of bullseye and Redline ballistics 200 grain swc is extremely accurate.

[Odhinn13]

Quote: I discovered that cartridges sized below about 1.250" would occasionally encounter a FTF. Increasing the COL to around 1.270" fixed that problem completely.

Wouldn't this FTF be indicative of the casing possibly being short in length or over crimped (allowing it to seat too deeply in the chamber)? Seems to me that as long as the case is headspacing on the case mouth and is of proper length, that the firing pin would have no problem delivering a proper strike to fire the cartridge. I routinely seat for an OAL of 1.250-1.260 with hardball and have never encountered a problem related to the ammo. I did however once have a Rock Island 1911 whose chamber was Out of Spec (deep) and it would not fire "normal" length ammo...A less than ideal accuracy (not to mention safety) situation to be sure as the bullets had to be seated shallow, essentially headspacing on the bullet ogive to take up the slack.

Steve

[dleong]

Steve,

Perhaps I should have been a bit clearer: the FTF mentioned in  my previous post meant failure to feed, not failure to fire. In other words, the short cartridges would occasionally not feed into the chamber, and hang up on the feedramp with a "nose up" attitude and projectile partially in the chamber.

When these short cartridges fed correctly, they would discharge normally.

[Odhinn13]

Whoops! My Bad! LOL...Perhaps I should have looked a little closer. Apologies all around for the brain spasm!