So I've loaded thousands of rifle rounds, but never pistol. My first time loading .45 I've got extremely sooty cases coming out. They shoot great, and I think they will clean up okay, but I'm not sure why this is happening. I think it may be happening because my charges are not powerful enough but I'm such a noob, I don't even know.

I am loading:

200 gr FMJ of .45
4.8 gr of titegroup
Speer Casing
Small primer

I'd prefer it NOT to do this, even if it won't damage the gun, but I can't truly say it is. I loaded 16 or so test rounds to see how they shot before I loaded the entire 1K. Anyone got any suggestions?

Sorry the pics are so big. Not sure what the code is to resize.








It seems to be only on one side.


The insides are fairly clean

The pressure isn't high enough with that load. The brass isn't expanding and gripping the chamber walls, so the gases are able to come back and foul the chamber + case. Up your powder charge a little and the problem will likely disappear.

Your instincts may be leading you in the right direction. Sooty cases are often a sign of a light load that doesn't adequately expand the cartridge to make a tight seal within the chamber, thus allowing some blowback. However, the data you give seems like it should be within specs. You're well within the window of your load range to take it up a bit to see if it helps.

Both of these guys have it right.

My "plinkers" do this, but I don't care because I tumble the shit out of everything I reload.

OP, you've already got it figured out.  It's from it being a light load, not fully obturating the case.

It's really not an issue, never caused me any problems.  Work up the load, problem will go away.

i had a few rounds do this with the first few batches i loaded (ever) and was wondering, i attributed this to the first powder drop from the measure not being a full drop.  from now on i work the dropper a few cycles with a case underneath it to catch the powder to make sure im getting full drops.  





one of them was so light it got a bullet stuck halfway down the barrel

Thanks everyone for the answers. I'll add in a few grains and see where it goes.

What would you say an okay tolerance would be on a progressive? my loads are usually +/- .1gr. Is that okay? Meaning, my 5.0 gr of Titegroup are always between 4.9 and 5.1, but majority of the loads I measure (I also measure the first 10-15) are right on at 5.0 gr.

I've chalked it up to a few grains sticking here and there in the powder drop, a few sticking in the expander and a few sticking in my powder checker. I'm not sure what I can do to keep them from sticking. I've tried cleaning them but it still happens.

Your - .1 grain / + .1 grain variation is normal with a mechanical powder charger.  That variation should be ignored considering what you are loading & its pressure range.
Some chargers are not that consistent & throw larger weight variations.  If you were loading very high pressure, MAX rifle load with very flattened primers & a few pierced primers, that variation should be of great concern.  And you would reduce the charge accordingly.  And you would pull the over charged loads rather that shoot them for obvious safety concerns.  But, that is not your situation.  You could try wiping the powder charger with a used anti-static drier sheer, if you think powder is actually sticking to plastic or metal parts.

Mechanical powder measures operate on volume, not weight. Minor variations are expected, and a two tenths total variance isn't bad at all.

Good to know. I think I'll take it up to 5.4 gr and see how that functions.

Whoa.... you've gone from checking that horse at a walk to slipping the reigns to all out gallup.....

Depending on bullet type and OAL. 5 grains of titegroup is my plinker load and 5.2grains being the high. Suggest you shoot a few at 5, then 5.2. through a chrono. My 5.2 grain titegtoup, 200 grain load chronos at 950+ fps.

It isn't dangerous - just dirty.



You'll foul more quickly.

Those look like they came out of a Glock. You can try working up  the load but they will still have some scorching on one side of the case. All of mine do that.

The 1911 guys get all uptight when they see it. But it keeps them from picking up my brass when I shoot.