Burr on pulled bullets

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oncewaslost

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I am just getting around to load some of the .40 fmj 155 grain pulled bullets that I purchased last month. I obsessively check each brass before and after loading using a lyman max cartridge gage (I size and clean before). I am noticing that the burr on the pulled bullets prevent about half of my loaded cartridges from correctly fitting inside the gauge. They are shy of going in by the thickness of the rim. I can force them resulting in the cartridge snapping fully in. I then have to snap them back out. Normally my loaded cartridges fall in and out of the gauge.

I removed the barrel of my SD40 to see how they fit. The very worst of them (only a few) had to be snapped in, again by the thickness of the rim. With the gun back together the cartridges chamber without a problem under the force of the spring. I was worried about the possibility of firing a round out of battery due to the burr..

I have filed a few of the burrs down to verify that it was causing the problem. On one cartridge, even after filing it would not fit the gauge without force. It appeared that the bullet was slightly deformed.

For now I am segregating these loaded cartridges and shooting them, but verifying that the slide fully closed after each one. So far I have had no problems, but will most likely not use any more pulled bullets after these are gone.
 
Your guns disconnector should prevent the gun being able to fire out of battery if it is in spec.

Could you take a fine file and just knock off the worst burs?

rc
 
Yea I can file the worst of them.
I am a creature of habit and it disrupts my normal process, but I will use them up. They shoot good and are as accurate as anything else I shoot.
 
If you have a lot of them the lee sizing kit for that diameter bullet will make quick work of them. The die will iron out the burr and make sure the bullet is not out of round at the same time. Just make sure you get the correct sizing button for the bullets you have. I have found the kit for $14-$17 IIRC in the recent past at Natchez Shooters Supplies. they are on the net at natchezss.com Or save the money and do what RC said.:D
 
Thanks for that idea Frog.
It took me an hour to file 50 to fit the gauge wile watching a football game last night. I notice that Lee has a sizer for .401 but not .400. Do you think that is close enough? I surely wouldn't need to use the lube?
 
You wouldn't need the Alox bullet lube, but I suspect you are going to get it anyway.

But you would need to spritz them with case lube so they don't gall and leve specks of jacket stuck in the steel die.

Case lube will make sizing a lot easier anyway.

Lee custom .400" sizing kit:
http://leeprecision.com/xcart/.400-Custom-Lube-and-Sizing-Kit.html?pconf=3456&slot=1

took me an hour to file 50 to fit the gauge
Mmmmm?
Have you tried pushing the tight ones through the case gage?
I doubt if it is tight enough to resize them enough, but you might try it.

rc
 
Mmmmm?
Have you tried pushing the tight ones through the case gage?
I doubt if it is tight enough to resize them enough, but you might try it.

rc

Yes I tried that but after pushing it through the gauge 6-8 times it still hangs up.

I think it would pay me to rezise them anyway because my seating depth is varying +- .010 also. Do you think the extra .001 for the standard .401 resizer would cause a problem? The custom is almost 3X the price and 6-8 weeks lead time.
 
I don't know, because I don't know how big the "bur" is you need to get rid of.

Have you actually measured some of them that won't fit so we could know if they are .401" or .405" or what?

Another option is a Lyman or RCBS .400" lube/sizer die.
You would have to jury rig a way to push them through, but the die is available.
http://www.natchezss.com/product.cfm?contentID=productDetail&prodID=LY2766501

rc
 
Have you actually measured some of them that won't fit so we could know if they are .401" or .405" or what?
rc

The worst of them measure .406 across the spot with a pulling mark on both sides of the bullet. My gauge looks like .401 - .402
 
Is there any chance you could post a good photo of some of them so we could better understand what it is you are dealing with?

rc
 
I doubt that my vibrating cleaner would do much good.

Actually I was referring to a vibrator as that seems to be the most common.

Have you tried it? Nothing ventured nothing gained. Just let the bullets vibrate against each other, remember this is how moly is applied to jacketed bullets along with steel shot.
 
I am not very good at this but I'll try....
 

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With the gun back together the cartridges chamber without a problem under the force of the spring.
Well O.K. then. After seeing the pictures?

I would load & shoot them.

That little bitty bur is not big enough to stop a slide in its tracks during feeding.
And I already said the disconnecter will prevent it firing out of battery anyway.

At the very worst, you would chamber one and decide not to shoot it, then have trouble jerking it back out.

What I would do is load them all, then drop check them in your guns chamber (with the barrel out of the gun).

Sort out the really sticky ones, and shoot them all in one lot.

Then everything else should be O.K.

rc
 
RC is correct you should be able to load them and shoot em without much trouble. Another way to get rid of the biggest part of the bumps would be to put the bullet on it's side on a hard flat surface (piece of plate steel) and use a separate stout piece on the top, then roll it back and fourth by moving the top bar while applying moderate pressure downward this may smooth out the burrs enough to help. Check the size of the bullet before and after to make sure you are not deforming the regular part of the bullet. I hope you don't have too many to fix.
 
That burr is hitting the throat which usually measures .401" in most 40 S&W pistols. Most of the burr will be knocked down by the chambering process. No biggie. Just shoot them.
 
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