9mm brass?

[Conservidave]

I have a whole bunch of 9mm brass with quite a few 9x19's mixed in. Do I need to sort out the 9x19's from the rest? It all seems to measure out the same but need to know for sure.

Thanks,
Dave

 

[kimbernut]

9mm or 9x19

All the same. No need to separate.

Make sure and catch and remove 9x18 (Makarov)and 9mm Kurz(.380 auto) though they will cause you problems.

 

[Shmackey]

9x19 is the common 9mm Luger/Parabellum that we all know. Other 9mm-diameter semiauto calibers include 9x17, 9x18, 38 Super, 9x21, 9x23, and 9x25. The first two also are common. None is interchangeable with another.

 

[Conservidave]

Thank you gentlemen, I have never reloaded any 9mm but im now considering it simply because of all the good brass I now have, pistol to follow

 

[kimbernut]

9mm good choice

9mm is a good choice for reloading. Very economical compared to .40 or .45 cals. If you want to load lead they tell me to stay away from Glock due to the type of rifling leads to lead build up quickly. Or if you go Glock get an after market barrel that will shoot lead reliably. I have gone with second hand refurbished Sig and Browning High Powers and have done well with them. Happy reloading!
By the way the 9x17 Shmackey mentions is another name for .380 Auto.

 

[maxyedor]

You've gotta shoot a lot of lead to justify buying a new barrel for a Glock rather than just spending the tiny fraction more and using plated bullets.

That said, the drop-in Storm Lake barrels for Glocks really change those guns. The difference in accuracy is stunning.

 

[Zeke/PA]

I might have to start reloading for the 9mm as I really like to shoot my Ruger P95 . Not as easy as it once was to find 9mm empties at the range though.

 

[45lcshooter]

Like everyone has said. 9x19 is 9mm. Just look for the other oddites that others have mentioned. 9mm is one of the easiest cartridges to load, after loading 15 other calibers, i still enjoy the progressive press for the 9mm.

 

[Hondo 60]

Becareful, 9x19 may be military.
If so, it has a crimped-in primer.
That crimp has to be removed.

 

[Nordeste]

@ Hondo 60: Could you please explain that crimped primer thing a bit further?. Never heard of that. And how do you remove that crimping?.

I also have a good deal of used 9 mm Parabellum (which is another denomination for the 9 mm Luger or 9x19 mm and is actually how we call it over here), a majority of it fired by me. Most of it is Magtech blue box brass, but mixed in between there are also a good number of Fiocchi, Sellier&Bellot and Winchester 9 mm NATO brass, which I got from my LE agency.

I will start reloading as soon as I get my Lee Classic Turret press kit delivered. Reloading kits and spares are getting kind of difficult to purchase in this part of the Old Continent. Looks like you guys have bought all the available stocks...

 

[FROGO207]

Some of the brass that has been made there (overseas), S&B and Fiocchi for example have tighter primer pockets and you will feel a difference when seating the primers----they will need more pressure to seat in the primer pockets. The crimp mentioned will be a pain at best or stop you from actually repriming if you do not remove it. You can use a pocket knife, a reamer (that you will probably get with your kit), a drill bit, or swageing die to remove the crimp. The crimp actually puts a small ridge on the inside wall of the primer pocket to keep the primer from being pushed out of the round when being fired/ejected. The idea is to remove brass at an angle or swage back enough of the mouth of the primer pocket that the new primer will insert without being deformed/crushed. There are explanations on here actually showing what needs to be done if you do a search.

Good to see you entering in to the reloading aspect of firearms ownership. Makes for a more stable and accurate ammo supply.

 

[Nordeste]

Thank you very much, Frogo. That's been a thorough and helpful explanation. My thought is to deprime all my brass and inspect it carefully prior to doing anything else, but being aware of this, I'll separate the Magtech brass from the other brands and look for those tutorials you mention to remove that crimp. The primers I'll use, most likely, will be CCI as those are the ones that are more readily available here. Powder will be the French Vectan BA9 fr the same reasons.

You can bet I'm eager to start reloading. It's a nice hobby and I'll be able to both cut down on costs, and tailor my ammo for my two pistols (plus the Glock I'm looking for) and my 9 mm Luger Destroyer carbine.

 

[warhwkbb]

Crimped 9mm is pretty rare. Sellier&Bellot has tight primer pockets but are not usually crimped. CCI primers see to work better for me with the S&B brass I pick up.

 

[greyling22]

in the picture with 3, the one on the right is normal, the one in the center is crimped. I don't know about the left one. The single picture is also crimped.

Life is too short, and brass to abundant for decrimping 9mm. Just toss it. But it can be done with a drill bit or the lee chamfer tool.

I disagree with kimbernut. Maybe he got lucky, but I have been beating my head against a wall for years fighting with 9. Maybe it's just me and my gun, but you don't have to search far to find folks who also struggle.

When I pick up range brass I st it all up on a table and sort out the 9x18 makarov and any 380's that might have snuck in. Then I look down the mouths of all of them and check for berdan primers (2 holes) and finally I pick them up about 10 at a time and check for crimped primers.

 

[BBQJOE]

I've been reloading the same 9's for a long time. I don't load anywhere near max, so they seem to be lasting forever.
I don't go to public ranges, so most of the brass was new to me at one time.
Not giving it much thought, I came across a coffee can full of cases under the bench I hadn't used in some time.
Every now and then the press would lock up with a mushed unseated primer. That was when I learned about crimped primers.

But the most perplexing part was where they came from. I had no idea.

Just a few days ago I cleaned and re-inventoried absolutely everything, and I came across this.
Mystery solved!