9mm bullet getting stuck in the barrel?

[Wildbillz]

Hi All
I loaded up some 124grn LRN 9mm ammo a little while back. I took some out to the range a week or so back. I loaded the pistol and found that the bullet was to long and got stuck in the barrel.

I don't have them with me as I am on the road right now. I checked them when I loaded them up and set them at the recomended lenth in my Speer manual. Is it possable that the design of the bullets is differant enough that its to long for that over all cartridge lenth? To big of an bullet profile?

I checked them on one gun when I set them up for reloading and they were fine. So the other option I can think of is that maybe the CZ I was using was a shorter chamber then the one I checked on while reloading?

Would it be safe to try and seat them a little lower without pulling them down? Or would I be running the risk of driving the pressure up?

Thanks for any advice
WB

 

[LiveLife]

More information like bullet type/model, powder/charge and OAL would help us determine whether seating them deeper would be OK.

 

[rcmodel]

Never ever use a load manual recommended length unless you are using the exact same bullet the load manual is using.

Always take the barrel out of the gun to the bench and use it to chamber check your bullets for OAL.
They should drop in the chamber fully, and drop right back out from gravity.

CZ's, some German made SIG's such as the P6, and other guns have less leade in front of the chamber, as they are intended for use with FMJ-RN bullet profiles.

You should be able to seat them deeper as the taper crimp used in 9mm should have little grip on the bullet unless you used too much crimp.

But without knowing anything about your powder type or charge weight, who knows!

rc

 

[Wildbillz]

Sorry doubble tap

 

[Wildbillz]

Thanks for the info.

Like I said I am on the road right now and don't have access to my notes. But off the top of my head, they are Lead Round Nose bullets 124 or 125 grn. Lowist load of bullseye or unique (3.5 grns if I recall) I can't recall which one with out looking at the notes. About 800 to 900 FPS. I don't know what mold or who the maker is as I picked them up at a gun show. In a month I can post a pic of them when I get home.

Thanks
WB

 

[gunnysmith]

reloading has a learning curve of 1 to lifetime, you just passed No.1
Everyone makes mistakes, it's what you learn from them that count.

 

[Quoheleth]

I'm guessing that you mean that the cartridge (not just bullet/projectile) is getting stuck, that is, it's not fully chambering. In other words, you haven't fired it and sticking the bullet/projectile down the barrel (called a "squib").

Your overall length is too long. CZs have short throats. That 124LRN needs to be loaded very short, sub 1.07" long. My CZ85 needs cartridges that are about 1.068" long with a 124LRN bullet.

Q

 

[Wildbillz]

Quoheleth
Correct. The cartridge has not been fired. Not fully chambering.

I will check on the lenth when I get back home.

Thanks
WB

 

[Coltdriver]

What RCMODEL said.

I never trust the reloading manual blindly for anything. Every chamber has the potential to be different.

I learned this the hard way by loading some .243 to spec only to discover I was stuffing the bullet into the lands. Thank goodness I was shooting a Ruger #1. The brass from that venture was ruined, such was the pressure.

So now you know. Always learn your chamber with the bullet combo you plan on loading and set col accordingly.

 

[1SOW]

IMHO: ALWAYS need to do the "push test" on new loads for straight wall pistol. Every pistol will accept different max oals with every different bullet weight and "nose shape".

With a fired case (NOT resized), seat a bullet by hand slightly into the case. With the bbl removed gently push the test rd into the chamber until it seats on the case mouth.

Carefully remove the test cartridge and measure the oal.

The oal you measure will be the MAX oal that just makes contact with the rifling. Do this test several times to insure consistency.

If you load it at least .015 "shorter" than the max, it will allow for press variation, bullet nose shape variations and bullet length variations and will clear the lands. This is especially useful for testing hollow points, flat nose and conical bullets to see what 'your' gun's chamber will accept with 'that' bullet. Remember every gun and every different weight and nose shape bullet can result in 'different oals'. If you have three pistols, use the shortest of the three different push tests, and your reloads will work in all three.

 

[Quoheleth]

Hey, WildBillz,

The other thing you want to double-check is that since you're seating the bullets deeper into the case your powder charge is still safe. Make sure you're using a load manual that gives you OAL to go by.

For example, Lyman's Pistol & Revolver manual gives several loads for that bullet loaded short for CZs, et. al. They also have loads for a longer (e.g., "regular") OAL.

As an opposite example, Lee does not give any different OALs in his loads (which is just a collection from the various powder manufacturer's data).

That M28 Smith treating you OK?

Q

 

[maseh2os]

The only other thing I would ask is whether you are seating and crimping in separate steps. My first 9mm reloads with cast bullets were getting stuck in the barrel because I was crimping and seating in the same step, crimping too much, causing a tiny (I mean almost imperceptible to sight or feel) amount of lead to be shaved forward of the casing. This was getting smooshed when the bullet was pressed into the chamber, making it very difficult to get out, and in a couple kept the slide from completely closing. I fixed it by getting a separate seating and crimping die.

 

[GLOOB]

I don't crimp my cast luger loads, at all. (Well, maybe just a hair on the longest 5% of the cases). Works fine for me, and no extra step.