9mm cartridge, maybe?

[OB_WAN]

I was setting up the OAL of some 9mm rounds and loaded up some empty rounds to check cycling in the gun(note, primers were NOT installed)

during cycling I noticed that one of the rounds consistently had difficulty completely chambering w/out a little nudge. OAL was the same, case length looked the same. I pulled the round in question and looked a the case.

headstamp: WCC 00 [and then what looks like a scope cross-hatch?)

looking closer, I noticed the primer pocket had a taper on the head(federal crimp removed and a reloaded case maybe?).

also, the rim on the case was just a little thicker than my other 9mm rounds. furthermore, it also doesn't have as much gap/taper in the extraction groove of the case.

any thoughts on this one? is it a 9mm Luger case or something very, very, very close.

 

[Randy1911]

It is a military case (the ww00 stands for Winchester Western 2000). It does sound as if the primer crimp has been removed. What is the amount of crimp? At the case mouth it should measure less than .373, I crimp mine to .371-.370. Try that and see what happens.

 

[ants]

The circle with a plus in it (your 'scope' crosshairs) is the NATO symbol. From the factory it was originally loaded to meet NATO specifications, which includes crimped primer. But if the primer pocket crimp has been reamed (the taper you observed) then it has been reloaded at least once if not more.

Hard to tell why it didn't chamber well. Many possibilities.
Perhaps the case mouth wasn't crimped well.
Perhaps the case wasn't sized well.
Perhaps the bullet was hitting the rifling.
Perhaps both bullet diameter and case wall thickness were at maximum spec, and together were just a little thick.
Perhaps the case had been loaded many times and the base expanded too much (better be careful when you seat a primer, the pocket may be loose).
Perhaps it was reloaded as a 9mm Major (loaded past maximum) for competition use, which will expand the base more than usual.

 

[OB_WAN]

crimp is identical to the other 6 blank rounds I chambered through the firearm perfectly.

I'm curious on your crimp. lyman 49th manual shows .380. all of my cases show ~.377 by simply taking out the bell. How did you get yours down to .370?

 

[OB_WAN]

and just to clarify:

my setup consists of a separate seating and crimp process. I utilize the lee factory crimp die for case conformity. set up all 7 cases exactly the same. I also did the barrel test by pulling the barrel out and individually dropping each round in to ensure they were all settling in the same depth in the barrel(bullet wasn't hitting the rifling).

I have not been able to identify any inconsistencies other than the difference in the case head thickness and smaller gap in extractor. aside from the base being .003 smaller as well. guessing that wouldn't cause the problem though.

it's a glock so I wouldn't expect it to be this finicky with brass but perhaps.

thank you for all the information so far.

 

[rfwobbly]

OB Wan -
NATO ammo is very hot. I would not be surprised one bit to see that the base of the cartridge, just above the rim, had expanded. Normal reloading dies don't reach into this area, and so the case may have been left in an expanded condition. This would/could also cause chambering issues.

A great way to check for this and other out-of-spec conditions is to drop the reloaded cartridge into a "cartridge gauge". Cost you about $12 at Midway.