9mm CBC brass = junk?

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AKMac

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Hey guys.

I just wanted to ask if anyone else has had major issues using CBC brass in 9mm?

I setup my Dillon 650 last night to try a new load. I set it up to go with 1.050" OAL, 4.0gr of HP38, and a 124gr MBC smallball. After making my dummy rounds I threw in 100 pieces of CBC brass (I segregate all my brass by headstamp) and the seating depth was all over the place. Were talking + or - .015". The flare was now too small and it started shaving bullets. Also primer seating was way too hard and inconsistent on some pieces of brass.

I went back to my tried and true Win brass and OAL was now within + or - .001" and the flare was consistent. From what I've read elsewhere, this is pretty common with CBC brass.

Anyone else notice this?
 
I have some for .45 ACP and have not encountered issues you mentioned. I know you mentioned 9mm but I figure I throw my 2 cents out there.

BTW, Isn't an OAL of 1.050 on the extreme low for 9mm? As for the brass, I have noticed a lot of other head stamps do this as well. One way to get it constant OAL is to trim it. I know a member or two on here who does it but the majority don't.

Is this the only brass you have that does that?
 
I think I've reloaded CBC in .45 as well with no problems. I would have to check my reloading files to be sure.

Yeah 1.050" is pretty low, but for that particular bullet to not hit the rifling of some 9mm barrels (i.e. XD, and CZ75), it needs to be that.

Yeah it's the only one I have doing it. Everything works great when switching to other brass.
 
I load tons of CBC brass in 9mm and 45 ACP, never encountered a prob, my OAL for my 9mm RN is 1.060., I run these in a CZ 75B.

S&B brass is another story--very hard to seat primers.
 
Nope, they make great brass in my experience but maybe you get a bad run... they have over thick case walls in my experience an that is great with jacketed bullets but not so much with lead bullets-can reduce the diameter of the bullets- trust me my loaded cartridges OAL variation is less than 0.002" and seating the primer is normal ,I´m on my 11 reload and they look and work as the first shoot (124 gr plated bullet at 1110 fps)...
I don´t like to support my neighbor economy but when something is good you have to admit it :/

Since you segregate by headstamp i would recomend Speer or Federal brass for your lead bullets becoause the have thinner case walls :)
 
My only issue with CBC is the small primer 45ACP brass. Even after running them through my RCBS primer swager the pockets are still tight.
 
I've had major problems with 38 and 44 Mag CBC brass.

A lot of the rims of 38 brass are too large to fit in my Lee shellholder.

And I have to crimp my bullets a LOT more in 44 Mag brass or my bullets will remain loose as compared to other brands of brass.
 
I've had problems with them too, 9mm. Primers hard to start, brass doesn't resize right. Hard to explain, but I have so much brass now that I toss them in 9mm if I pick any up.
 
The variance your seeing with the belling of the case mouth and closing of the case mouth, is because your brass isn't all trimmed to the same length. The crimp and belling die will contact the case mouth inconsistently if your brass is all different lengths. This can under or over bell the mouths, and as well cause inconsistent tapering of the mouth when seating the bullet.

The seating plug in the die only seats the bullet to the depth it is adjusted to. Any OAL inconsistencies would be because of olgive inconsistencies of the bullet. Even if one case head is thicker than another by .010" it won't change the OAL of the finished round when measured from the head to the bullet tip.

And so far as loading them, they work great. I'm not too picky about the brass I use so long as it is in good condition.
 
BTW, Isn't an OAL of 1.050 on the extreme low for 9mm?
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Not for MCB Small Ball. That's right about where I put it, too. The ogive is really wide on it, and the lube band is pretty far forward.
they have over thick case walls in my experience an that is great with jacketed bullets but not so much with lead bullets
Click to expand...
This is my experience, too. At least with my semiauto cases. I haven't noticed it with .357.

If your brass is thick, it makes for a tight fit with cast bullets, esp if you crimp while seating. I dunno if I'd go through all the trouble of actually trimming 9mm. I'd first try and make sure my seater fits well, that I'm flaring enough, and that I'm putting a light crimp on the case mouth if any at all. If you wanna do a tighter crimp, you might have to sort out your brass, or crimp in a separate step, or you might even try chamfering the CBC cases just a touch.

I like CBC brass. It gives really good neck tension, and I've never noticed anything weird about the primer pockets.

If you really wanna get anal about sorting brass, use up your R-P and Speer for your cast bullets!
 
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I've never had a problem loading MagTech (CBC) brass and I have loaded their .38 Special, .357 Magnum, 45 Auto, 45 Colt and 9mm brass. But, I haven't loaded any on a progressive press, just a turret press.
 
CBC (MagTech) brass is good brass. The inner taper of the case wall may be a little more pronounced, which would push a bullet seated deeply back out a small amount during the seating process.

Hope this helps.

Fred
 
CBC (MagTech) brass is good brass. The inner taper of the case wall may be a little more pronounced, which would push a bullet seated deeply back out a small amount during the seating process.

Hope this helps.

Fred
Click to expand...

Yup this is it. I tested a few cases today and with seating a bullet deep such as the MBC smallball, it springs the bullet back out and re-sizes it slightly.

So I guess I will just turn all this CBC brass into plinking brass and not pick it up.

Thanks.
 
Couldn't you save it to use with bullets that don't get seated so deep.Then the ID taper shouldn't hit the bullet and the oal should stay. I've alway seperated most my brass by h/s,so I can use certain brands for thsi load and another brand for another load .It also keeps my mouth bell and crimp cosistant.
 
Couldn't you save it to use with bullets that don't get seated so deep.Then the ID taper shouldn't hit the bullet and the oal should stay. I've alway seperated most my brass by h/s,so I can use certain brands for thsi load and another brand for another load .It also keeps my mouth bell and crimp cosistant.
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Good question. I tried seating some Zero 125gr HP's to 1.100" on my single stage and here's what I found.

CBC brass produce about a .008" increase in OAL vs any other brand of brass. Since it has the thicker case walls it also made a much more pronounced "coke bottle" effect than the others.

Would these still shoot OK? Probably. Are they a pain to use in a progressive? Yup.

Here is a picture showing my dummy rounds.

CBC.jpg
 
Yep,thats quite a difference.If they do chamber ,and didn't have a whole lot of brass I'd use them, but....
 
The .32 Auto CBC brass I have is thick as well, but it loads and shoots just fine.
 
Feel free to send me all your CBC "junk" brass.:) I find it works just fine in all calibers. It's probably better than a lot of other brands out there.
 
I've found quite a bit of CBC brass with crimped primer pockets which can explain the hard seating.
I setup my Dillon 650 last night to try a new load. I set it up to go with 1.050" OAL, 4.0gr of HP38, and a 124gr MBC smallball.
Click to expand...

That might be flirting with +P+ pressures.
 
I was given a few hundred rounds of cbc 9mm brass to reload for a friend as i dont own a 9mm yet but have been reloading for 15 years and i have reloaded 1000's of 9mm rounds in my time. My favorite load is 147 gr. jhp or fmj with 3.8 grs, of bullseye. But since i have aquired these cbc cases I noticed the bulge as well. Primer seating was easy. and the cases sized and flared nicely no problems there. I do not remember the cases bulging from all the prior loads with a different brand?
 
As long as you don't load CBC brass hot, you're good. I have experience with 9mm and .40 SW and 3x I had a case head separation (near max pressure but not over). All other brands I have never had a problem. That's why now the best place for my CBC brass is in the trash and I've never had a problem since.
 
Good question. I tried seating some Zero 125gr HP's to 1.100" on my single stage and here's what I found.

CBC brass produce about a .008" increase in OAL vs any other brand of brass.
Click to expand...
Hollowpoints are collapsing. Check the diameter of the HP opening with your calipers. What you need is a better seater plug fit for your bullets.
 
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