bullet plugged in barrel

Status
Not open for further replies.
J

jradisch

Member
Joined
Jan 25, 2015
Messages
57
Location
Upstate NY
New to reloading but have been loading 115g Xtreme plated RN using Power Pistol for my 9mm Shield. (OAL = 1.160", 6.0 - 6.2g) with good results. Decided to try reloading Bullseye. Found the following load data for Bullseye;

Lyman: 115g JHP, OAL=1.090", 3.5-4.8g. 120g cast, OAL=1.065" 3.4-4.2g.
Lee: 115g XTP, OAL=1.125, 4.1-4.7g.

Since I could not find any load data for my bullet, I loaded #10 rounds using 4.0g Bullseye with several different OAL's, varying from 1.098" to 1.126". Fired the shortest round and the bullet plugged my barrel. Removed it but went back to shooting my PP rounds. I did not try the rest of the Bullseye loads. So, are my loads too light or was the OAL too short?
 
You are absolutely sure you did not drop a light powder charge? Looking at my Hornady 9th edition for 115 grain bullets 4.0 grains is a little light but I would think, even with the OAL you have they should have went bang and exited the muzzle. I am not a 9mm guy so I may well be wrong but that is my guess. Hopefully someone who loads 9mm on a regular basis will have some input far better than mine. You may want to pull the remaining loads and check the powder weight. Also, if the bullet was easy to knock out of the barrel it tells me it wasn't very stuck as in mid barrel. That leaves me thinking less than a 4.0 grain charge, considerably less.

I see Win 243 chimed in with too light and I would take his thinking well over mine.

Ron
 
Yeah, Since I was using Bullseye for the 1st time I made sure to weigh each load. I even started by rebalancing my scale before starting to reload these rounds. I have segregated the remaining 9 rounds tilI figure out the problem.
 
Not too light.
Well, not squib load light anyway.
You have made a mistake either in weighing, or charging the case.

There is No Way 4.0 Bullseye will stick a 115 grain 9mm bullet of any type in the bore.
It might not cycle the action, but it certainly will not stick a bullet in the barrel.

Back off, pull the bullets, recheck your scale zero, re-weigh the powder charges, and start over again.

I don't know what you did, but you did something wrong weighing the powder charge.

rc
 
IIRC the starting load is 4.2 gr (loaded some recently) so 4.0 shouldn't be an issue. May not work a slide, but you shouldn't get a dud thud. Pull a few, pay close attention to crimp and neck tension during the pulling process, then weigh your charges. Something wasn't right if 4.0 was a dud. Wet powder?
 
Like rc said. Check and double check untill you find a solid fault. Scale zeroed/tared etc etc
 
Not sure how well you clean out powder from you hopper. Chance there was power pistol mixed with bullseye???
 
Since you're reloaded successfully in the past, the following is unlikely but did you properly expand the case mouths?
I 'have a friend' who pressed the case mouth expander too deeply in to the case. Coupled with no taper crimp, nearly every (properly charged) round was a squib doubtlessly due to a very weak seal between case and bullet.
I um, happen to know this guy quite well. Though perhaps not as well as I should...
B
 
I have loaded 124gr Xtreme RN bullets using 4gr of Bullseye with a COL of 1.150" without any issues. The gun cycled without any problems. You probably need to verify your scale and/or your process. You can weigh a CCI#500 primer and should see about 3.3gr.
 
Had a problem years ago with moisture left some powder out and had the same kind of problem ..
Muggy day cool night open glass container Possible condensation . might have been over two days > Long ago I learned to put my powder away not let it sit out
 
Like said above, the charge weight you are trying to use shouldn't be a problem but that doesn't mean the powder charge itself is correct. Check everything over again.

A note, I'm not a fan of using very fast powders in a high pressure very small case like the 9mm. If you can stick with Power Pistol over Bullseye. (IMO of course)
 
Current Alliant Bullseye (on website) says 4.7gr for a 115 jacketed...

Alliant 2004 paper manual shows the lightest charge of Bullseye to be 4.2gr for a 147gr XTP, and the other end of the spectrum shows 5.5gr Bullseye with a 95gr FMJ...

For 115gr FMJ @1.12"OAL it shows 5gr Bullseye for 1,180fps @31,000psi

HTH
 
While that is too light for a jacketed bullet, I doubt a 4.0 Gr charge of Bullseye left a 115 Gr jacketed bullet stuck in the barrel. More likely a missed charge.

Tap the bullet out backwards with a brass rod. Then be more judicious about seeing each charge you seat a bullet over.
 
Walkalong said:
While that is too light for a jacketed bullet, I doubt a 4.0 Gr charge of Bullseye left a 115 Gr jacketed bullet stuck in the barrel. More likely a missed charge.

Tap the bullet out backwards with a brass rod. Then be more judicious about seeing each charge you seat a bullet over.
Click to expand...
Was a plated bullet, but I totally agree with your observation and advice.

If it were me, I would definitely pull the rest of the Bullseye loads and verify the charge weights just to see if something went awry with my measure, my scale or my brain. Then I would fertilize my flower bed with the pulled powder and do an abbreviated run of test loads, resizing the cases with the decapping rod removed, and double weighing each charge just to verify it. The old "measure twice, cut once" approach. ymmv
 
Just for grins, BEFORE you pull the bullets, weigh your remaining loaded rounds and see if you come up with one that is about 4 grains light...

Easy to tell with a rifle load, not so much with a pistol.
 
I would NOT discard the powder. I would reload with that same powder and try it again. Narrow down piece by piece...the ammo kinda worked so primer was probably OK, powder weight can be verified, neck tension and crimp can be qualified, so the last option would be potentially bad powder. If you load 5 more with the same powder and all are duds you for sure know you have a powder issue. Rule out problems 1 at a time, when you nail the problem down, confirm it.
 
You will not be able to detect a low charge in 9mm by weighing. The normal variation in brass & bullets will mask any variation. I would recommend braking them down, confirming the charge. Then reassemble with the same components. Sounds like you did not have any powder or very very low charge. Like others have said 4.0 gr will drive the bullet out without any problem.
 
Hi. A 115g Xtreme plated RN is not a jacketed bullet. A 115g JHP is. Plated bullets use cast data.
"...could not find any load data for my bullet..." You don't need bullet specific data. You load for the weight.
Alliant gives 4.2 of Bullseye as the starting load for a 115 grain jacketed. Max is 4.7. 4.0 isn't low enough to cause a squib. Not that it matters for a plated bullet. Been loading 3.5 with a 121 grain cast bullet for eons.
How are you charging the cases? Are you visually checking 'em?
 
I just finished a load workup with bullseye and 115 RMR plated bullets.
4.1gr bullseye
1.135" oal
win spp
gave me chrony readings of
1062
1095
1101
1087
1055
out of my glock 17 with a 5 round sample.
I couldn't imagine 4gr not working properly.
Especially if your oal was shorter, which would increase the pressure a tad.
 
Better yet stick with Power Pistol for the 9mm instead of BE which is to fast a powder. Yes folks use it but there are better powders for the 9mm.
 
More info please.

What did the recoil on the squib load feel like, and what did it sound like? (ie. light recoil, pop sound slide didn't cycle, or sounded normal felt recoil and normal report) Ansd did you notice any unburnt powder in the chamber after?
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

4
  • Locked
Getting ready to order stuff for 9mm, want to make sure everything is g2g.
Replies
16
Views
810
Hangingrock
H
M
  • Locked
One last 9mm question (Need help!)
Replies
2
Views
538
Steve C
S
S
  • Locked
9MM OAL's?
Replies
24
Views
1K
918v
9
LiveLife
  • Locked
Lyman #49 Pistol Accuracy Notes
Replies
7
Views
627
J_McLeod
J
S
  • Locked
9mm 124 LRN - Bullseye powder - load check
Replies
4
Views
1K
rcmodel
R
Back
Top