Case selection

[wiiawiwb]

For a while, I used mixed 9mm brass that I reloaded on my CoAx. I was having too high a percentage of them that would not fit in the case gauge or would fail the plunk and spin test.

I decided to buy new Starline brass and have been reloading that for a while now. It never presents problems and always passes both the gauge and plunk test. Darned if I didn't try using some Winchester brass I had laying around and about half of the ten reloads would not pass the gauge test. The round is too thick even using the Lee FCD.

I continue using just the Starline brass but it troubles me why I am having no problems with that brass but problems with mixed brass. I went as far as separating the mixed brass and using just Winchester or Federal or some other brand but it the results were the same.

Any thoughts?

 

[kcofohio]

Lead, plated, or jacketed bullets?

Will the brass, after resizing, fit in the gauge?

Winchester brass is the most common of my reloading brass. Never had a noticeable problem with them.

 

[bbqreloader]

What weapon are you using? Is your sizing die set correctly, check that first.

 

[hdwhit]

In addition to the questions that kcofohio and bbqreloader asked, what dies are you using?

When I get range pick-up brass, I segregate it by headstamp. I have nearly 30 different headstamps now; from Aguilla to Winchester. I was having problems getting rounds to plunk in the barrel (which I was using as a case gauge) until I got my dies correctly adjusted. The problem was that the expander of my Lee dies would either not expand the case mouth enough or it would expand it too much. Very careful adjustment eventually allowed me to find a sweet spot.

In the end, I found the expander on the Lee dies to be more finicky than I cared to deal with and replaced it with a set of RCBS dies and haven't had any problems with fit since.

 

[wiiawiwb]

I'm using 147gr coated lead from MBC. The mixed brass, including Winchester, is all brass I kept from before I began reloading so I know it's all once-fired brass. I use Lee dies.

The rounds that don't meet the gauge test all shoot fine in my Glock 17. The gun just keeps going. The ones that do meet it get shot from my Dan Wesson ECO which is very finicky about what I feed it.

I randomly took 10 Win cases and resized them. 2 did not fit in the case gauge.

 

[243winxb]

The deep seated bullets base will expand some brass more than others. 9mm brass may have different case wall taper. Thin at mouth, getting thicker farther down.

If sized brass doesnt fit the gauge, try sizing it more, with a Lee Undersized Carbide Sizing Die.

http://s338.photobucket.com/user/joe1944usa/media/Firearms and Reloading/9MMLuger1.jpg.html

 

[243winxb]

Lee , if a bulge near the case head is a problem?
BULGE BUSTER KIT? http://leeprecision.com/bulge-buster-kit.html OOPS no 9?

* Will only work with the following cases: 380 ACP, 10mm, 40 S&W, 41 AE (Use 40 S&W Factory Crimp Die), 45 ACP, 45 GAP, and 45 Win Mag.

 

[Toprudder]

Lee , if a bulge near the case head is a problem?
BULGE BUSTER KIT? http://leeprecision.com/bulge-buster-kit.html OOPS no 9?

* Will only work with the following cases: 380 ACP, 10mm, 40 S&W, 41 AE (Use 40 S&W Factory Crimp Die), 45 ACP, 45 GAP, and 45 Win Mag.

For 9mm Luger, use the 9 Makarov FCD with the bulge buster kit.

That was a good cutaway photo showing the 9mm case. I took the time once to look at different 9mm headstamps and found quite a few differences. I don't have my notes with me, but I seem to remember that most had a constant wall thickness for the first 0.2" or so, then the wall thickness started to taper. A few had the wall thickness taper start at the case mouth. Then there are the stepped-wall cases, like FM, Ammoload, IMT.

I will bet that some of the headstamps won't work well with 147gn bullets, as the base of the bullet will be far down in the case and cause a real bulge as a result.

 

[wiiawiwb]

If I want to replace just the resizing die, what Company's die would you suggest getting? My first thought was a Forster resizing die, but I didn't see one at their website for 9mm.

What company would you recommend...RCBS, Hornady, Redding, other?

 

[thomas15]

If I want to replace just the resizing die, what Company's die would you suggest getting? My first thought was a Forster resizing die, but I didn't see one at their website for 9mm.

Before you do anything you should determine where/why your brass isn't resizing correctly and not fitting the case gage.

I personally use (in 9mm) the EGW undersize die which is actually made by Lee for EGW. Lee also makes one for themselves. I also own and have used RCBS and Dillon resizing dies for 9mm but have the best result using the EGW die.

I have (3) separate 9mm die set-ups which consist of a variety of makes of various dies all are 4 pistol die set ups. It is possible that there is a small defect or burr or something on your die that is causing your issues but from my limited (4 years) experience sometimes you have to try different things to get the result you want. On my progressive press in 9mm I have at this point the following: Resize die EGW undersize die, expansion die is RCBS, seating die is Redding and taper crimp die is Dillon. I use Hi-tek coated bullets and have unsatisfactory results using the Hornady PTX die on the powder drop station so for those bullets I had to give up my RCBS lockout die. I'm constantly evaluating and revising my set up so maybe in a year from now it will look different.

 

[Blue68f100]

Are you seating the big heavy bullet too deep? Doing so may cause problems due to the 9mm taper design. My 9mm dies are Hornady but I don't think its your problem unless your not running it all the way down to the shell plate. I load on a AP so I prefer a die that has a larger radius to help align during feeding. These dies are normally made by Hornady, Dillon, and Redding if my memory is not failing.

On a side note you may want to have your chamber checked on your gun. It's possible that they failed to run the finish reamer after fitting the barrel. It lso may have very short leads which is causing you problem with the larger nose bullet.

 

[wiiawiwb]

I'm seating to 1.152.

I've gone back several times with the sizing die to check and be sure it is going all the way to the shell plate. Every case which is resized should pass the case gauge test at that point. 2 of 10 of the WIN cases didn't. So, with those two cases I'm out of SAAMI from the getgo. I've also cleaned the sizing die to make sure it wasn't something inside wreaking havoc.

 

[Walkalong]

Since the 9MM is a tapered case it is important to make sure the sizer is all the way down nearly touching the shell hold or shell plate when actually sizing a case to take press flex into account.

I gauge all my sized brass (Before loading) and with range brass I can expect for about 10 to 15 percent to fail the gauge. They fail because the case head is too large in diameter. I simply toss those in the scrap brass bin. Expect to have to scrap some brass with once fired or range brass. I figure if a regular sizer can't size the case, the case head has been under excessive pressure and since I have buckets of 9MM range brass, I have no desire to squeeze them back down with a bulge buster etc.

My sizer is an old Lee with the long tapered carbide insert. I have no idea if they still make them that way.

 

[wiiawiwb]

Bingo. I feel more comfortable knowing others, like yourself, have brass which also fail the gauge test. I'll just pitch them. Thanks Walkalong and everyone else.

 

[Toprudder]

I find this interesting. I can load 9mm, and I run every loaded round through the case gauge. I get very close to 100% to pass. Of the few that don't pass, it is usually from a small burr caused by the extractor or ejector, and I can usually turn the case around and insert it into the case gauge backwards, give it a few twists, and it burnishes the problem away.

If I were getting 15% failure rate of the sized cases, I would be looking for a different sizing die.

 

[Big7]

If I want to replace just the resizing die, what Company's die would you suggest getting? My first thought was a Forster resizing die, but I didn't see one at their website for 9mm.

What company would you recommend...RCBS, Hornady, Redding, other?

EVERYTHING I have for rifle, pistol and revolver are LEE.. Best IMO and won't break the bank.

My 2 shotshell loaders are Mec.

No problems with either so far. Many of my Lee dies and presses are well over 30 years old.
Along with a few that go back about 15 years..

And I've been busy lately so can't handload as much as I did a year ago + I got plenty already loaded.

PS.. The Lee case lube is the best I've ever used and I tried a few others.

FWIW.. Unless you are shooting match, just about any decent brass case will work.
Stay away from nickel plated. It will flake off in your dies and cause problems.
I just load them once. Brass on the other hand, I load until I see a problem, then chunk
them.

 

[sbwaters]

If loading you spill some powder on cases because of a missed primer, tipped bullet, or something else, powder can drop into the bin. Just one kernel of powder can cause one of the cartridges not to seat in the case gauge. Just wiping it down or cleaning the gauge can make the difference of proper seating or sticking out of the end of the gauge.

 

[Walkalong]

95% of the cases that fail the gauge will chamber in a great many 9MM handguns, but there are also the ones with tight chambers, and for those we need to be more careful. My EMP is one of those.