Help! 9-mm Luger Problem...

[TooTaxed]

Just had the worst reloading session of my forty years of reloading!

Got into a combat pistol course starting this coming Sunday, requiring 250-rds, so I hurredly tumbled, decapped, resized and primed 300 Win, R-P, and Federal cases (in 50-rd batches) obtained from the range using a new RCBS 3-die set, including putting a very slight bell on the case mouth as I'd be using Ranier 115-gr PRN bullets...necessary to avoid shaving the thin copper plating. This took time, as I use a RCBS Jr2 single-stage press. Received my Raniers a couple of days ago, and proceeded to load.

Was shocked to find the bullets were VERY loose in the cases...ALL of them! Just setting the case on the base was enough to slide many of the bullets down into the case. I'm out of time to process more cases. The bullets mike .355, and the case expander plug mikes .353...both proper. I see no obvious problem with the sizing die, though this is the first time I've used it. (I'll load another small batch using a different sizing die to see if that's the problem.) :banghead:

Due to lack of time to do anything else, I slightly ovaled each case mouth with pliers enough to hold the bullet before seating them, then as a last step ran them through a Lee Carbide Factory Crimp die...THAT process was tedious!! And I got a troublesome completed cartridge reject rate due to shaved bullets and different seating depths. Will test the results for functioning at the range tomorrow...the day before the class!

I don't want to go through THAT again!! Fellows, What Went Wrong?

(Side note: I note that 9-mm Luger cases are tapered rather than being straight, so the carbide ring on the Lee Factory Crimp die probably is of little usefulness in final sizing of the completed cartridge except just above the base.)

 

[Black Snowman]

Good news on the Lee 9mm die, it has a tall full length carbide sizer in the correct profile for the round. This makes sizing 9mm as much effort for me as 50 AE on my press as it does almost all the sizing at the last minute of the stroke.

The CFD stop-gap may or may not be OK. I loaded a ton of the exact same ammo ( 9mm mixed brass with 115 gr Rainier RN) on my Lee Load Master with Lee dies and didn't have the trouble you described except with some of the Remington brass, which I then proceded to throw out.

See if you can seat the bullets without belling. If not work out the absolute minimum you can get away with now that you have the bullets.

Let us know how things work out.

 

[armoredman]

Odd, I always put a bell on my 9mm with Ranier 115gr plated, with the Deluxe Lee Carbide dies on a RCBS jr press, and none of them ever slide around! Of course, I also use the Lee factory crimp die last - mabe that helps! I love the 115gr Raniers...need some more - see other thread I started here... :banghead:

 

[model 649]

Sounds like the cases were over-expanded. Black Snowman has right idea to check this out. Good luck in your class.
Josh

 

[Pumpkinheaver]

Did you have your sizing die adjusted correctly?

 

[HKGuns]

It sounds to me like you didn't have your taper crimp adjusted properly. I'm using 124gr Raniers and it took a quite a bit of adjusting to get the taper crimp done correctly. The taper crimp should be able to take out most any excessive belling of the case mouth. Although, if the bullet sat on top while you were seating it you didn't have it belled too much.

I'm not familiar with RCBS dies....I'm just assuming they are similar to my Hornady dies and the seating stage includes a taper crimp. I can't move mine if I try when I'm finished with them.

Or, as the others have stated, you just aren't sizing them properly to begin with which will make every step there-after bad. Ensure you are using a 9mm Luger sizing die and its adjusted properly.

If you've been doing this for 40 years you have a few on me and I'm sure have thought of most things.

 

[Mikul]

It sounds like a lack of crimp.

 

[Rockstar]

Whatever the problem is, it has absolutely nothing to do with crimping. If your cases aren't providing sufficient neck tension to keep the bullets from falling into the cases, then something's either wrong with your sizing die or your bullets, or you aren't setting the sizing die up correctly.

 

[Steve in PA]

Hmmm, I just loaded up a batch of 9mm 115gr Rainer's with RCBS carbide die set with no problems. I have mostly Remington brass too.

I bought the Rainer's to be used in place of Star 115gr FMJ (since they went out of business). I didn't even have to adjust the dies.