Is this to much flare?

[ddgarcia05]

Case on the left is flared. Case on the right is not flared at all. I'm not sure if it's to much flaring.

 

[NeuseRvrRat]

doesn't look like too much to me

 

[Nighthawk0083]

Looks ok to me as long as the bullet doesnt drop into the case. I usually just do enough to get it started and let the seating die takes care of the rest.

 

[hartcreek]

It is pretty close. I flare just enough to catch my fingernail.

 

[LiveLife]

My flare is similar to picture on the left but the bullet sets less about halfway to lube channel. My flare measures around .382"

 

[poco loco]

looks ok to me with lead.

 

[ddgarcia05]

My flare is similar to picture on the left but the bullet sets less about halfway to lube channel. My flare measures around .382"

Mine measured the same thing.

 

[LiveLife]

Mine measured the same thing.

Woohoo! You are good to go!

 

[ArchAngelCD]

It's difficult to tell from a picture. When you flare you want just enough to start the bullet and the seating die does the rest. With lead bullets you want enough flare to prevent bullet shaving. If you add too much flare don't worry because you won't ruin the ammo but you will shorten the case life.

Like I said, it's hard to see in a picture but from what I can see you are fine. To tell the truth, I have never measured the flare I add to any cartridge. I just follow the "it's enough when I can start the bullet" rule and call it good.

 

[LiveLife]

I am OCD to some extent (and been driving my wife crazy for 19 years) and prefer to use the least amount of flare as I can. With jacketed/plated bullets, I can use less flare but with lead bullets, to not shave the bullet, I use a bit more flare.

The measurements I post on various threads are not absolute, but what many post as "a little bit of flare/just enough flare/etc." are hard to comprehend at times for some so I measured the amount of flare I use for lead 9mm bullets to quantify the flare amount and it is about .382".

So if your flare is a bit more or less, it's not the end of the world. YMMV

 

[ArchAngelCD]

bds,
I'm not saying anyone is wrong for measuring the crimp and to tell the truth I probably should too but I just never did. I'm a bit obsessive when reloading too measuring most things several times before I call it good but the crimp, I just haven't measured it.

 

[LiveLife]

Until I had to measure some flared cases for a thread to seat lead bullets without shaving, I have never measured my flares before.

If it wasn't for THR, I probably would have gone to my grave not know what my flares measured.

 

[ddgarcia05]

I have second question now.

I plan to use mostly jacketed 115 xtreme bullets with unique. The OAL according to the lee reloading book is "min 1.120". All my 9mm pistols shoot Winchester White Box perfectly and I measured a few of there round and found the OAL to be about 1.162. Should I load my rounds to mimic the 1.162 OAL which I know cycles in my pistols or should I be closer to 1.120 for example 1.145 or lower.

It just seems like 1.162 and 1.120 are just very far apart.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

Until I had to measure some flared cases for a thread to seat lead bullets without shaving, I have never measured my flares before.

If it wasn't for THR, I probably would have gone to my grave not know what my flares measured.

LOL, I don't feel so bad now!!!

 

[ArchAngelCD]

I have second question now.

I plan to use mostly jacketed 115 xtreme bullets with unique. The OAL according to the lee reloading book is "min 1.120". All my 9mm pistols shoot Winchester White Box perfectly and I measured a few of there round and found the OAL to be about 1.162. Should I load my rounds to mimic the 1.162 OAL which I know cycles in my pistols or should I be closer to 1.120 for example 1.145 or lower.

It just seems like 1.162 and 1.120 are just very far apart.

The OAL listed in any manual is not their recommendation on what you should use, only what they used when developing the data. Unless you use the same exact bullet, same exact brass trimmed to the exact same length and the barrel they used their OAL is mostly useless to you. It only tells you what they used so you can make adjustments in powder charge if and when you use a different OAL.

What I do, I load to the longest OAL possible and yet still pass the "plunk" test, within SAAMI limits of course. That method has worked very well for me...

 

[LiveLife]

X-Treme bullets are plated, not jacketed.

With that said, both Winchester 115 gr FMJ and Berry's plated 115/124 gr RN bullets can be loaded to SAAMI max length of 1.169" as long as your barrel will chamber them and reliably feed from the magazine.

I load for multiple pistols and typically load 9mm 115/124 gr RN to 1.135" OAL but recently loaded some test rounds to 1.160" to maximize accuracy at near max load data (for my mid range loads, deeper seated bullet base seems to generate more consistent chamber pressures, at least in theory ... dang, I feel another thread forming to test this ... ) - http://www.thehighroad.org/showpost.php?p=9375519

So if your pistol/barrel will work with 1.160", load longer to improve accuracy.

 

[Sport45]

I'm with the others in that I don't measure the flare.

I do gauge it with whatever bullet I'm using when setting up the die. Looks fine to me.

 

[ddgarcia05]

I googled plunk test.

For the others who don't know what it is here's a link.

http://youtu.be/cdJLNox1hpk

 

[LiveLife]

I think the primary objective is to flare the case mouth enough so the bullet base rests inside the case mouth before being seated to prevent crushing of the case.

With some bullets that have round radius bullet bottom, flaring the case mouth is not even necessary as the round radius will spread the case mouth as the bullet gets seated.

But in general, even with plated bullets with round radius bottoms, I will use slight flare out of habit.

I googled plunk test.

Now you done it! rcmodel is gonna get mad again now. '

And it's actually the "Barrel Drop Test" (or is it?) and not "Plunk/Plonk Test" but I have a feeling that we are fighting a losing battle on this one.

 

[howiepa]

The Hornady Bullet Feeder docs lists 0.385" as the recommended flare for 380/9mm, at least for use with their bullet feed dies. This is on page 9. I think 0.385" is a little much for 9mm but bullets always seat properly so I've been using that.

 

[Kp321]

When loading lead bullets just flare enough so you don't have a ring of lead shaved off after seating. What you show in the picture will work. Excess flare will wear out the brass quickly but causes no other problems if properly taper crimped afterwards.

 

[Rico567]

"ArchAngelCD" writes: "When you flare you want just enough to start the bullet and the seating die does the rest."

THIS. I am also a minimalist when it comes to flaring / belling /expanding. I'm the same way about crimping. Just enough to do the job, no more.

 

[Potatohead]

Woohoo! You are good to go!

BDS, I don't have those little clapping dudes when I "go advanced". How'd you get those?