I am reloading some brass cases fired from my Glock 23 (.40 S&W) to be reused in the same gun. When inspecting the brass, I noticed that one side of the case near the base is slightly bulged out. Should I be concerned? I remember hearing some thing a while back about some Glock's not having a fully supported chamber. Would this be the cause? Should I be firing reloads in my Glock 23?
Reloading .40 S&W for a Glock 23
- Thread starter jvberryjr
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I have shot countless reloads in my glock 22/27 without any problem. I am primary using the plated bullets in the mid power range. The brass should be ok to use if it doesnt show any signs of stress or seperation. What brand of dies are you using? I use the lee dies and use the lee fcd to iron out those little glock bellies on the brass.
I ask because there's a difference in chamber support. Newer Glocks have more of it. Also, from the pics I've seen, G27 might have more chamber support than the G22. Haven't seen any pics of a G23 chamber.
I haven't gotten any significant bulging of the case shooting new or reloaded ammo through my Glock 27. I have shot and collected cases from WWB and Fiocchi ammo. My reloads are fairly stout, too.
I was curious because I'm interested in buying a G23, and I wanna know how bad they are for bulging brass.
I haven't gotten any significant bulging of the case shooting new or reloaded ammo through my Glock 27. I have shot and collected cases from WWB and Fiocchi ammo. My reloads are fairly stout, too.
I was curious because I'm interested in buying a G23, and I wanna know how bad they are for bulging brass.
I have not noticed any bulging on my 23 brass (gen 3). I haven't loaded for it yet, but have checked a few cases to see.
rfwobbly
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Buldged brass is always a concern in high pressure cartridges, Glock or not. My understanding is that the Glock chambers offer far more support on the later models, so your chances of this are already reduced. However, there are steps you can take.....
• Like these other gentlemen, you could reload and shoot lower power loads. They'll simply be less case deformation with less pressure. And you brass will last longer with less expansion.
• You should check that your sizing die is going all the way down to the shell holder to size the maximum length of case. Obviously, any standard sizing die cannot reach over the entire case simply because of the shell holder blocks the progress of the die. That's usually OK because the brass is thicker at the rim and there is much less expansion in that region.
To check this and add an "insurance step" you might purchase a case gauge or cartridge gauge from Wilson or other. After sizing the case, you simply slide the case into the gauge. If it fits, then the case is good to go, and will chamber in any 40 cal handgun.
People who measure for a living understand that "roundness" is very hard to measure. A simple caliper or micrometer only measures at 2 points, which can often lie about a out-of-round condition. It could completely miss a bulge without multiple measurements on each case. Such a gauge measures at ALL points in a single pass, and thereby insures roundness. CLICK HERE A case gauge also quickly checks dimensions that "look" OK. In the photo above, the case has expanded out of spec by less than .002" and is caught by the gauge.
Hope this helps!
It would also seem to me that a bulging case would have thinner brass at the bulge. Just putting it through a die or making sure the outside case dimensions are "spec" would not repair the thinness of the case. Does that make sense or am I missing something?
The bulged area won't get appreciably thinner. But it will get worked a little bit more than normal. Repeated working of the brass is why it eventually fails. This usually works out fine, since the mouth is typically the first part to fail.
But if you are repeatedly bulging and resizing the base of your brass, it just might give way before the neck splits. That's something you want to avoid.
But if you are repeatedly bulging and resizing the base of your brass, it just might give way before the neck splits. That's something you want to avoid.
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