Reloading 9mm major brass

I picked up quite a bit of brass at the recent racegun nationals and I’m sure there was brass from both regular and 9mm major guns.
I didn’t want to start a debate on whether or not 9mm major is a good idea, just trying to figure out if there’s any objective data on identifying it and reloading it.

 

Providing that the pistol that the 9 major brass came out of had good case support, it shouldn't be a problem. However if it didn't, the brass might have to be run thru a U die or a Rollsizer to get the base of the case back into shape. All you can do is size a few and see if the fit the chambers on your pistols.

 

When I encounter significantly increased resizing effort:

• I check the brass with a barrel
• If it won't readily drop into the chamber freely with a "plonk", it gets resized again
• If it fails the second time, it gets tossed for recycling

 

+1 on LiveLife's instructions.

Brass fired in "9 Major" guns tends to expand at the head, exactly where your dies can't reach.



The problem with this is the 9x19 Luger's tapered chamber. The properly sized and reloaded ammo will go 3/4 of the way into the chamber and then jam solid. You'll be caught with a live round captured by a slide 5 or 6mm "out of battery". You won't be able to shoot it. You can't put the safety on. And you can't eject the round. A very dangerous situation.

DO NOT skip the barrel plunk test !

 

I look for the big guppy bellies. I load them in two passes on my LNL-AP, the first pass is to resize them and if I get one that is hard to resize they get pitched. That way they are sorted out before I actually load them.
That helps with my OAL staying within two or three thousands when they are finished. I also find the .380s I missed when sorting.

 

I bulge bust 9mm with a LEE 9mmMak Factory Crimp Die and push it through on my single stage press. This takes care of the brass where the normal sizing die can't reach.

If the brass has a guppy belly, I toss it in the recycle bucket. I have enough brass already and don't need to mess with that guppy belly brass.

 

All 9’s get gauged in a Shockbottle. There’s enough drama when the timer radiation hits you don’t want to deal with rounds that don’t chamber.

Up to now I’ve only run single passes on my progressive, there’s a bit of variability on the handle effort depending on what station(s) are being strained. I may have to shift to the old two step for this batch, just to see if there’s an issue.

 

I would very much like that brass. It will fit my Makarov’s perfectly.

 

I met a guy who will only roll-size 9mm major brass. Says it's the only way to get it back in spec.

 

Sounds like a lot is being asked of that brass.
Unless I was low on brass. I would put it in my rainy day pile.

 

He's not wrong. The U die will do it too, but a Rollsizer is a sure thing. Then you still run a sizing die before loading.

 

Guppy brass= the glock bulge?

 

That's how I interpreted it.

 

It really depends on what powder was used in my experience. My 9major loads with Silhouette measure about the same as any 9 minor brass, but Autocomp has expanded some case heads. Either way, everything goes through my commercial Rollsizer. I use a standard Dillon carbide sizing die after that and almost never have a loaded cartridge fail to gauge.

 

If it passes the gauge before loading, it should pass the gauge after loading. Unless something is going wrong during the loading process.

 

Brass out of the open pistols I shoot 9mm major out of reloads the same as my 9mm minor loads. The SMG’s are what blows the cases out so a regular size die can’t get them back to spec.

The roll sizer fixes them but I don’t use that brass for major loads, all of my SMG stuff is minor. I am pretty much turning money into smiles at that point, so it doesn’t have to do much more than run.

A case gauge is a handy tool to have.

 

This is the "High Road" and this is a wrong assumption you are making (And you know what they say about assumptions ).

"Guppy belly" brass came from Glock barrel only if primer indent shows the telltale sign of rectangle primer imprint with elongated striker mark from rectangle shaped striker/breech face opening. If primer indent shows round imprint, "guppy belly" brass came from non-Glock barrel.





While Glock did tighten 40S&W barrel with improved chamber mouth area by Gen3, 9mm Glock barrels have been fine and I haven't seen any "guppy belly" brass out of my Gen2/Gen3 G17/19/26.

These days, any "guppy belly" or overly expanded brass I see have round primer imprint.

 

I don't waste time gauging anything before I rollsize anymore.

 

But I’ve read some people say gauges are not worth the effort. Unless they are I guess.

 

"Some people" say the craziest things.
But I shouldn't have to tell you that, you live in DC.

 

Haha. Craziest things.

Over the years DC government has tried to get Congress to approve an earnings tax or commuter tax on Virginians working in DC (lots and lots of them).

Anyway, some wise (a**) old senator said “that’s the craziest thing I’ve ever heard. You know no one works in DC.”