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Old December 31, 2012, 07:21 PM   #1
blackhawk8
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Glock reloading

Well here goes another crazy question, so much to learn in this hobby. Just got new Glock 23, going to buy factor ammo but evently wud like to reload for it. Is there any drawbacks reloading for Glocks, I saw somewhere that Glocks were especially hard on brass. Please advise me , thanks
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Old December 31, 2012, 08:13 PM   #2
Marco Califo
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Glock says not to reload

Glock says not to reload, as it will void your warranty. The reason is that Glock chambers are not 100% supported and may/will bulge cases slightly in one spot. To understand this take yours apart and look into the breach end of the barrel, slide a cartridge in. You will see that the "ramp" area does not support a small part of the case. Different generations of Glocks have different degrees of this issue. Newer are better; some one posted pictures here.

There are products on the market to "repair" Glock fired brass, essentially by pushing the case all the way through a die. I am aware of these but, have not experienced the need to spend money.

Bottom line is it is a personal decision. I do reload for my 23. I use once fired 40SW brass (don't know if it was fired in a Glock before). I shoot target loads and have never had an issue or noticed the supposed bulging. I have reloaded the same cases again, with no problem.

Another possibility is using a different barrel. I use a Lone Wolf 9mm conversion barrel, which is fully supported, stainless steel and conventionally rifled. Glocks come with polygon bore rifling, and Glock says not to use cast bullets.
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Old December 31, 2012, 08:19 PM   #3
leadchucker
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Somebody set me straight if I've been doing something dangerous. I've been doing fine up to now sizing range brass, including lots of "Glocked" brass, with a regular Lee resizing/decapping die. No irregular shaped brass noted.
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Old December 31, 2012, 08:24 PM   #4
blackhawk8
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Hey Marco, do u mean u changed your glock to 9mm by converting to the Lone Wolf 9mm conversion barrel
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Old December 31, 2012, 08:35 PM   #5
Marco Califo
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Yes

Yes, the G23 is my work carry sidearm, and some sites I work at require 38 or 9mm, and exclude the 40SW (and 45ACP). Simple fix is to change the barrel for around $100. It is like having 2 guns. I bought 9mm magazines, more for California 10 round rules.
You can read about Glock factory interchangeable barrels and upper receivers here: http://www.glockmeister.com/Tech_Info.asp
Lone Wolf makes custom conversions, ported barrels, etc.
www.lonewolfdist.com

LWD Barrel M/23&32 Conversion to 9mm Stock Length http://www.lonewolfdist.com/Detail.a...OD=983&CAT=238
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Last edited by Marco Califo; December 31, 2012 at 08:42 PM.
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Old December 31, 2012, 08:37 PM   #6
blackhawk8
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Thanks for the info, learning something new every hour
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Old December 31, 2012, 09:11 PM   #7
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One need only reference the various powder manufacturers’ websites, for more loads than you’ll ever care to try. I took my usual simplistic approach to reloading it- which means W231, lead bullets and velocities more in line with the .45 ACP. My 'general use' .40 loads consist of a lead SWC and just enough W231 to work the action reliably. I put these up in range pick-up brass and because much of that shows signs of being previously hot-loaded and fired in, er, 'ample' Glock chambers- I wouldn't load those casings hot anyhow. If a case resists normal leverage when run at the sizing die, I toss it,


Older Glocks seem to have less chamber support than newer ones, so I expect the phenomenon of Glock-belly brass to dwindle as time goes on.

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Old December 31, 2012, 09:17 PM   #8
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thank sarge , really interesting picture
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Old December 31, 2012, 11:26 PM   #9
Sarge
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You're welcome blackhawk8. I should probably have mentioned that the photo above is from an article I wrote concerning a Lone Wolf Distributors barrel for the Glock 23. More on my experiences with the G23, the 40 S&W and my overall experiences with these guns here.
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Old January 1, 2013, 09:23 AM   #10
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I reload for my G26 the same way I reload for my other 9mm guns. They all get the same loads, with the same bullets. I reload range pick up brass, other than some PPU brass with crimped primer pockets I have had no issues at all.
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Old January 1, 2013, 10:57 AM   #11
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hey Leadchucker, you are not doing anything wrong, i have used the same dies you are for almost 8 yrs and have had no problems. i have reloaded some of the same (glocked brass) from the range up to 10 times before i noticed any issues in the brass itself. so over all you should be fine
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Old January 1, 2013, 11:12 AM   #12
chiefr
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Often you hear the phrase "Glocked Cases" used by reloaders who own Glocks or guys who pickup brass. Lee makes an excellect bulge busting tool to rejuvenate Glocked up brass if your sizer die will not reform the brass.
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Old January 1, 2013, 11:37 AM   #13
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I own the Lee push through die and it is OK when you use case lube. I would suggest a Redding push through die, however, instead. It costs more. I'm just not a big fan of Lee dies; they work, but that is all I have to say about them..

The stock Glock has a barrel that does not like lead cast bullets, so you should consider plated or jacketed bullets or consider an aftermarket barrel if you want to use lead cast...

people use lead cast in glocks but, apparently, they tend to foul a tad....
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Old January 1, 2013, 11:48 AM   #14
m&p45acp10+1
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I have been reloading 9mm for near 3 years. I have as of yet had a case that would not work after sizing in a regular sizing die. Better than half of my brass was fired out of Glocks.
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Old January 1, 2013, 12:27 PM   #15
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I've been reloading for a Gen 2 Glock for years (around 20). I've never had a problem using standard Lee dies. My personal opinion is that Glock was designed for 9mm and is very accomodating when used for that caliber. Most of the problems I hear of are related to a 40 or 45. I have even shot a bunch of lead through mine over the years without problems. The lead is not very accurate, as compared to out of my 1911, so I use jacketed any more in the Glock. One day I may spring for a Lone Wolf barrel, but there always seems to be something I need worse.

Last edited by hodaka; January 2, 2013 at 08:02 PM.
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Old January 2, 2013, 02:44 PM   #16
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I have been reloading for my Gen2 G17 since it first came out. No issues at all, but then I do not hot-rod my reloads as I find the accuracy suffers with hot loads.

Quote:
Glock says not to reload, as it will void your warranty
EVERY maker says that as well - it is corporate lawyer liability CYA speak

Glock says not to use lead with their polygonal barrels as they will lead quickly and accuracy will suffer - easiest fix is to shoot plated bullets or buy an aftermarket regular barrel
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Old January 2, 2013, 03:04 PM   #17
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Two thoughts on glocks re: reloading ....

1. lead thru a factory barrel does indead make for leading issues, and quickly. This raises pressures.

2. "De-glocking" cases fired in a glock work hardens the brass in the web area that was unsupported during firing. Probably not a big deal .... once. Do it repeatedly with the same case? You might get away with it for a while, as a different part of the case might get bulged each time .... eventually, though.....

The only guys I know that blew up their Glocks did so with .40 S&W reloads. One suspects a double charge. He was using jacketed bullets (he used Zero brand, IIRC) and Titegroup in a fully supported aftermarket barrel. The other was shooting many-times-fired brass and lead boolits over Titegroup in a Factory barrel.
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Old January 2, 2013, 07:23 PM   #18
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Over 10,000 reloads through my G35. No different then reloading for any other gun.
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Old January 2, 2013, 08:32 PM   #19
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I have a push thru sizing die from redding. Works as described but honestly, I rarely use it. I loaded thousands of glocked cases before I picked up the die. Ive never had a problem of any kind. They all feed and cycle prefectly. My main pistol is a 23.
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Old January 2, 2013, 10:25 PM   #20
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Here is a picture of my 2012 Gen 3 G20's barrel.
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Old January 2, 2013, 10:41 PM   #21
Kilroy08
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I picked up a 3rd generation Glock 22 right before Christmas. There was a bulge on the base of the cases after firing.

I had good results with the Hornady .40 S&W die set. The bulge got smoothed out and the finished cartridge passed the plunk test with both the factory barrel and my Lone Wolf barrel that I just got in. However, there was still a visible outline of the Glock tramp stamp on the base. It's a minor cosmetic gripe that I'll just live with.
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