Slight bulge in brass at base

[Sigma 40 Blaster]

Alright guys,

I'm about to go NUTS. I just bought a new .40 that is chambered a little tighter than my previous one, went to the range to break it in and I had several fail to feeds. It was glaringly obvious that the small bulge I have noticed at the base of the cartridge was just a bit too big to consistently feed.

I have a set of Lee and RCBS dies and used them both on this batch of ammo, they were both identical.

When decapping/sizing I have the die adjusted all the way to the shell plate plus half a turn. Do I need to move the die in a little more and "ram" it home to fully resize the brass? The same thing happened to me with my last load of .223.

Is it safe to resize my loaded cartridges (to ensure that the bases are adequately sized, obviously without the decapping pin in the die) or am I just stuck with these that won't feed? What else could I be missing here???

Any input is greatly appreciated, I gotta go now and try to get this bullet out of my barrel...this sucks.

[T/C Hunter]

I would just trash those Bad Boys. Set you dies so your shell plate touches for a start. and adjust a bit more so your cam rolls over. this is a straight wall I assume . You will need to full size . Make sure you trim to lenth also. And chech your C.O.A.L I reload bottle necks only but I would not try to re-size that sucker now. Just chuck it out. Or pull the bullet with a bullet puller and pour out you powder . fire your primmer and the do a full re-size. We would like to keep all of the members here. You may be able to tap out the shell from the muzzle with a rod do not compress the bullet int o the load it may over compress and fire. Tell me more . I'll be here for a bit.

[Sigma 40 Blaster]

The cartridge wasn't stuck BAD, just enough that I had to field stripe it and very lightly and carefully use a flat head screwdriver to loosen it up less than 1/8 of an inch...couldn't get it with my bare fingers.

I have less than 100 rounds left...lucky for me I didn't go on my reloading marathon last night like I almost did. My COL is good, right at the low end of the spec. I am going to measure the one I pulled to make sure it didn't creep out a bit (maybe light crimp???).

Thanks for the advice, I'll be checking back in.

[Thesenator]

Your brass has been fired in an unsupported chamber....usualy referred to as being "Glocked"

Some people won't touch Glock fired brass. I've reused plenty of it with no problems.

The best way to remove that bulge is to have the brass roll sized. I've had 40sw brass resized this way and every single piece fit perfectly into a Dillon case guage after reloading.

You should also buy a case guage and use it. It will save you alot of problems on the range.

[castnblast]

You really got to watch that 40 brass that's been through a glock or similar type weapon. The stuff can be dangerous. I've seen way more than my fair share of casehead separation from those, especially in 40. I'd toss it and get some new brass. Unless you like picking brass schrapnel out of your hand...

[Alleykat]

I wouldn't reload .40s, but that's just my opinion. Not enough margin for error.

[Sigma 40 Blaster]

Actually this brass wasn't shot from a Glock, it was shot from a SW40VE, it is a fully supported chamber (I believe). I know I could take the barrel, place a round in the chamber and only a little bit of the anvil would be sticking out. The majority of this brass is Winchester (pretty good right???) and fired once or maybe twice (three times TOPS).

I also have this problem with my .223 brass (also Winchester or Speer shot 1 time from an AR-15) and since I have Lee dies for the .40 and RCBS for the .223 I'm thinking it's more operator error (me).

I went back to the range today after cleaning and lubricating my new .40 and it went MUCH better, although there were a few times the slide wouldn't come all the way back up, I had to help it the last 1/2" or so. I'm also thinking about switching to loading FMJ instead of lead, the gun didn't like the RNFP lead bullets, it liked the SWC's a lot more. My COAL is good, within a .005 margin of error, I'm thinking I either need to crimp a little tighter or size a little further...anyone else had this problem?

I'm sure the gun will continue to loosen up as I shoot it (another 50 rounds of WWB today also) but I'm wondering what in my setup is causing both types of brass not to be sized all the way???

[Sevens]

I shot a SW40VE two weeks ago. Even now, I cannot believe the trigger on that pistol. And I say this not meaning to talk down about anyone's pistol, I just couldn't believe it. I thought it was defective. I get the impression that it's designed that way. Just plain wow. Is there a difference between the SW40VE and the Sigma? Was it the forerunner of the Sigma, perhaps before they came up with the catchy name, or is it a different animal altogether?

If you were handloading lead bullets, check to make sure you have flared the case mouth enough for the bullet, and that it's not shaving lead and lube from the bullet as it's being seated. If it does, that lead and lube end up on the side of the case, and right in to your chamber. If you've got a fairly tight chamber, you don't need anything mucking it up.

[Unregistered]

Its interesting that someone makes handloads that don't feed, and then several people try to blame it on a Glock, even though a Glock was not involved in the incident.

The lack of case support is a VERY overrated, and over-discussed topic when it comes to Glocks. ANY 1911 that has had a throat/ramp job to improve feeding has a non-fully supported case.

The photo in the attachment shows how the lack of case support is not a problem peculiar to Glocks. Feel free to look at it and get educated.

[WESHOOT2]

I have both a 9x19 and 40 S&W barrel with chambers so tight most brass just won't fit no matter what I do to it (I refuse to 'rollsize' used brass due to fear; I'm afraid it will get overworked).
The 9x19 Nowlin barrel is fitted to a Witness; if the cases aren't new, or fired from the gun, they will not fit it.
The 40 barrel is a factory match barrel I fit to a Witness; it is slightly more forgiving than the Nowlin, but still very tight.
I use the barrels as a gauge (I have numerous gauges for each chambering, but none are as tight as the actual chambers).
Any ammo not fitting the barrel gets used in a different, more forgiving gun.

I use LEE 'U' dies; I use LEE Carbide Factory Crimp dies; you can have a qualified competent pistolsmith ream your chamber slightly larger.

I have loaded a considerable amount of 40 S&W for a considerable amount of different guns; I have a 40 S&W 1911 on its way right now.

[Linear Thinker]

As Weshoot mentioned, Lee Factory Crimp die sizes the loaded round, and gets rid of the bulge.
I roll-size the 40 brass with Case-Pro, but still use the FCD to get a good crimp.
LT

[Thesenator]

Unregistered,

Nobody is specifically blaming a Glock for the OPs buldged brass.....its a common generic term used when referring to bulged brass because so many Glocks do it, particularly in 40sw.

[Unregistered]

Thats interesting, because I have never heard the term. I have only been shooting and reloading for 25 yrs though, so maybe I will start to learn the lingo as I get more experience.

[Thesenator]

As they say, "you learn something new everyday".

[Sigma 40 Blaster]

Actually guys I found out today that it wasn't the bulge at the bottom, I just wasn't crimping tight enough. I suppose the SW40VE chamber is just a little bit looser. I got a case gauge as recommended and the cartridge fed maybe 1/2 inch before it got tight. I got the barrel of my gun and it fed until about the last 1/2" of the cartridge.

So I broke out the calipers and found there was almost a .008 bulge at the mouth of the brass. Turned the seating/crimping die in a half turn at a time until I have virtually no bulge at the mouth, went into case gauge perfectly and fed fifty of these suckers rapid fire at the range with zero problems. Also, it looks like I have a bulged bottom but the caliper tells me it's .001 or .002 at the most. I did the same thing with a batch of .223 I had trouble with and found the same thing...I have a lot left to learn, and getting a set of lock rings for my dies might not be a bad idea since I always shoot my first ten rounds before cranking out any real numbers. (RCBS locking die rings rule).

Thanks for the input everyone, I thought about getting the FCD die but it seems like I read somewhere that FCD and cast bullets are not exactly suited to be used together. If lead keeps going up I'll probably start shooting FMJ or at least plated (save me a lot of time cleaning too I hope).

[Alleykat]

As unregistered's pictured post so gleefully demonstrates, there's less support in the Glock chamber @ 6 o'clock than any other firearm pictured.