reloading for 9mm

[spitznagel]

Hey guys, i'm wondering if anyone goes through the trouble of sorting their brass by length after cleaning and resizing, or is this overkill? The reason i ask is because it seems like the bullet seating and crimping steps will vary quite a bit if you dont do em in batches by size. how do you guys usually go about this? Also, even if the case is under the max length, do you still trim the case to make it perfectly flat at the mouth?

Thanks

[Fire_Moose]

I do no trimming or length sorting for 9mm.

[Ted D]

I'm with Fire Moose.I'm new to reloading and shot over 1000 rnds.without doing anything with no problems.

[xLPlushy]

Nope. I do not sort by length. With the quantity of 9mm brass I have, that would tack on a whole lot of time I don't have. I sort by headstamp, and if its my brass by #of times fired, or range pick up by #of times I've fired it.

[Gdawgs]

For 9, I also do not sorting or trimming. Just load them up and let them fly. At least for just plinking. If you were doing some serious target competitions, you would want to be more particular. Not sure if anyone does that with a 9 though.

[g.willikers]

Overall cartridge length is more important than case length.
For mag functioning and feeding.
Just as long as the bullets are not seated too deep or too long (up against the rifling) and could cause pressure problems, that is.

[serf 'rett]

I sort by headstamp and cuss at the folks who trimmed a 9mm case. I'm loading on a single stage press and can generally feel, when crimping, when a piece of brass is shorter than others. If it is significant, I'll give the round a "push" test before putting it in the pile.

[mikld]

Most variations in case length aren't enough to affect reloading/"crimping" (the term "crimping", used when discussing semi-auto reloading, often produces confusion for new reloaders. Semi-auto ammo should not be "crimped", but a taper crimp die is used to straighten the flare from the case mouth to enable reliable chambering/feeding).

[Hammerhead]

I sort by head stamp only.
I only trim some revolver brass, never auto brass.

[Magnum Wheel Man]

well without extra components, I've been doing more to my brass lately... normally I sort by headstamp, & call that good... but with so much extra time to pay attention to my brass ( I'm holding off on reloading anything with SP primers, as I'm down to a couple 1000 ) I've polished all mine with stainless pins, & in doing so, I noticed between my 3 lots ( brands ) of cases, I had a pretty big variation of flash holes, so I've been running all my cases through my flash hole uniforming tool in my RCBS case prep center... if I get bored again waiting for a resupply of primers, I may check & sort them by length...

the length measure is important, since the case headspaces on the case mouth, but most guns have allowances for quite a big length tolorance... again, if I get bored waiting, I may size mine, depending on how my lengths run...

I don't normally go through the bother, but the more you do, the more consistant ( reads both functional & accurate ) your loads will be...

[Sure Shot Mc Gee]

Since I use a progressive press. Some precaution I feel is necessary. I sort for head stamp and check all for (case mouth condition) before there vibrated clean. I do not check for cartridge length. For me since 9mm 40 & 45 cal are so easy to come by at my gun club. Federal and Winchester (first fires) are the usual brands I retrieve from the brass barrel free for the taking.

[Crankylove]

If it started as factory ammo, I will try and keep it grouped together. But that's as far as I go. 90% or more of my pistol brass (.32 S&W long, .32 H&R mag, .327 Federal, 9mm, .45 auto, .38/.357, 41 mag, .45 colt) started its life with me as range pickup. I see no point in sorting it (even by head stamp) when I have no idea the life it led before I got it (number of times loaded, how hot the loads were, if it was previously trimmed, etc.). I just load and shoot it till it cracks or I lose it.........and I usually lose it. Staying away from the hot loads and excessive case mouth expansion, I have brass that is going on 30 reloads (.38 Special, .45 Auto).

I have never trimmed a straight wall pistol case, and have never needed to as they don't have brass flow like a bottleneck case will, and I don't bother checking case length unless some problem comes up while loading, and if it is severely over/under length, it goes in the scrap bucket.

If I was doing competition shooting, maybe I would prep them a little more, and maybe it would make a difference.........but minute of soda can and jack rabbit is good enough for me right now.

[spitznagel]

thanks for tips, i can eliminate some steps to save some time.

[bluetopper]

I do not trim or sort any handgun brass. I've had great, accurate results for years.

[Reinz]

I'm with Parasite.

Never messed with any handgun brass (except for splits) in 40 years.

[bootmansr]

I have some 9mm/38 bullets that are commerially made...They are sized .3575. Are these ok to use in 9mm loads. I know 9mm is .356 but don't lead need to be slightly oversized?...

[BigD_in_FL]

The only brass sorting I do for 9mm is boxer-primed brass ones go in one bucket, all the rest go in the trash

[BigJimP]

After I clean my 9mm cases.....I do a little bit of sorting....to make sure I get all of the .380's out of the mix...and to weed out some of the cases, like S&B, that have tapered primer pockets in them....

I seem to be picking up a fair amount of odd-ball cases lately ....that aren't marked 9mm luger.../ S&B is just one of them....( must be stuff that is being sold at the gunshows or something ).....

I go thru the cleaned cases pretty quickly ....I bunch them together - each one base down...on my bench top....- grab a handful, inspect the marks....and toss out anything I don't like...( I would also see a case that is abnormally short vs the others...) ....I pick up about a dozen at one time - roll them over, make sure no cleaning media is left in them....and then drop them in a 10gallon tub - marked "cleaned & sorted" ....or the garbage can on my other side....
---------------------------
I don't match them up by head stamp or any other lots...at that point, I toss them into a cardboard box lid...on their sides...and spritz them with Dillon spray lube (lightly ) ....let them dry about 15 min ....and then dump them into my case feeder..../ and run them thru my press...

I loaded 8 boxes ( 400 rds ) in about 30 min this morning ...listening to the radio...before I came to my office...

The last step tonite....I will roll them around, under my hand, on a terry cloth towel on my bench .....and then case gague each round ( drop it in and out ) to make sure there are no cracks, or anything that showed up after the bullets were pressed into the cases....and box them up .../ hold them in inventory as needed....

( I shoot about 15,000 rds of 9mm a year).....sorting by headstamp / or fussing with trimming, etc ....would drive me nuts... I don't trim any handgun calibers...not even .357 mag or .44 mag...

[g.willikers]

Bootmansr,
Yes, lead bullets are generally sized larger than jacketed.
.357 lead is about right for 9mm, at least every one that I've loaded for.
But the gun will tell you if it's right.
Too small and it will be less accurate and might make funny looking holes in targets.

[henry-ctc]

I always sort by headstamp. Even before cleaning them. Every batch I run have always same headstamp. No headstamps mixed in a box. Mostly, as said before, to avoid any 380.

No trimming, no special prep. just being that kind of disciplyned guy. It also helps to identify failures, none yet anyway.

If it helps I don´t change my recipes upon cases, some are slightly milder than others.... telling the truth I don´t see any difference.

[bootmansr]

g.willikers,

I am not new to loading and used to make my own bullets when I active in IPSC...I later bought them already made...but I usually bought RN 125 9mm and mostly shot 45 SWC 200 H&G....these bullets are stamped on the box 9mm/38 and are 3575 dia. I am concerned with using them as is without resizing since they were made for 38 I'm sure..What is the max oversize you can be safe with with the cast bullet in a 9mm...My gun is a Springfield XDM w/match barrel...Thanks