Reloading rookie in need of some help. - Page 2

bitttorrrent · December 3, 2012, 03:11 PM

Ok, finally got a picture off of my phone of one of my reloads.

Any thoughts. I tried messing with the crimping to do less, but did not change anything.

Might be the 147gr bullets that we have?

They shoot pretty accurate and chamber fine, except an occasional few in my Glock 17, but I am not using in that gun anymore. I have shot with Taurus pt-99 and PX4 with no issues.

I have a new shipment of 124gr, so will try those and see if it is indeed the 147gr bullet that is causing this wavy looking brass.

Gerry · December 3, 2012, 05:09 PM

If they chamber and shoot OK, what is the problem again? The only thing I can say visually about them is that the OAL looks to be pretty long. What is it? The start of the ogive seems to be way past the case mouth. That's not necessarily wrong, but with that bullet profile I'm surprised you haven't had chambering problems. My CZs for sure would probably choke on it.

bitttorrrent · December 4, 2012, 03:13 PM

I am not near the equipment, but the minimum OAL from reloading manual was just around 1.1 inches I believe. Which looked way to small compared to everything else. So, yes, I did increase the OAL a little and now looking at it too much.

No issues really, just did not really like how it looked - the case was not completely straight along the sides compared to a new one. I know that is silly, but when I load a bunch, I want them to be right.

I will just go with it and back down the length a bit.

I was thinking I would have a stack of ammo, but I keep shooting everything I make in this kind of trial and error phase of reloading, so I am using up this 147gr quicker than I thought.

schmellba99 · December 4, 2012, 03:28 PM

It almost looks like your projectile (in the picture above) has a larger diameter than .356/.357 with the shape of the case being what it appears to be in the picture.

You should put some calipers on that case and see what you come up with. Could be set of projectiles out of spec that needed to be swaged but were not, could be something else.

Gerry · December 4, 2012, 05:37 PM

It's never going to be absolutely straight along the length of the case. A visible bulge like that is a very good sign because it means you have good neck tension holding that bullet firm. No way is it going to set back while chambering and possibly cause harm to yourself and those around you.

The case is resized in your resized/decapping die to be smaller than the bullet. If it weren't, nothing would hold the bullet and you'd have an extremely dangerous load. When you insert a bullet larger than the case with the seating die, you will get some bulge - particularly where the case begins to thicken near where the bullet base is. It's perfectly normal, acceptable, and even desirable as long as it easily chambers.

I use .358" lead bullets in my 9mm, and mine are more visibly bulged than yours are in the pic. They work great

bitttorrrent · December 6, 2012, 02:13 AM

I will check the .358" of your bullets compared to mine.

Well, if the bulge is ok, that makes me feel better. Yes they chamber and shoot fine. Have loaded and shot half of my 1000 round initial 9mm project and they have been great so far.

Thanks for the info as I am a new to this.

**Unclenick** · December 6, 2012, 10:27 AM

You just have the bulge because the sizing die makes the sides of the case straight where it has a taper as it comes from the factory and also because the cast bullet is a little wider than the jacketed ones. That taper makes the brass wider near the bullet base, avoiding a bulge with jacketed diameter bullets (.355"). If you want that taper, you'll have to use a steel sizing die with lubed cases or you could try the Redding two-ring die. Personally, I would ignore it. The only thing you buy with keeping the taper is a bit less brass working from one load to the next. 9 mm brass is cheap and easy find at the range, so I wouldn't personally worry about any life shortening that causes.

If it feeds, your COL is not wrong. The shorter you seat it the higher the pressure, so there's nothing to be gained by going shorter unless you have a feed problem. I find the most accurate cast loads are seated out to touch the lands rather than shorter, provided cartridges that long fit in your magazine and feed OK.

December 6, 2012, 10:27 AM	#32
Unclenick Staff Join Date: March 4, 2005 Location: Ohio Posts: 21,057	You just have the bulge because the sizing die makes the sides of the case straight where it has a taper as it comes from the factory and also because the cast bullet is a little wider than the jacketed ones. That taper makes the brass wider near the bullet base, avoiding a bulge with jacketed diameter bullets (.355"). If you want that taper, you'll have to use a steel sizing die with lubed cases or you could try the Redding two-ring die. Personally, I would ignore it. The only thing you buy with keeping the taper is a bit less brass working from one load to the next. 9 mm brass is cheap and easy find at the range, so I wouldn't personally worry about any life shortening that causes. If it feeds, your COL is not wrong. The shorter you seat it the higher the pressure, so there's nothing to be gained by going shorter unless you have a feed problem. I find the most accurate cast loads are seated out to touch the lands rather than shorter, provided cartridges that long fit in your magazine and feed OK. __________________ Gunsite Orange Hat Family Member CMP Certified GSM Master Instructor NRA Certified Rifle Instructor NRA Benefactor Member and Golden Eagle

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December 3, 2012, 03:11 PM	#26
bitttorrrent Senior Member Join Date: April 21, 2011 Location: Chicago Posts: 703	Ok, finally got a picture off of my phone of one of my reloads. Any thoughts. I tried messing with the crimping to do less, but did not change anything. Might be the 147gr bullets that we have? They shoot pretty accurate and chamber fine, except an occasional few in my Glock 17, but I am not using in that gun anymore. I have shot with Taurus pt-99 and PX4 with no issues. I have a new shipment of 124gr, so will try those and see if it is indeed the 147gr bullet that is causing this wavy looking brass.

December 3, 2012, 05:09 PM	#27
Gerry Senior Member Join Date: December 24, 2010 Location: Canada Posts: 382	If they chamber and shoot OK, what is the problem again? The only thing I can say visually about them is that the OAL looks to be pretty long. What is it? The start of the ogive seems to be way past the case mouth. That's not necessarily wrong, but with that bullet profile I'm surprised you haven't had chambering problems. My CZs for sure would probably choke on it.

December 4, 2012, 03:13 PM	#28
bitttorrrent Senior Member Join Date: April 21, 2011 Location: Chicago Posts: 703	I am not near the equipment, but the minimum OAL from reloading manual was just around 1.1 inches I believe. Which looked way to small compared to everything else. So, yes, I did increase the OAL a little and now looking at it too much. No issues really, just did not really like how it looked - the case was not completely straight along the sides compared to a new one. I know that is silly, but when I load a bunch, I want them to be right. I will just go with it and back down the length a bit. I was thinking I would have a stack of ammo, but I keep shooting everything I make in this kind of trial and error phase of reloading, so I am using up this 147gr quicker than I thought.

December 4, 2012, 03:28 PM	#29
schmellba99 Senior Member Join Date: January 8, 2008 Posts: 803	It almost looks like your projectile (in the picture above) has a larger diameter than .356/.357 with the shape of the case being what it appears to be in the picture. You should put some calipers on that case and see what you come up with. Could be set of projectiles out of spec that needed to be swaged but were not, could be something else.

December 4, 2012, 05:37 PM	#30
Gerry Senior Member Join Date: December 24, 2010 Location: Canada Posts: 382	It's never going to be absolutely straight along the length of the case. A visible bulge like that is a very good sign because it means you have good neck tension holding that bullet firm. No way is it going to set back while chambering and possibly cause harm to yourself and those around you. The case is resized in your resized/decapping die to be smaller than the bullet. If it weren't, nothing would hold the bullet and you'd have an extremely dangerous load. When you insert a bullet larger than the case with the seating die, you will get some bulge - particularly where the case begins to thicken near where the bullet base is. It's perfectly normal, acceptable, and even desirable as long as it easily chambers. I use .358" lead bullets in my 9mm, and mine are more visibly bulged than yours are in the pic. They work great

December 6, 2012, 02:13 AM	#31
bitttorrrent Senior Member Join Date: April 21, 2011 Location: Chicago Posts: 703	I will check the .358" of your bullets compared to mine. Well, if the bulge is ok, that makes me feel better. Yes they chamber and shoot fine. Have loaded and shot half of my 1000 round initial 9mm project and they have been great so far. Thanks for the info as I am a new to this.