The Firing Line Forums

Go Back   The Firing Line Forums > The Skunkworks > Handloading, Reloading, and Bullet Casting

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Old February 6, 2007, 04:17 PM   #1
shooter chef
Senior Member
 
Join Date: November 2, 2006
Location: Northeast, Ohio
Posts: 106
Short trim to length 40

I load for 40 cal, and am on my 6th reloading for this set of brass.
How short can the case safely be? The trim to length is listed as .850, but a lot of my brass is at .840 after sizing should this be a concern for pressure as 40 is a high pressure round. Shorter case length woul equal a shorter OAL to me on a normal length case.
__________________
"You're grounded"... My wife

Last edited by shooter chef; February 6, 2007 at 05:35 PM. Reason: wrong size given
shooter chef is offline  
Old February 6, 2007, 04:49 PM   #2
Jim Watson
Senior Member
 
Join Date: October 25, 2001
Location: Alabama
Posts: 18,484
I have never trimmed an autopistol case. You just take what you get. (But I think you have lost a decimal place in there somewhere.)
A shorter caselength will not result in a shorter overall, the seating die works from head to nose, not casemouth to nose. That is one advantage of a taper crimp, it is more forgiving of case length than a roll crimp.
I once trimmed a bag of .357 Magnums to the same length for consistent roll crimps, but that was for a revolver.
Jim Watson is offline  
Old February 6, 2007, 05:24 PM   #3
HiltonFarmer
Senior Member
 
Join Date: December 9, 2006
Location: Western Canada
Posts: 324
6th reload. Good job then.

In my brief experience, I've been told that casings for handguns having been reloaded upwards of 5 times should be scrutinized carefully. Not sure if this is true but it's what I've read. Can anyone else confirm this?

HiltonFarmer
__________________
I wish gun control could go away. That way I could buy anything I wanted.
_______________________________________
Keep the muzzle pointed down range please!
HiltonFarmer is offline  
Old February 6, 2007, 05:34 PM   #4
shooter chef
Senior Member
 
Join Date: November 2, 2006
Location: Northeast, Ohio
Posts: 106
yes on decimal

yes... the trim to length is .850... mine are measuring .840 - .843...still wondering if this may be too short after sizing?
__________________
"You're grounded"... My wife
shooter chef is offline  
Old February 6, 2007, 05:43 PM   #5
HSMITH
Senior Member
 
Join Date: June 21, 2002
Posts: 2,019
They will get shorter with each sizing, don't worry about it. The longest 40 case I have ever measured was .847" FWIW.
HSMITH is offline  
Old February 6, 2007, 06:07 PM   #6
RERICK
Junior member
 
Join Date: July 9, 2005
Posts: 369
No they are fine.Just load as you have been.I have found shorter cases from time to time and load them without any issues.
RERICK is offline  
Old February 6, 2007, 08:49 PM   #7
Shoney
Senior Member
 
Join Date: February 21, 2002
Location: Transplanted from Montana
Posts: 2,311
My experience as well, that brass gets shorter with each loading. The cartridge is supposed to headspace on the front lip of the case in the chamber. However, in reality, the extractor holds the cartridge against the slide face where the firing pin can do its job.

Worst case scenario with short brass is that it will likely fall into the chamber and not be caught by the extractor, in which case it will not fire. I have 40 cases that have been loaded 10-12 times and there have been no malfunctions. I put a very light bell on my cases, compared to a lot of loader I know, and I think that this reduces shortening. No scientific proof of that though.
__________________
I pledge allegiance to the Flag - - -, and to the Republic for which it stands….Our Forefathers were brilliant for giving us a Republic, not a democracy! Do you know the difference??? and WHY?http://www.wallbuilders.com/LIBissue...les.asp?id=111
Shoney is offline  
Old February 6, 2007, 08:56 PM   #8
shooter chef
Senior Member
 
Join Date: November 2, 2006
Location: Northeast, Ohio
Posts: 106
thanks for the replies, I will load them a few more times, any idea on shortest length to allow them to get?
__________________
"You're grounded"... My wife
shooter chef is offline  
Old February 7, 2007, 10:55 AM   #9
HSMITH
Senior Member
 
Join Date: June 21, 2002
Posts: 2,019
When you lose them or when they split you can stop loading them. Until then I would keep loading them.
HSMITH is offline  
Old February 13, 2007, 05:35 PM   #10
Nathan
Senior Member
 
Join Date: July 1, 2001
Posts: 6,285
All I have measure .840 also. I just set up the loader with a .840 case and go.

Be careful of the 40 brass that looks like it has a zit on the side. . . .It can Kaboom!
Nathan is offline  
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 08:39 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
This site and contents, including all posts, Copyright © 1998-2021 S.W.A.T. Magazine
Copyright Complaints: Please direct DMCA Takedown Notices to the registered agent: thefiringline.com
Page generated in 0.06363 seconds with 10 queries