Did I pass my plunk test?

[Bosn Ski]

Hey Gang,

I set up my Lee Classic Turret this evening and dialed in my dies. I did not prime any cases. I wanted to make some dry runs before I primed and charged. (Plus my powder hasn't arrived at Bass Pro yet...)

I dialed my seating die to 1.125 and the put on a factory crimp per the instructions that came with my dies.

I plunked into my Sig P320 9mm barrel. It plunked and slid out fine. Here are two pictures of the same round with my calipers across the head.

Is this right?

Thanks!

[Marco Califo]

Yes. The round fits into the chamber. Now assemble your gun, put the test round in a magazine, and rack the slide. The round SHOULD chamber and the slide close properly.

[IllinoisCoyoteHunter]

Yep. Good job.

[steve4102]

Did you check the sized empty brass first, to see how far it interred the barrel?

[Bosn Ski]

Marco Califo Yes. The round fits into the chamber. Now assemble your gun, put the test round in a magazine, and rack the slide. The round SHOULD chamber and the slide close properly.

I completely forgot about the magazine load test and chambering the round... Grrr!!!



Thanks IllinoisCoyoteHunter

steve4102 Did you check the sized empty brass first, to see how far it interred the barrel?

I did check a sized empty brass case. My first 'dummy' round seemed like it didn't plunk... So then I put in an empty case. Only then did I realize that my first round was correct.

Still learning...

[stubbicatt]

Another useful test is to measure COAL *before* feeding it from the magazine, and then again after to see if the dynamics of that operation may not be pushing the bullet further into your empty case. If the measurement indicates a shorter OAL after than before, then something is awry.

Good luck and I hope you enjoy this aspect of the hobby.

[MarkGlazer]

You're doing fine, especially since you are testing with dummy rounds. Manually cycling the rounds through the chamber is a good way to complete your test. Once you're confident you have it right, the plunk test should do from there on out. (I've always worried about wearing out the spring by doing only a cycling test. Quit after my first year of 'loading and learning' and have stuck to the plunk since.) After a while, you'll know the sound you're looking for and better, you will definitely know when you don't hear what you're looking for.

Don't be so worried about your COAL in the sense that each guns' chamber is different. If it so happens that your data calls for 1.125 and that fits your chamber, great. If not, figure out what works, make notations in your load manual and keep your powder below max. Example; a CZ 75 P01 has a small chamber and its' max COAL is well below what the data calls for. I've made notations in my manual so that I never forget what my COAL can be and load at the mid-point to remain within safe boundaries.

One more thing - 9mm, you do not require a crimp. The tension at the mouth is sufficient to hold the bullet. Use the "Search" option on the board for future research.

Good luck with your first live fire and welcome to the boards.

Take your time and be safe.

[flashhole]

What bullet profile are you shooting? Can you post a pic of the bullet?

[Nick_C_S]

Yes Bosn Ski, you passed your plunk test. And as Marco Califo said, you just need to make sure there's no mag issues and your good to go. Great pics too btw.

Record that OAL for that bullet with that gun and you're good to go. You'll want to test a few rounds out at the range first - just to make sure - before going crazy with mass production But you're waiting for powder and may need to do load works-up with it anyway. So either way.