Reloading 10mm for Glock?

[KASarich]

I just bought a Lee Deluxe carbide die set. Written in the information that was included with the die set, it reads "WARNING: DO NO USE reloads in Glock or similar guns with chambers that do not fully support the cartridge due to the intrusion of the feed ramp"

The reason I bought this set was to reload for my Glock 20. Is there any reason that it says Glocks cannot fire reloaded ammo? What could be the difference between handloads , crimped using the provided carbide crimping die, and factory ammo?

Do I need a barrel with a chamber that fully supports the cartridge or is it fine to use reloads in a stock G20?

Any help would be great.

Thanks,
Kyle

[NESHOOTER]

It has been said that Glocks have unsupported full length and when fired some have a bulge in brass, if excessive then would be a choice of weather or not to resuse brass. I use and perform reloading for the G-20 and at faster than listed data, and I do not have issues with a glock bulge. I do use a Lee die set for that cal and also use a Lee Factory Crimp Die and also use a Lee bulge buster after I have a completed round I will also run all loaded ammo through this die and I have reused the same brass multiple times. But back to the Glock I have seen some brass (range pickup) of various cals I can verify that some are glock as the primer shows the indenting typical as all glocks leave, that said some of the brass is other than glock and has more bulge than glocks I am not a huge fan of there die sets but to be fair I have never had issues with them either.

[JohnKSa]

Is there any reason that it says Glocks cannot fire reloaded ammo?

It gives a reason--it says that Glock barrels do not provide full cartridge support. Obviously not everyone agrees, but that's another story.

What could be the difference between handloads , crimped using the provided carbide crimping die, and factory ammo?

None, as long as you always use new brass. Of course, the reason people reload is because they reuse their brass to save money.

If you're reusing brass that has been fired from a chamber without full support then it is probably bulged. That bulge will get swaged out when the brass is run through the dies during the reloading process. When it is fired, it will bulge again. The cycle weakens the brass and increases the chances of a case failure.

There's been a lot written on whether Glock chambers do or don't provide full support, as well as some material that claims that they have been changed on newer models to provide more support. If you can find a way to verify that your particular pistol's barrel provides full case support then the warning doesn't apply.

[WESHOOT2]

Do not use lead bullets in your stock Glock barrel.

Otherwise, load away!!!


Wanna use lead? KKM or Jarvis barrel....



One powder? N350.
Light loads?
Power Pistol / HS6 / AA5 / Universal / W231.
Nukes?
Be very very careful; use 800X for under-155g; Blue Dot for 155-180g, AA9 for 200g-and-heavier.
Be very very careful.

CCI300.
Sized sorted cases.

[g.willikers]

Lead can be ok in Glock barrels.
It does take a slightly different approach, though.
If someone absolutely wants to use lead, it can be done for the stock barrel.
Just do a web search on the subject to find the info.
I ran many, many thousands of lead bullets through a model 17 without issue.
So have lots of others.
But this was before plated bullets were readily available, and the cost of jacketed was out of the question.

[judgecrater]

I too have run many thousands of lead reload through my Glock 17 and 21 without any difficulty. I have picked up many thousands of pieces of range brass and have not run into any brass that could not be used because of unsupported chambers. With that said, for a 10mm inspect your fired brass and reject any that have been abused. If resizing appears to eliminate any moderate bulges they should be OK for reloading unless you reload beyond max loads as specified by established reloading manuals.

I have found that aftermarket barrels by KKM and Lone Wolf do have better chamber support and in some case tend to lead up less than Glock OEM barrels.

[cryogenic419]

I have a G20 that I reload for. Mine is newer 2011 mfg so take that into account when I say this...my G20 is supported and I have no issues with bulging brass,

There is a lot of talk about whether or not there is chamber support in Glocks. I have seen pictures of older models from late 90's/early 2000's where there doesn't seem to be much in the way of support. I have seen pictures of newer ones that do seem to have support. The best thing I could say to do to check this is field strip the pistol, drop a completed round in the barrel and see.

[Sevens]

I have seen pictures of older models from late 90's/early 2000's where there doesn't seem to be much in the way of support. I have seen pictures of newer ones that do seem to have support. The best thing I could say to do to check this is field strip the pistol, drop a completed round in the barrel and see.

Don't miss this, he speaks the truth.

My EDC is a Glock 29, 10mm, and it was made in 2008 and my chamber support is -VERY- good and I run nothing but handloads through this pistol. My record indicates that number is 4,328 rounds, of which not more than maybe 200 were factory ammo.

I use Lee dies exclusively in 10mm. Roughly 95% of all my handloads have been pushing a 180 grain jacketed bullet, and I run 180 grains no slower than 1,050 FPS, and typically just a few ticks over 1,200 FPS.

My brass and my ammo is, well, terrific.

[greentick]

I got into reloading in 1992 because of a G20. AFAIK it is a "first generation" pistol.

I used (and still use) the Lee carbide dies. My press at the time was the Lee Hand press (still have it) but the dies migrated to a 550B in 1994. I used the powder scoop for a long time and still have some of the original 200rds of factory brass.

I never noticed a "bulge" until the last few years when I started testing some very hot 180 and 200gr loads, and those were with new brass. Any brass with a "glock smile" I discard. Any that just have a bulge get run through the "bulge buster" and will be used for mild plinking loads.

Enjoy your G20!

[WESHOOT2]

I often drive over 100 MPH; I haven't crashed, so I assume it's always safe to drive over 100 MPH.





Why no lead?
Because the bore leading potential can become reality (think "obstruction") with little or NO warning.

[KASarich]

Thanks for the advice guys. I picked up a bulge buster, so I will run the brass through that. I trim all of my brass anyway, just to be safe, plus it gives me a chance to inspct each case.


I've decided that I will use the fired brass, once inspected and trimmed, for lower charge target loads, but I will order some new brass to use for when I load high-horsepower rounds just to be on the safe side.


I think eventually I will pick up one of the barrels with the fully supported chamber from KKM Precision though.


Thanks,

Kyle

[frankgh]

I dropped a KKM barrel in my G20 and not only did the bulge problem disappear, groups got VERY tight!

[Strafer Gott]

I'm using the Lee .40 S&W deluxe set, and the resizing die gets low enough on the case to iron bulges out. My model 20 gen2 does bulge them a little, but I only see the Glock smile on rare occasions, and maybe it's not even my brass, as I do pick up at the range. Close inspection is key, and brass has to pass visual inspection for splits and incipient case head separations. This is easily my favorite Glock, and reloading for it has been easy and fun.

[WESHOOT2]

Glocks that have the non-rifled bores can fire lead bullets.
Lead gets left behind.

All normal so far.

But, at any moment, with no warning, the deposited lead can grow, reducing bore size.
The following bullet may not like that

Some lead-shooters clean the bore on a rigorous and short rd-ct schedule; safe!
Some don't; not safe.

And some (all too often) learn the hard way......

[KASarich]

I though I would bring this thread back from the dead with some info about my reloads. Sorry I took so long to respond, but life gets in the way sometimes.

I took some advice on this board and bought a KKM Precision barrel. All I have to say is WOW. My groups tightened up with my G20 for sure.

As far as reloads, I ran all of my cases through the Lee Bulge Buster, and trimmed them all to spec before reloading. I loaded my 10mm rounds with a 180gr copper plated hollow point from xtreme bullets, since the hollow points and the heavy plated are rated to 1500 FPS by xtreme. I don't have a chrony, so I cannot report on what my actual velocities were.

I used Federal Large Pistol Primers, 13.0 grains of Accurate No. 9 (getting down to the end of my supply of that, but that is a whole other thread), with a COL of 1.260. This load was a little spicy, just what I expect from 10mm, with great accuracy, and no signs of over pressure to the cases, and no 'Glock Bulge' thanks to the KKM Barrel.

Thanks for the great advice everyone, and as always use manuals when reloading. What works great in my gun may not work in yours. Stay safe.

[McCarthy]

Things will be getting interesting with the new 10mm Glock 40.

http://youtu.be/7ZRoHDwhZqU

[frankgh]

I wish I had some AA #9, or 7 or 5... I guess its time to fine a new powder for my G20.. and my .357 and my .38...

I really love my KKM barrel!