Help me Please!! Reloading 40S&W!!

[captain-03]

here is the situation -- ran several hundred 40S&W cases through my sizing die (new die set). For some reason I have cases that are not completely sized .. the die is adjusted all the way down .. here is the results:

Case sized correctly:




Case not completely sized - base is too large:



It may be something simple; but for the life of me, I can not figure it out!! I have reloaded for revolvers for many, many years without this type of problem. What am I doing wrong??

[IllinoisCoyoteHunter]

We will need more info. Gun shot from, die brand you are using, the powder type and charge weight that was used on previous firing. It alomost looks like they were shot out of a handgun with a chamber that did not completely support the round near the base....maybe combined with a hot load.....and your sizing die can't get the brass to stay at the factory specs......it may be "springing" back too much. You are sure your sizing die is contacting the shellholder, right??

[vsgonzo]

keep turning the Full length sizing die counter cockwise. do a turn or 2 then resize brass. guage it and if not right still then give it another turn or 2 then guage again. repeat till desired length. If your banging the shell plate, try another set of dies

[jepp2]

This is fairly common for the 40 S&W round. Due to the higher pressure and thinner brass (combined with the diameter), and when fired in barrels with loose chambers, a bulge develops.

I've sized lots of 40 S&W brass, and found certain dies work better than others. Lyman and Dillon were not good. I now use the Lee carbide die, and it works fairly well. I make sure my die is screwed all the way down so it touches the Dillon 550 plate.

To deal specifically with this issue, Redding just introduced a die that is used on a single stage press. The punch actually shoves the brass completely through the die in the top of the press.

http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct...tnumber=358543

hope this helps....

[Steviewonder1]

A couple of things. Are these once fired in your gun? Are they range brass from others guns? If no to both, you likely have some cases fired in a Glock. The factory barrels are not fully supported on the bottom of the case, where they can bulge slightly and cause the issue you are seeing. I have this issue on about 6-8% of my once fired brass I buy. The bigger rounds that do not pass the Chamber test go into the Glock only Bag.

If you have a Glock, pull your barrel and see if the rounds will chamber. It is likely they will. That is why lots of us buy After-Market barrels that fully support all of the round and do not get bulging.

Good Luck

[Shoney]

I agree with jepp2's and Steviewonder1's posts. The condition is very common

The only measure you need is the barrel of the weapon they will be fired in. Drop them in the chamber, they should fit.

[captain-03]

Here is a little more on the subject -- this is range brass, mixed headstamps and some many be from previous reloads. I have a substantial quanity and have been using it for years in my Beretta and S&W M&P without issue. Actually I have never found it necessary to gage cases in the past - all functioned great. I recently purchased a Glock 22 along with a Lone Wolf replacement barrel. Using the LW barrel my reloads that I have been shooting for years (175gr cast SWC) some of the reloads were not permitting the pistol to go into full battery - just a bit out of battery. You could actually push the slide forward and it would go into battery. Decided to gage some the cases prior to a reloading session. The pictures above demostrate what I discovered. My reasearch leads me to believe that the brass I am having the problem with was probably fired from a Glock with an unsupported chamber. I found a cure on youtube ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-PszuLwEu8 ) and will give it a try the first of next week. I actually have all the dies/tools that are shown in the video. Maybe this will restore this brass back to specs .... maybe ... If it will then chamber OK in my Glock with the LW barrel, I will be a happy camper!! If not, it is back to the drawing board and I must look into the specs of the new barrel.

Thanks for all that responded ... I will update my progress later next week. Again, thanks!

[Doby45]

I had a LW barrel for my Glock about 7 years ago and let me tell you that thing had some work that had to be done on it. All the edges were sharp and it took about 2000 rounds through it for it to "break in" properly. It would hang up on reloads and on factory ammo. it would actually gouge the cases when it feed the round in.

[Sport45]

keep turning the Full length sizing die counter cockwise. do a turn or 2 then resize brass. guage it and if not right still then give it another turn or 2 then guage again. repeat till desired length. If your banging the shell plate, try another set of dies

Yes, except I'd turn it clockwise (as viewed from above). The base of the die should contact the shell holder when the ram is fully extended with a case in the die.

I'm guessing you're working with a progressive press since the cases you are gauging are already primed. Make sure the shellplate is not too loose. When you check the setup for the sizing die put a case in the opposite position to offset any rocking of the shellplate.

[sleepercaprice1]

While using a case gauge is never a bad idea, it could be that the cases that won't fit the gauge may fit your chamber. I used to be very anal about gauging loaded rounds and using the ones that wouldn't fit for practice until one day I realized that they all fit the barrel and fired anyway.

If your die won't go down far enough to size the base of the case, it is possible to grind a little of the flare off the bottom of the die to allow it to go down further. Most sizing dies have a beveled opening in the bottom.

[GuateShooter]

I reload 0.40 S&W too, I use a Dillon 650, Carbide die, ALWAYS use my brass, range brass and other brass (thats not important, whe you use for plinking) and never had this problem, I think the secret its the dillon carbide die, new style.
P.D. I use a glock 22 most of the time.

[captain-03]

RANGE REPORT (3/22/-09): Loaded three batches of .40cal this morning - 175gr Lee TC sized to .401 with 4.2gr Bullseye

Batch #1: Brass which gaged good with the case gage
Batch #2: Brass which did not gage good after being resized through a Lee carbide sizing die
Batch #3: Brass which did not gage good after being resized through a Lee carbide sizing die but run through the Lee factory crimp die as noted in the YouTube video referenced in my previous post.

Three pistols were used:
Pistol #1: Glock 22 with factory barrel
Pistol #2: Glock 22 with Lone Wolf barrel
Pistol #3: Beretta Mod96G

RESULTS:
Pistol #1 functioned great with Batch #1, #2, and #3
Pistol #2 functioned great with Batch #1 and Batch #3. Would not function at all with Batch #2 - would not go into full battery - not a single round!
Pistol #3 functioned great with Batch #1, #2, and #3

CONCLUSION:
The Lone Wolf barrel has a much tighter tollerance than the Glock Factory barrel or the Beretta barrel. Looks as if I will have to gage all my loaded ammunition for this barrel prior to going to the range if I wish to avoid problems!!

[D. Manley]

I recently purchased a Glock 22 along with a Lone Wolf replacement barrel. Using the LW barrel my reloads that I have been shooting for years (175gr cast SWC) some of the reloads were not permitting the pistol to go into full battery - just a bit out of battery. You could actually push the slide forward and it would go into battery. Decided to gage some the cases prior to a reloading session. The pictures above demostrate what I discovered.

I think you've actually got 2 different things going on. It seems your sizing die may not be getting down low enough to do the job. I run all my range pickup through one of THESE...never a problem passing the case gauge or otherwise regardless, of what it was fired in. If your existing sizing die is low as you can get it, the U-Die would be worth a look. I can tell you that with a Glock OEM barrel, you will not have a sizing issue using a U-Die.

The 2nd problem is the LW barrel. Even with a properly sized case you *may* still have problems...lots of people do. The LW chamber dimensions are very tight especially, the leade. If you do a little searching, you will find that its very common for reloaders to have to return their barrels to have it reamed. LW will do this and will likely request you send samples of your reloaded rounds to them as a guide when you do.

[DWARREN123]

Go with a small base die set or turn down the base of the die on a lathe to just short of the carbide ring inside, bevei the end toward the ring then surface grind the shell holder to half its original height.
This will resize Glock or any other fired brass to fit any 40 S&W semi auto handgun.

[captain-03]

Thanks to all that have responded and offered meaningful input regarding my problem!! I guess my next step is to contact Lone Wolf and see if they will not open my barrel a little so it will digest ammo like my Glock factory and Beretta ... Will let you know what they say!!

[luv2fly]

Hi guys, new to the forum and very new to reloading. Came here for some advice and I am hung up on the .40. Just getting started on a dozen shells learning the process and everything is going smoothly when I see the warning on the spec sheet saying not to use reloads in Glocks. I am shooting a Glock 22.

Saw this thread and it opened up a whole 'nuther can 'o worms. Aftermarket barrel? I want to reload and I want it to work in my Glock with zero safety or reliability issues, as is. Looking like this isn't possible?

By the way, I am using Lee Pace setter dies. After I ran them thru the expander die I did notice the bulge at the bottom of the casing. I am stuck and don't want to proceed until I get some experienced answers. Thanks in advance!

[D. Manley]

Hi guys, new to the forum and very new to reloading. Came here for some advice and I am hung up on the .40. Just getting started on a dozen shells learning the process and everything is going smoothly when I see the warning on the spec sheet saying not to use reloads in Glocks. I am shooting a Glock 22.

Saw this thread and it opened up a whole 'nuther can 'o worms. Aftermarket barrel? I want to reload and I want it to work in my Glock with zero safety or reliability issues, as is. Looking like this isn't possible?

By the way, I am using Lee Pace setter dies. After I ran them thru the expander die I did notice the bulge at the bottom of the casing. I am stuck and don't want to proceed until I get some experienced answers. Thanks in advance!

Unless you intend to shoot lead bullets, your stock Glock OEM barrel is just fine. I assure you, the barrel don't know whether you reloaded the ammo or bought it factory new....