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Old November 6, 2012, 08:05 PM   #1
brigond
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Lead bullet users ?

I'm using 9mm lead bullets with .356 diameter , 115 grain. When I use my chamber checker , almost all the rounds do not drop in flush. I believe that maybe the bulge of the .356 diameter may be the reason. The length is not the issue. Mostly all of the rounds chamber and fire. any thoughts or suggestions on how to improve this? Also, some of the the lead bullets that I'm using have a seam that appear to be the mold halves. Is this a quality control issue or normal .
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Old November 6, 2012, 08:15 PM   #2
243winxb
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Hows the taper crimp? Might need a hair more. The bullets should not have fins on them from the mould. But you can see the line when the moulds close.
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Old November 6, 2012, 08:19 PM   #3
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when I switched to lead boolits I discovered they measured .402 instead of the .400 Noslers I had been reloading. The lead ones would not chamber. By gradually increasing taper crimp at final stage I was able to succesfully do the "plunk" test in my barrel. Probably squished bullet diameter down. These cycled flawlessly and were accurate.
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Old November 6, 2012, 09:07 PM   #4
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I wouldnt think it would be the bulge from 356 dia as most 9mm's need a 358 dia in cast bullets.
On the ones that dont chamber, did you eject them by hand and actually look to see if it was marking the bullet so you know for sure its not OAL?

Nevermind. I see you fixed it, but I couldnt delete.
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Old November 6, 2012, 09:16 PM   #5
Edward429451
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Quote:
When I use my chamber checker , almost all the rounds do not drop in flush. I believe that maybe the bulge of the .356 diameter may be the reason.
To be clear, this is a case gauge and not the barrel from your gun? I had the problem with my Wilson 45acp case gauge. These are made to minimum specs and gun barrel chambers are typically bigger to be more reliable. When I tried mine, only the occasional lead boolit handload would make it flush in the gauge. When I pulled the barrel out of my gun, they all did the plunk test fine. Try using your barrel as a gauge.

You didn't state the gun you have, kinda important.
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Old November 6, 2012, 10:24 PM   #6
chris in va
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Dare I say it...use a FCD. I *must* with my LRN and CZ, otherwise they won't chamber.
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Old November 6, 2012, 10:46 PM   #7
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243WinXB - off-topic, but went to your Photobucket site and that photo early on of the squib sticking out of a .380 or .320 (couldn't get an enlarged image without signing up, not gonna do) is great. Wish I could have copied it. Kinda' like a gun sticking its tongue out.

Lots of great photos in that site, including some scary ones. Kudos. (I guess that these days the term is supposed to be "props," but I never have figured out what that is supposed to mean.)
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Old November 7, 2012, 12:07 AM   #8
brigond
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@ 245winxb ... I guess I can smooth out the fins. I'm using a Lee 4 hole turret press.


@ reloader28......not the oal , using 1.107 to 1.112 oal .


@ Edward 429451....Im using a case gauge and yes the barrel comes a little closer with the plunk test but not completely. The gun is a Ruger Sr9c.

@Chris in va......... I'm using a Lee factory crimp die .

@ All of you ........Do you all think gradually increasing the FCD will do it? I am using the minimum crimp. I thought to much crimp will deformed or cut into the bullet , sacrificing accuracy. The bullets are from "Missouri bullet CO" THEY ARE # 18 HARDNESS. THANKS
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Old November 7, 2012, 12:31 AM   #9
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The .356 bullets should not be a problem. Work on your crimp, make sure the brass is not bulged at the base and the bullets sit straight.
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Old November 7, 2012, 12:58 AM   #10
Edward429451
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If your crimp is ok, having the chamber relieved a little to accommodate your ammo would be an idea. What gun is it? What is the outside diameter of your finished rounds? What brand of brass? We run .357 boolits through my friends XD9 without a hiccup.
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Old November 7, 2012, 02:04 AM   #11
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Is the FCD set so that it touches the shell holder at the top of the stroke? Do you feel much resistance pushing the cartridge through?

I'm surprised to hear you are having chambering issued after running through the FCD. Most who complain say the FCD swages their cast bullet because the sizing ring is too small. In any case, you probably don't need to adjust the crimp as long as you are removing the bell produced by the expander.

Paint a sticking case with magic marker and see where it's draaging in your case gauge.
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Old November 7, 2012, 08:04 AM   #12
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I HAVE FIGURED IT OUT . LIKE I SAID IN MY ORIGINAL POST. MOST OF THESE CHAMBER AND FIRE GOOD. THE ISSUE WAS WHY ARE THEY NOT PASSING THE PLUNK TEST? CAN I IMPROVE THE ROUND? I TOOK MEASUREMENTS OF DIFFERENT AREAS OF THE LEAD BULLET AND COMPARED IT WITH A FACTORY BULLET . I TOOK DIFFERENT MEASUREMENTS OF THE CASE AND THE BULLET. ALL THE DIMENSIONS WERE THE SAME EXCEPT FOR THE .356 DIAMETER OF THE LEAD ROUND NOSE BULLET VERSES THE .355 DIAMETER OF THE FACTORY ROUND. I ALSO MADE A DUMMY BULLET USING A BERRIES .355 DIAMETER ROUND NOSE PLATED BULLET. THE BERRIES BULLET PASSSED THE PLUNK TEST just like the factory round did. I believe the issue is that MORE of the LEAD fatter nose bullet is exposed than the other two. In other words,the factory and the berries bullet have a thinner "round nose" than the lead bullet. I guess that ill switch over to the plated bullets or look for a different brand lead bullet.

Last edited by brigond; November 7, 2012 at 08:14 AM.
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Old November 7, 2012, 09:13 AM   #13
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Maybe seat it a little deeper. The lead bullet ahead of the case isn't big enough to keep it from chambering.
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Old November 7, 2012, 02:50 PM   #14
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I used to have that problem. To determine where my problem was I took a flared and de primed case with no powder and adjusted my seating die until that case would fit into and come out of my barrel easily, then took bullet and placed it into a un primed case that had been flared but had no powder and started with the recommended COAL and slowly shortened it until the case would pass the plunk test as you call it. It all had to do with the ogive of the bullet I was using.

ogive
Quote:
Bullet Ogive – bullet ogive is defined as the “curve of a bullet’s forward section”. . .
http://blog.sinclairintl.com/2009/03...seating-depth/

seems as if this is a common problem we all run into
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Old November 7, 2012, 04:13 PM   #15
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Dare I say it...use a FCD. I *must* with my LRN and CZ, otherwise they won't chamber.
I don't use an FCD, and my 9mm are home cast .358" and chamber perfectly. And reliability is important because they're for IPSC use.

Anyway, we all know now that is was an OAL problem after all. Since different bullet profiles and ogive shapes are ... well... different, OAL must be tailored to the specific bullet and NOT to the caliber + bullet type. This is why we use our barrel (off the gun) as a gauge to figure out the ideal OAL for loads using new bullets.
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Old November 7, 2012, 05:01 PM   #16
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Thank you . I have tried seating a couple of dummy bullets a little deeper. The problem is that according to specs I can't seat them under 1.100 oal . I've been using a 1.107 to 1.112 OAL .I seated the dummy round exactly to 1.100. This made a little difference in my Wilson gauge and more of a difference in the barrel. I don't want to seat them too deep.
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Old November 7, 2012, 06:30 PM   #17
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use the method I described above, see if it the case or the bullet causing the issue. After switching from a single stage to a progressive I forgot to tweak in the crimp and had to go back and recrimp a batch becasue of chambering problems. Oh and I have to seat My MBC 125 LRNS .001 - .002 under the OAL specs as well. If you do that start with a minimum load and work up checking for pressure signs etc etc
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Old November 7, 2012, 06:45 PM   #18
brigond
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I tried a few more and all passed the plunk test in the barrel itself . The gauge test was improved but most important is the guns barrel. What do you think about re seating the bullets that I already made and have been crimped ?
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Old November 7, 2012, 08:06 PM   #19
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What do you think about re seating the bullets that I already made and have been crimped ?
Try one. If the crimp is so tight that it digs into the bullet don't try reseating any more.

I'd probably just shoot them. The ones that chamber okay are fine. Pull the bullets and start over with the cases that don't.
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Old November 7, 2012, 08:19 PM   #20
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If I am reading your posting correctly, the lead bullets SHOULD be .356 or larger. The jacketed bullets should be .355.
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Old November 7, 2012, 08:44 PM   #21
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@ dickttx ..... Yes, .356 lead and .355 jacketed .
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Old November 7, 2012, 08:48 PM   #22
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@ sport45...... Thanks I will play it safe and just use them . I'll pull what doesn't chamber.
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Old November 8, 2012, 08:23 PM   #23
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Sport 45: "Paint a sticking case with magic marker and see where it's draaging in your case gauge."

Thanks for that. One of those tips that makes me feel like a dummy for not thinking to do it long ago - many applications.
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Old November 8, 2012, 11:00 PM   #24
chris in va
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You need to seat them until they chamber without sticking. Also check to see if there's a lead ring just above the case mouth which will also prevent proper functioning.
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Old November 9, 2012, 11:42 AM   #25
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One thing I have learned with lead is make your own OAL but play it safe working up loads. Use a chronograph to verify velocities.
Watch your crimp you may swage the bullet down and get leading/accuracy issues. I would pull a bullet and stop crimping just before it starts to resize it.
In 9mm I resize to .358 and I get zero leading in an M&P with 100% reliability (without using an FCD)
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