help on 9mm reloading

[LiveFire]

The 9mm case is tapered. A lot of dies arent and just size like a straight wall case. My dillon SDB dies are like that. My reloads look like an hour glass somewhat. That is fine for my factory glocks but my beretta barrel and LW glock 34 match barrel wont accept them. Those I use a lee factory crimp die for or just load on my single stage with my redding dies. Use your barrel or barrels as your case gauge. Do a plunk test. Generally in my experience in glocks since the chambers are not fully supported that bulge near the case head wont be what keeps them from passing a plunk test. Itll be the crimp at the mouth. Expand just enough to seat the bullet and crimp just enough to close the expanded mouth. The crimp shouldnt be the main force holding your bullet, just the neck tension of the case should be the majority.

 

[divingin]

I have the same prob on my 9mm cases, using Lee dies. Are y'all saying this is cosmetic ONLY, & does not effect function? If cosmetic only, I'll not worry about it! Thanks for your input!

It's cosmetic only, as long as the loaded round will drop into the chamber on your pistol/carbine/whatever. "Plunk test" is checking that the round will fall fully into the chamber without resistance - makes a satisfying "plunk" sound/feeling when seating in the chamber correctly.

I feel it's better to use the chamber rather than a separate gauge, as the gauge may or may not match your chamber.

 

[biggun2869]

hi! my name is bobby, i have quite a few years of reloading experience, but with 9mm ammo i always have a big problem, i use a carbide resizer die (all are rcbs) i use the bevel die just big enough for the bullet to fit, but when i use the bullet seat die, there is always a big bulge on the case preventing the reloads from chambering mostly in pistols, the work fine in my 9mm carbine. alyone know what the problem might be?? i have reloaded many calibers of bullets and never had this happen on anything but the 9mm. any help would be greatly appreciated.

Mine is with 45 ACP. Get a seperate taper crimp die and just use the RCBS for seating. I know it seems like a scam and it kind of is but seating and crimping just does'nt work, at least for us. Gary

 

[Dub]

10 year old thread….

 

[mousegunner]

I used a NOE expander (cheaper than "M" die) and my bullets went in straight. A good crimp and the rounds plunked into my chamber with no problem.

One thing I don't get about the Lee FCD in 9mm is how you size with a seated bullet. The 9mm brass is tapered so narrower at the top and expands towards the bottom. The sizing ring goes down straight so it seems to me that some of the taper as you go down is straightened out...or so I think.

Also doesn't the bullet get swaged a little if the brass is sized again?

In any event I haven't had the need for the FCD in my 3 pistol calibers but that's just me.

 

[divingin]

10 year old thread….

Through post #11, yes. Apparently there's still interest.

Also doesn't the bullet get swaged a little if the brass is sized again?

Actually, it gets swaged quite a bit, which causes 2 problems. The obvious one is that the bullet diameter is reduced (generally more at the base due to wall thickening further down the case), but also reduced bullet pull since the brass has springback and the bullet doesn't.

 

[plinker625]

Carbide Crimp dies are like running a loaded round into a sizer die.
And, as noted by divingin it swages the case thus wrecking Plated, Cast, and Swage bullets, most traditional jacketed bullets do not get swaged due to the jacket rigidity.

Now some bbls are notorious for being on the short and tight side. Sending them back to opened up is an option. But, as said above the Plunk test supersedes an case gage.