First day reloading and ran into a problem.

[Lead Waster]

PRobably crimp

[CSACANNONEER]

The seating has nothing to do with crimp, type of crimp or varying lengths of brass. It is clearly a case of not getting the brass sized correctly. Glocked brass tends to make it harder to resize to sammi specs and, since it is range brass, I've gotta assume that some of it is Glocked. Either use an undersized die or you can try to size it on a single stage press using different thicknesses of shell holders until you get it all tuned in.

[ExtremeX]

Bullet not seated deep enough?

You definitely need more crimp on the bullet to prevent setback.

Is the round in the last photo the one that is shown in the earlier photo that will not drop all the way into the barrel?

Crimp isn't there to prevent setback. Only enough crimp should be used to take the bell out of the case. Neck tension is what holds the bullet in place, not crimp.

Taper crimp (not roll) is the correct crimp for a straight wall pistol case as it headspaces off the case mouth.

From the looks of the last picture, I would say he us using too much crimp, only because I can see the ring from the seater plug on the bullet itself. Generally a good sign to show the crimp is too much or engaging too soon causing additional resistance on the bullet during the seating operation.

I shoot a lot of Xtreme bullets, and after adjusting dies correctly, you should not be seeing the seater plug ring. OP, Pull a few bullets and see if you can see any compromise of the copper plating. Another good indicator if the crimp is too much.

[mrh1282]

Just want to say thank you to every one who pitched in. I found the problem and it was with the crimping die. I start back from scratch and re set it up and it seems to be working great now. I just did 150 rounds with zero problems. every round fit in the barrel and dropped right out with no issue. Thank you very much guys

[Toten Kopf]

Just want to say thank you to every one who pitched in. I found the problem and it was with the crimping die. I start back from scratch and re set it up and it seems to be working great now. I just did 150 rounds with zero problems. every round fit in the barrel and dropped right out with no issue. Thank you very much guys

Just because your rounds fit the barrel doesn't mean they will function correctly.

I have noticed that some loaded rounds fit the barrel but will not fit the max cartridge gauge. These rounds have caused failure of the slide to lock. I can push the slide forward and it locks but not through normal operation.

I have had this happen in both my G26 and EAA Witness (both 9mm). Rounds that fit the max case gauge work flawlessly. So now after loading, I place each finished round into the max case gauge to check for fit. If it doesn't fit, I cull those rounds and use them knowing that I may have problems with them. Also, the defective rounds will drop free from the barrel so that isn't a good method of checking the cartridge.






It must be noted that I'm using picked up range brass as well as brass fired from my pistols. Most of the problem stems from the case rim. Some pistols are harder on brass than others and these can cause the case head to get out of wack and sizing will not correct the problem.

For me checking the finished round with the max cartridge gauge is the way to go, not the barrel.

[mrh1282]

Just because your rounds fit the barrel doesn't mean they will function correctly.

I have noticed that some loaded rounds fit the barrel but will not fit the max cartridge gauge. These rounds have caused failure of the slide to lock. I can push the slide forward and it locks but not through normal operation.

I have had this happen in both my G26 and EAA Witness (both 9mm). Rounds that fit the max case gauge work flawlessly. So now after loading, I place each finished round into the max case gauge to check for fit. If it doesn't fit, I cull those rounds and use them knowing that I may have problems with them. Also, the defective rounds will drop free from the barrel so that isn't a good method of checking the cartridge.






It must be noted that I'm using picked up range brass as well as brass fired from my pistols. Most of the problem stems from the case rim. Some pistols are harder on brass than others and these can cause the case head to get out of wack and sizing will not correct the problem.

For me checking the finished round with the max cartridge gauge is the way to go, not the barrel.

Thank you for this information, I bought a case gauge the other day and I went through checking my rounds and everything is looking good,

That's what I was gonna to ask everyone, Even after years of reloading do you guys still Check every round you make. I know it doesn't take long and I guess it just a peace of mind that you wont have problems at the range.

[Eljay]

I check all my 9mm and .45 because I have hundo gauges and it doesn't take any additional time if you box your ammo anyway. (It's a big grid of case gauges). Revolver calibers I don't gauge, I basically just look for high primers in the boxes and call it a day. Rifle calibers I probably should gauge more but don't.

[9mmepiphany]

I'm more inclined to gauge 9mm than any other caliber.

Besides it's tapered case, there is a lot of variation in case sizes between manufacturers...even within manufacturer's lines/lots. Plus, for match ammo, I'm loading pretty close to the top of the range

[bruce381]

then again if you setup right on the money and DO not change any setting I just check randomly

[sigstroker]

Are you using a Dillon die set? I've never had a problem on the 450 or a 550 with sizing when using Dillon dies. Before switching, when using standard dies from other companies, I did notice the occasional problem.

Yes, Dillon. If anything, Dillon dies are worse in this respect. The very bottom is more open than some others because there needs to be a little extra wiggle room for the case to enter the die on a progressive because things aren't as perfectly aligned as on a single stage.

Thank you for this information, I bought a case gauge the other day and I went through checking my rounds and everything is looking good,

That's what I was gonna to ask everyone, Even after years of reloading do you guys still Check every round you make. I know it doesn't take long and I guess it just a peace of mind that you wont have problems at the range.

Every single round. After sizing, I test every case because some of them are so far gone that I just chuck it in the trash. Then I don't waste any components. If a case is just a little oversized I load it anyway to shoot in my friend's subgun, which has a huge chamber.

After I load the round I check it again. Oversized rounds go into the "subgun box".

[mrh1282]

I check all my 9mm and .45 because I have hundo gauges and it doesn't take any additional time if you box your ammo anyway. (It's a big grid of case gauges). Revolver calibers I don't gauge, I basically just look for high primers in the boxes and call it a day. Rifle calibers I probably should gauge more but don't.

That hundo gauge is pretty damn cool, But a little pricey. Might have to pick one up later on