Soot on my shot reloads

[evol ways]

[BrassCase]

Very common.

[bohoki]

happens to me too

[bazineta]

231 is what I use most commonly, and while it has many fine qualities, cleanliness is not one of them.

[Citadelgrad87]

Almost universally present in my thousands of reloaded rounds and experience with others who reload.

[stevec223]

[evol ways]

Thanks everyone! Figured it was just the dirty powder being used but being a new press I wanted to verify. I have an 8lb jug of CFE pistol ready to go once I run out of the 231. Thanks

[robert101]

That is way too sooty in my opinion. I load very light loads and they tend to have some minor soot residual on the cases. That there is a mess fellow. I would change powder and up the charge. Even my Bullseye and Unique (Alliant Powders) burn better than that mess.

[roggiedog]

Could be the chamber is a bit big. Do you get that same effect when shooting commercial rounds or just with the newly reloaded rounds you tested?

[ar15barrels]

Just set up my Dillon Xl750 for 9mm

Dillon carbide dies
Range brass
W231 4.3gr
CCI primers
Xtreme .124 plated RN
Seated to 1.140
Crimped to .377
Shot out of my g19 and 17

Loaded up a bit over 50 and went to the range to try out. I noticed that most if not all had this dark soot spots on one side of the brass. What’s your take on this? Charge weight is closer to the max side so not underpowered. Could it be not enough crimp possibly? No issues with the slide not cycling on either of my guns. TIA

4.3gr is pretty mild pressure so the cases are not sticking to the side of the chamber enough to keep the gas to leak back around the case.
More pressure will seal the case to the chamber better and cases will come out cleaner.
Try 4.5 to 4.6 and see if they clean up.

Cartridge          : 9 mm NATO (9 x 19 mm) EPVAT Piezo
Bullet             : .355, 124, RN Rainier 9mm
Useable Case Capaci: 8.449 grain H2O = 0.549 cm³
Cartridge O.A.L. L6: 1.140 inch = 28.96 mm
Barrel Length      : 4.5 inch = 114.3 mm
Powder             : Winchester 231

Predicted data by increasing and decreasing the given charge,
incremented in steps of 2.326% of nominal charge.
CAUTION: Figures exceed maximum and minimum recommended loads !

Step    Fill. Charge   Vel.  Energy   Pmax   Pmuz  Prop.Burnt B_Time
 %       %    Grains   fps   ft.lbs    psi    psi      %        ms

-23.3   56     3.30    863     205   15041   2643     97.3    0.674
-20.9   58     3.40    884     215   15978   2725     97.9    0.655
-18.6   59     3.50    904     225   16953   2804     98.4    0.637
-16.3   61     3.60    924     235   17966   2880     98.9    0.619
-14.0   63     3.70    943     245   19018   2953     99.3    0.603
-11.6   64     3.80    963     255   20111   3023     99.5    0.587
-09.3   66     3.90    982     265   21245   3089     99.8    0.572
-07.0   68     4.00   1001     276   22421   3152     99.9    0.558
-04.7   70     4.10   1019     286   23640   3212    100.0    0.545
-02.3   71     4.20   1038     296   24904   3268    100.0    0.532
[B]+00.0   73     4.30   1055     307   26214   3323    100.0    0.520[/B]
+02.3   75     4.40   1073     317   27570   3378    100.0    0.508
+04.7   76     4.50   1091     327   28975   3432    100.0    0.497  ! Near Maximum !
+07.0   78     4.60   1108     338   30430   3487    100.0    0.487  ! Near Maximum !
+09.3   80     4.70   1125     348   31936   3541    100.0    0.476  ! Near Maximum !
+11.6   81     4.80   1142     359   33494   3595    100.0    0.467  !DANGEROUS LOAD-DO NOT USE!

Results caused by ± 3% powder lot-to-lot burning rate variation using nominal charge
Data for burning rate increased by 3% relative to nominal value:
+Ba     73     4.30   1065     312   27406   3286    100.0    0.511
Data for burning rate decreased by 3% relative to nominal value:
-Ba     73     4.30   1045     300   25020   3362    100.0    0.530