CHAMBER CHECK EVERY ROUND!!!!!!!!!!!!

[checkenbach]

Yes, I'm shouting this!!! I loaded 300 rounds of 9mm today and while chamber checking each round with my Dillon case guage, I found one that dropped right in a bit too far. I thought it was a .380 at first, but it was a 9x18 Makarov round. I'm a range brass whore, and DO cull most of the odd stuff like Berdan primed or off size calibers, but this one was close enough to 9mm Para that it got loaded, just glad I found BEFORE something bad happened. Lesson learned.

[XDRoX]

I've loaded 380 rounds that got mixed in with 9 before. Even shot them. I wouldn't recommend it, but nothing bad happened.

I doubt the mac round would have done any serious damage, but you're right, it never hurts to be extra cautious.

[bumpo628]

I bought a large lot of 9mm brass recently. So far I've found a half dozen .380 and one 9mm Luger case that was trimmed down to Makarov size. You gotta watch out, those little guys are sneaky. I noticed the .380 because they fit loose in the shell holder. I caught the trimmed 9mm because it just looked funny.

Single stage FTW!

[vwynn]

i caught a .380 in my batch once... looked awkward with the bullet seated compared the rest.

[Gio]

Loaded a .380 case with a 124jhp bullet and shot it out of my 17C, the case stovepiped but there was no problems with the gun.

Now I use a shell sorter with a .380 separator so I do not get any of those cases loaded up again.

[Toy4Rick]

I finished loading a mag of 9mms with my Uplula and used my thumb to make sure the last round was fully inserted so it wouldn't hang up going in and lo and behold, it was a 380. It got by the visual brass inspection and loading. Now we stand each loaded round in a rack of 50 and check size, primer... before moving it to a loaded bag.

It pays to be diligent
Toy4Rick

[Fishslayer]

.380 is easily caught by my sizing/decapping die. Feels just like a split case.

9x18... dunno. That'd be hard to catch. Might stand out (down?) in the box as I load it.
Probly the worst that could happen is no bang, tap, rack, bang.

Hope so anyway. Not likely I'll be plunk testing every 9mm round I load...

Single stage FTW!

For pistol ammo? Yer killin' me Smalls!

[bumpo628]

For pistol ammo? Yer killin' me Smalls!

I know, I know...
whaddayagonnado?

I do everything in batches, so it's kinda funny. There will be seemingly no progress for quite a while and then *bam* ammo everywhere. If my shooting ever outpaces my reloading, then I'll get one of them fancy new fangled pergressives all the kids are talking about. Until then, I'll keep on with the 'ol horse & buggy.

[Dark Mod]

Whats the worst that will happen if you shoot a .380 out of a 9mm?

[Fishslayer]

If my shooting ever outpaces my reloading, then I'll get one of them fancy new fangled pergressives all the kids are talking about. Until then, I'll keep on with the 'ol horse & buggy.

I don't really shoot enough to justify a progressive but the Lee Classic Turret suits my needs and wallet perfectly. Changing calibers is done in minutes, I can turn out a couple hunnert rounds per hour at a leisurely pace. And I LIKE needing to handle each round. That extra step has caught quite a few split cases.

[smallshot13]

My case prep routine pretty much eliminates any of these issues. I decap, clean primer pockets, tumble, sort to head stamp, then measure length of each case, and separate into lots in standard 0.003 increments. That culls .380 or 9x18, and I get consistent seating depth as a result. Then before loading, I inspect again for imperfections. That translates to handling each individual case at least 5 times, with close observation, which pretty much eliminates those problems.

[vikingm03]

Quick question, i reload .45acp, are there any close looking cases that i need to particularly be watching out for, just like in the 9x18 and 9x19 cases?

[smallshot13]

Quick question, i reload .45acp, are there any close looking cases that i need to particularly be watching out for, just like in the 9x18 and 9x19 cases?

There is some small primer .45 acp brass out there that you should watch for. Other than that, I am not aware of issues. It's pretty easy to cull the non-brass stuff. Also watch out for enlarged flash holes. .45 acp is such low pressure stuff that the brass can get very old before any potential failures are apparant.

[checkenbach]

.45 GAP(Glock Auto Pistol) is shorter than .45 ACP, about like a .380 vs a 9mm

[Fishslayer]

Quick question, i reload .45acp, are there any close looking cases that i need to particularly be watching out for, just like in the 9x18 and 9x19 cases?

.45GAP (Glock Automatic Pistol) and .460 Rowland leap to mind. The rowland guys tend to police their brass and the .460 isn't real common anyway.

.45GAP is pretty obvious. .460 Rowland not so much.