Question About Re-sizing 9mm

[G38xOC]

I use single stage press from Lee Precision

I started loading my 45gap ( so far so good )

recently , I started loading 9mm . here i'm re-sizing the once fired brass , and I have to put lot of force brass into the die and coming out while decaps . but it appears it does the job tho .

when im resizing 45 cal , it doenst have too much resistance compare to 9mm .

also , i have noticed 9mm brass are more taper then 45cal , is that why it require more strength ?

fyi , 9mm dies were purchased used . looked okay from just visual inspection

[Na-vah-duh]

Are you lubing your brass? I still use a little even with carbide dies.

[qwikrick]

sounds like you have carbide 45 dies & just plain steel dies for the 9mm.

[joelogic]

I use one pump of lube per 200 pieces. 9mm shot of a glock can expand pretty large so it does take a little extra felt force.

[G38xOC]

just checked the part # at Lee's Site , and it indicated these are carbide dies .

i see , just wanted to doube check if it that normal . I will try some with lubes

[carloooo]

i have the Lee 9mm carbide dies as well and i know exactly what you're talking about

[Cyclepath]

I have the same problem. Initially resizing 9mm was ok but it started to take a lot of force to resize the case. Resizing 45ACP did not take as much force. It took so much force at one time that I actually ripped the case off the shell holder. I emailed Lee and they said to not tumble the brass before I resize and said that the resizing process works better when dirty - . I recently just took apart the 9mm die and cleaned it out with a patch, brush and Hoppe's like I was cleaning a barrel. It seemed to work a little better but still takes quite a bit of force. You may want to add a little case lube when you resize your cases.

[ojisan]

Dillon Rapid Polish media additive leaves the cases slightly slick after tumbling.
The cases go through the dies nice and easy.

[Fishslayer]

It's normal. At least that's how it works with my Lee carbides. 9mm is a tapered case so that might be it. I use Horny One Shot. Works so well I now use it on all my pistol calibers. No need to roll it & get lube all over each case. I just lay 'em out with the mouths pointed away from the spray & give 'em a once over lightly.

Not 100% necessary but sure makes life easier.

I tumble the finished rounds in cob and Nu Finish for about a half hour to get the lube off and put on a bit of shine.

[george223]

I loaded a bunch of 9mm a few years ago. When you do a full length resize of a 9mm case, it turns a tapered case into a straight case and it is quite noticeable when you seat and taper crimp the bullet.

So as an experiment, I started resizing only half way down. Much less effort to resize and when done, it looks like it came out of a factory box. Out of the 1000 rounds that I loaded, I have fired about 700 so far and only had 1 that wouldn't chamber due to the case diameter being too large at the rim.

This method also extends the life of the brass. I do the same for .45 ACP. Works for me.

[chim-chim7]

It's normal. At least that's how it works with my Lee carbides. 9mm is a tapered case so that might be it. I use Horny One Shot. Works so well I now use it on all my pistol calibers. No need to roll it & get lube all over each case. I just lay 'em out with the mouths pointed away from the spray & give 'em a once over lightly.

Not 100% necessary but sure makes life easier.

I tumble the finished rounds in cob and Nu Finish for about a half hour to get the lube off and put on a bit of shine.

Fishslayer is correct. The tapered case, and small diameter combined with the walls of a high pressure round can make it slightly harder to size. Still, it should not be so much effort that your trying hard. They should glide when cleaned properly. Never put dirty brass in your carbide dies, quickest way to ruin them. You can only hone the carbide a few times before they are oversized. Check for scratches, that can cause extra effort.

[pdq_wizzard]

you think 9mm is bad? just wait until you try 40 that has been shot from a Glock

[Bill Steele]

I have never noticed my 9mm cases beng particularly harder to size than any other handgun caliber, whether using my old Lee dies or my Dillon dies, in any of my presses (single stage, turret or progressive).

I do use Dillon case lube (used Hornaday One Shot before switching to Dillon), both lubes work great on handgun calibers.

[JAGGUY]

I wonder if the geometry of the Lee press makes it harder to use?
I have an RCBS press and all pistol brass inc 9mm and 40 & 44 mag are all very easy to size. Some rifle brass is noticeably harder but never pistol brass.

[r3dn3ck]

I don't know about geometry of them but I have both and the simple mass of the RCBS press handle is vastly more than the lee press and there's not any of the slop that the lee arrangement has. I do have to use more force to operate the lee but only a lot on some of the bigger cases like 7mm mag and .30-06. .45 and 9mm have been pretty easy on both of them.

I use dillon case lube. A little dab'll do ya. My glocks never seem to have any more heavily expanded brass than anything else in the safes.

make sure you're lubing where needed and not too much and that your dies and brass are clean. Every once in a while I find it necessary to clean the ram on both presses. it get's a bit dirty and greasy after a while and makes you have to push harder if you wait way way way too long to clean/lube.