9mm Cases sticking in chamber

[STI]

I made some reloads using 9mm 124gr RNFP Xtreme bullets and they worked well in my CZ SP-01 and Kahr CW9, but in my M&P9 sometimes cases would not eject and they would be stuck in the chamber. I had to punch them out with a cleaning rod. I'm wondering what would cause a case to become stuck in the chamber?

[Bornonthe4thofJuly]

Do you have a L.E. Wilson cartridge case gage tool? if not you should buy one,you can get at Midway for about 25 bucks, i have a gage for every caliber i reload. the best investment for safety.

[J-cat]

Did you chamber check your rounds prior to shooting them?

Did you size the cases all the way down to the base?

Did those sized cases fit your chamber?

Seems like you need to retrace your steps.

[GeoffLinder]

If a case is oversized it probably won't chamber before you fire it so I doubt it a case sizing thing. Could be the extractor is skipping over the rim for some reason. If factory ammo works flawlessly then it's not the extractor itself.

Are the rims on your reloaded cases in bad shape? Maybe extractor is skipping over damaged rim area.

Is the stuck case coming out very smoky and carbonized on the outside after you punch it out with the cleaning rod? If so, maybe you have an issue with the chamber not sealing for some reason. Dirty chamber? rough chamber, maybe needs to be polished?

Again, if factory ammo works flawlessly then there is something about the reloads and my bet is the brass is funky in the extractor area or the chamber is not sealing and the case is getting carbonized in place and the extractor is jumping the rim from extra force needed.

[M27]

How much and what type of crimp are you using. 9mm headspaces on the rim. Too much crimp can cause the round to headspace too deep so that the case expands in the barrel and not just the chamber. Some pics of the brass may also help.

Is it only certain head stamps being stuck or every one.

Finally what is your load recipie.

[STI]

I don't have a case gauge, but I do drop the rounds in the barrel to make sure they drop in freely. I have an XL650 and yes it sizes the case all the way down. I don't believe there is anything wrong with my extractor, but I will try some factory ammo this week and see if it works. My cases are all in good shape. When I punched out the cases they were a bit dirty when I punched them out, but if the chamber isn't sealing then how are they getting stuck in there?
I didn't check to see if it was happening to the same head stamps. My load recipe is 5.0 grains of Unique with CCI SPP, under a 124grain RNFP Xtreme bullet. I will post a picture of my reloads tomorrow to see if you guys see anything wrong with them.

[GeoffLinder]

How much and what type of crimp are you using. 9mm headspaces on the rim. Too much crimp can cause the round to headspace too deep so that the case expands in the barrel and not just the chamber. Some pics of the brass may also help.

Is it only certain head stamps being stuck or every one.

Finally what is your load recipie.

This sounds like a possibility too

[J-cat]

For that to happen the case would have to be crimped to the same diameter as the bullet and would have to skip the extractor. That is highly unlikely. I'm gonna give the OP more credit than that.

I vote broken extractor. Could be that some of the hook broke off.

OP,

When you punched the cases out, did they stick or did they come out easily? I know you are uning Unique, but bullet setback during feeding could have doubled your pressure and stuck these cases. Plated bullets are notorious for this, often being a couple thou undersized.

[Bill Steele]

Lots of things can cause this I think.

If you are running too hot a load, it can screw with the timing. What happens is the case stays pressurized enough to be gripping the walls of the chamber as the slide is moving back and the extractor jumps the rim. On these type of loads, the rim of the case should be kind of torn up, even on the ones that did extract.

Another thing might be not enough crimp. The flared case mouth can help grip the case in the chamber, casuing the extractor to jump. Can be in combination to the above.

Lastly, I agree with J-cat that I would have a really close look at the extractor. Also look at the extractor spring, maybe replace it if the extractor looks good.

[STI]

OK so too much pressure can cause the case to stick in the chamber? I think that may be my problem. I was running this same recipe with a 124grn round nose bullet and it worked fine, but I ran out of those and I started using 124grn RNFP. My Hornady book recommended C.O.L. of 1.050 but found that 1.060 will clear the rifling and still drop in free. At this length I believe the bullet is set into the case more than the round nose bullets were. I'm going to lower the charge and see how that works.

[J-cat]

5grs of Unique will not stick a case even at that OAL. Did you have to pound them out or did they slide out?

[STI]

I had to pound them out.

[Bill Steele]

Sounds like pressure (too much of it).

Obviously not the extractor.

[bohoki]

what does the chamber look like?

[J-cat]

The cases you had to pound out, what was the make?