Glock Belly reloading?

[Seaweed02]

I have to ask you fellas with some experience. I watched a YouTube video about reloading 40 S&W for Glocks. The guy mentioned something about the case not being supported in a Glock, and the brass expanding to form a bulge (he called it a Glock belly) in the lower portion of the brass case. Well I have three Glocks that I plan on reloading for, in 40 S&W, 45acp, and 10mm calibers. Do all of the Glocks produce this "Glock Belly"? Or is it just the 40 cal?

What do you guys do, those of you who shoot Glocks?

[Granite]

I'm curious about this too. I shoot a glock 22 and want to reload for it, but have been told I need a replacement barrel to shoot reloads due to tolerances.

[diveRN]

My Glock 23 "bellies" brass, my 36 does not. I've reloaded .40 for my Glock for a few years now, but I don't have a 100 years of reloading experience. Everything I've read points to the likelihood of the belly being caused by the .40S&W being a high pressure cartridge in a "less than fully supported chamber." 9mm and .45 are low pressure rounds comparatively. Can't speak to the 10mm, don't have one.

I reload on a Lee single stage at the moment, my Lee die set removes the belly without any problem. It's pretty easy to spot with the naked eye, but if you have any doubts about your brass, get a case gauge.

[cindynles]

Glock .40 chambers are a bit more generous than others. The solution is to use a full length re-sizing die to take out the buldge.

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/231187/redding-g-rx-carbide-base-sizing-die-kit-40-s-and-w-357-sig-10mm-auto

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/358543/redding-g-rx-base-sizing-die-kit-40-s-and-w-357-sig-10mm-auto

[CalTeacher]

I shoot a G22 in limited division with a stock barrel and have never had any issues with "bulging" or "bellies" with my .40 brass. My ammo is loaded to major pf and looks and reloads just fine after firing. I've never had this problem with any of my other Glocks either in 9mm, .40, and .45.

[cindynles]

A lot of the bulging issue is dependent on how old your Glock is. The chamber for the 40 S&W has been changed by Glock over the years. Your G22 may be fine, but you may wind up with some brass with the bulge.

Many of my friends make it a habit to run all of their 40 brass through a G-RX die just to make life easy.

[rg1]

A Glock 21 45ACP doesn't, a G36 45 ACP I had didn't, G19's 9MM doesn't, and my only 40SW G23 generation 3 doesn't create case bulges.

[diveRN]

You may not have to worry about it... this is as "Glocked" as my brass gets and running through the decapping/resizing die takes care of it.

I wouldn't drop $70 on a deglocking die until you know for sure that your current die set won't remove the issue. Again, use a case gauge or your gun's barrel.

My .02.



Back to the bench... I'm reloading a batch of 180gr target fodder right now.

[chknlyps2]

A year ago I was working a Calguns booth and we were side by side with a Glock booth, there were 2 guys servicing Glock's all day long for free. I asked one of the guys why some of the .40 brass I get has a bulge in the case and if it was infact from unsupported chambers like I have read. He said he has watched high speed video close up when a Glock chambered in .40 was shot and the action on a glock is so light that the shell starts to eject before the bullet leaves the barrel and that the case is half way or more out of the chamber when the bullet exits the barrel. He also said that if it were from the unsupported chamber the bulge would only be on the unsupported side, most of the brass is fat all the way around because the chamber pressure swells it on the way out before the bullet is out the other end.

Lee sells a Bulge Buster prety cheap, it fits in the Lee Factory Crimp Die and you can run all your cases through it loaded or not.... for me it works pretty good.

[mark501w]

Loaded to hot.

[mjmagee67]

9mm and 40 S&W operate at roughly the same pressure. 9mm are 34,000 to 36,000 psi and 40 S&W is 35,000 psi.

It's a chamber thing. I've reloaded 10 of thousand of 40 S&W rounds and I just resize and shoot on. Never had an FTF that I can recall. I shoot Sigs, but my brass is range pick ups and I know there has been Glock brass on there.

[at_liberty]

A year ago I was working a Calguns booth and we were side by side with a Glock booth, there were 2 guys servicing Glock's all day long for free. I asked one of the guys why some of the .40 brass I get has a bulge in the case and if it was infact from unsupported chambers like I have read. He said he has watched high speed video close up when a Glock chambered in .40 was shot and the action on a glock is so light that the shell starts to eject before the bullet leaves the barrel and that the case is half way or more out of the chamber when the bullet exits the barrel.

He also said that if it were from the unsupported chamber the bulge would only be on the unsupported side, most of the brass is fat all the way around because the chamber pressure swells it on the way out before the bullet is out the other end.

Lee sells a Bulge Buster prety cheap, it fits in the Lee Factory Crimp Die and you can run all your cases through it loaded or not.... for me it works pretty good.

Should I conclude that a gun producing the "belly" with typical loads will be better with a stiffer spring?

I see the problem all the time, and the rounds are not reliable for going into battery without putting every piece of fired brass through the Redding G-Rx die.

I load for multiple .40 S&W in my collection, so I have to use a gauge rather than customize ammo for one barrel.

BTW, I see the same exact problem in .45 ACP.

[mark501w]

I'am gonna be the safety police here & say that's a over loaded cartridge. I load some of my .45 cap to over a 1000fps & I've never had a case look like a perch belly !

[diveRN]

I'am gonna be the safety police here & say that's a over loaded cartridge. I load some of my .45 cap to over a 1000fps & I've never had a case look like a perch belly !

If you're referring to the pic above, I can shoot the same reloaded ammo out of three different guns and only the Glock produces the belly. Reloads, factory rounds ... it doesn't matter. All of them end up this way.

I load a lot of .45acp too, and shoot some from a G36, most of it's out of a 1911. None of that 45 brass does this.

[mjmagee67]

I'am gonna be the safety police here & say that's a over loaded cartridge. I load some of my .45 cap to over a 1000fps & I've never had a case look like a perch belly !

45 ACP runs at 21,000 PSI, 40 is at 35,000 PSI over 1/3 more pressure. To see pressure signs in a 45 you are waaaaay over max or have a head-space issue.