9mm reloading and case issues

This caliber is brand new to me so I apologize if I am the last one to the party.

I could not get the once fired case all the way up in to the carbide die (mounted in a LNL progressive.  The ram gave a huge amount of resistance with perhaps .125-.187 inch of case length (above the extractor groove), still outside the die.  I didn't force it and finished the reload which would only go in to the barrel all the way with the rim properly up against the chamber's front shoulder, with a fair amount of resistance.  Not enough resistance that the momentum of the forward-traveling slide would not send it home but I did not want to leave it here.  I lubed the outside of another and it went all the way in to the die just fine.  It also dropped in to the chamber perfectly.

Is this just the nature of the tapered case of the 9mm?   I don't mind the extra step to shoot a block of cases with lube - not a dealbreaker.  I am mostly curious if this all is normal.

If I am going to lube all of my cases though, I intend to get some old-school steel dies which would likely be machined WITH THE TAPER.  I just think it would give me a good, quality reload that is closer to the intended shape of the case.

Thanks guys,
Ed

Just curious, were they R&B’s. They seem to be the tightest to resize. There are also a few stepped cases in 9mm that you have to watch out for. There is a ledge in those at the bottom of the case and will not fully insert.

I don't know what "R&B" means.

Like I said, with a small amount of case lube they behaved and felt perfectly normal, fully inserting in to the carbide die with minimal effort.

Couple of things. There’s a lot of crap 9mm brass floating around besides the stepped variety. There is Also a bunch of steel cases that are plated to look like brass. If you do buy brass to reload or pick up range brass segregate by make and I’d tend to get rid of anything other than WIN, R-P, FC, GFL, Hornady, PMC and CBC. I’d even avoid ANY military brass. Pass a magnet through any pile of “brass” just to detect the steel.

All of this is to accommodate those unsupported chambers in thos worthless Glocks. Perfection? HA!

Here’s a photo of the stepped brass.

Sorry, not enough coffee yet. RP’s. Some X-Treme and S&B are plated steel. I sort all my brass by headstamps and as Wobbley said I mainly reload FC, WIN, Blazer’s and RP’s. Just shot 200 on Thursday and came home with 1,150 cases and I was the only one at the range.

Nice photos of stepped cases, much easier to see than describe.

I haven't had your problem, but I've (rarely) had some bad brass that wouldn't size properly. I use a Dillon sizing die and I lube the cases. I use the Lyman spray lube. I spray down an old t-shirt, dump in the brass and massage it. It doesn't take long. I have switched to a Lee Factory Crimp die. Now, mostly all 9mm reloads easily and well. I use all kinds of different brass, i.e. R-P, Winchester, Aguila, Federal, Perfecta, et al.

I have very good results with the Lee Factory Crimp Die. It will "iron out" any deformations or bulges as it crimps. Brings the case back to original SAAMI specs. My Kart barreled 1911 will not function correctly without ironing out the reloaded rounds. On 9mm, it helps also. I use the LFCD on all my handgun reloads. .32 S&WL, 9mm, .38 Spcl and .45acp. Some people hate them, some love them.

BE Mike wrote:I spray down an old t-shirt, dump in the brass and massage it. It doesn't take long.  

Thanks!  Why didn't I figure that our...

Sometimes pick up brass will have been fired in a larger chamber.  Resizing these will require more force.

Otherwise, a little sizing lube works wonders!

It is all once fired range brass, out of unknown guns but it is all either Win or Federal.  Maybe it is whatever gun that fired the stuff?  We'll see if I still need to lube the cases that are fired from this new 1911 that I am loading for (still haven't shot it yet).

I began to have sizing/decapping issues when resizing 9mm brass I've previously handloaded.  The problem was with brass fired in my 986.  I resize/decap before cleaning.  The area around the mouth was coated with carbon from blowback in the chambers and caused severe resistance  while resizing.   Now I spray a little Rem-oil on a rag and give the mouth a twist in the rag.  The brass fired in my RO9 needs no lube or cleaning.

OR A ROLL SIZER. I BOUGHT ONE A COUPLE YEARS AGO. SEVERAL OF MY FRIENDS USE IT . VERY FAST AND VERY EFFICIENT. JP

http://casepro100.com/

GERERALY SPEAKING....if you look at the primer strike mark and see a rectangular mark it came out of a Glock.
If it came out of a Glock it probably is expanded more than the average round and may well have been expanded to the point where the elastic limit of the case has been exceeded.  Not a case I'd want to reload.
Just because you size it back to SAAMI spec doesn't mean the case is still save to use.
JMO

STEVE SAMELAK wrote:GERERALY SPEAKING....if you look at the primer strike mark and see a rectangular mark it came out of a Glock.
If it came out of a Glock it probably is expanded more than the average round and may well have been expanded to the point where the elastic limit of the case has been exceeded.  Not a case I'd want to reload.
Just because you size it back to SAAMI spec doesn't mean the case is still save to use.
JMO

Good advice. I had a 9mm case blow out at the base of the brass. No damage to the pistol or me, but it did blow the extractor out of the gun, a Sig P 320. I'm pretty sure that it was a piece of brass previously shot from a Glock. I usually throw them away, but one apparently sneaked into my pile. Heck, every once in a while a piece of 9mm or 40 cal. brass finds its way into one of my .45 ACP cases.

Don't know if I've ever seen a Glock bulge.  Is there a photo in the archives?  My search was unsuccessful.

Perhaps the Lee "Bulge Buster" would be your best bet.  It uses a factory crimp die with the crimper and adjuster removed. It will push the entire case though the sizing ring and the bulge is gone. Definitely a process for a single stage press.

If my memory serves...I wasn't able to push a 9MM case thru the factory crimp die (bulge buster).
I don't have a dwg handy but I believe  9MM is a tapered round, 40s & 45s are straight wall so it works for them.

Lee says to use a 9mm Makarov Factory Crimp die for 9mm Luger Bulge Buster. Product # 90807

There are several YouTube videos showing 9mm cases being run through the Lee Bulge Buster using this die.

Another shiny thing to buy!

Problem found.  Steve called it.  I am looking at some of these range cases and am seeing rectangular indentations all over the place!  And I fired my new 9mm for the first time yesterday and I just ran one of my own fired casings through my sizer just now without lube; smooth as frog snot - no lube needed.

Thanks Steve.  I'm buying you a Guinness tonight; of course I'll have to drink yours as well as mine though.

The unsupported case issue is only in Gen 1 Glocks and some Gen 2s. So guns from ~1988 and earlier.

I've been pouring ammunition through my G34 funtimes pistol and my 26 carry gun, reusing cases in them, other Glocks, a few S&W DA/SA autos, and a 9mm 1911. No problems, and the "serious business" practice ammo that the 26 eats is loaded to match Speer +P defensive ammo.