What is going on with this reload? Bulging on sides vs Non bulging cases??

[Member 5605]

Wouldn't it be funny... I thought to myself. If it was .38 bullets in a 9mm case?

Only a couple thousands difference.

So I tried it.

Wasn't as impressive as I thought.

158gr sure fills the case.
Still clears a gauge.

 

[Tilos]

Wouldn't it be funny... I thought to myself. If it was .38 bullets in a 9mm case?

Only a couple thousands difference.

So I tried it.

Wasn't as impressive as I thought.
View attachment 280824
158gr sure fills the case.
Still clears a gauge.

ME too...
I buy .38 bullets (not 158gr though more like 125gr), and push them thru a lee sizing die to use in 9mm.
You could probably push then thru a .355 sizer and use them for 380 too
just sayin'

 

[Major Rick]

Sir: The bullets are seated into the thicker part of the brass than other loads. Switch to shorter (lighter) bullets or load them shallower. This isn't really an unusual situation where a heavy bullet bulges the sides of some brands of brass and not others. Save the bulged brass for higher pressure loads where brass thickness will have some advantage.

 

[Mikej]

This is one reason I doubt I would EVER go to a progressive press, don't shoot enough to warrant it at this time. Losing the subtle feel of everything.

I can confirm CBC brass is stiffer, for whatever reason. As is S&B, primer pockets to tight for my liking so I cull them.

I get the bulge shown in the OP, though not as bad. I believe it's from putting a little to much TAPER crimp on the round. Unless you trim 9mm brass, different head stamps have different lengths. Crimping adjusted to shorter brass can cause longer brass to be slightly over crimped, and the bulge shown. With the leverage of the press you don't necessarily realize how much actual down pressure is being put on the brass. It takes very little felt pressure to close the bell to the bullet.

 

[John Gault]

I failed to get to the range today. Work was looking for extra bodies and won the battle of the day. Funny- called in after seeing page and asked if they still needed help. Reply- You want to work? I said... I spend a lot of money.... So you want to work? Powder Valley package arrived today while at work so I broke even for the day

Thanks again to everybody offering something on this issue. Back to my regular, irregular schedule so not sure when I'll get to the range now..

 

[Mikej]

Nice first post BT LAB ^^^, welcome to NWFA!

Something else John. I've pondered about resizing 9mm brass. 9mm is a tapered round, ever wonder how that works? Sizing 9 with my Lee die is the hardest stroke of any, straight wall, handgun brass. My guess it that the carbide ring is rather small to make sure the front of the case fits the chamber.

I've also sized and shot plenty of Glock fired brass without issue. And without using a push-through sizing die. You could even see a slight enlargement at the bottom of the case on one side.

 

[Tilos]

You start with the top-5 data points, and follow what it tells you; Questions & Answers are required before guessing on solutions:



Q1) What were these fired from before you reloaded them, or do you even know?

Q2) Do you keep track/mark cases to know how many times they have been reloaded, or do you even know?

Q3) Have you ever put a just fired case in your case size & length gauge, and if so does it fit, or do you even know?

Q4) Have you ever tried to put a just fired case back into the gun you just fired it from, if so did it fit, or do you even know?

Q5) Roll-um: After you size the empty case, and after you load the round, roll-um on a flat surface like a glass table top. You will get one of three results: 1) Almost no arc, 2) An 18inch – 22inch arc, or 3) A very tight arc of between 12 inches to 16 inches.
All this assumes you are not forcing the crimp with a roll-crimp die that is only good when the case length is +/- .005 inches from base to lip without under chamfering to compensate for a non-cantalure (crimp groove) bullet.
Start here, if you provide the above I'll help you solve what ails you.
BT
S.B.D. Test Lab Engineer

Yea, kind of what I posted before...not rocket science (#47)
"Watching a suspect case thru each operation would show where/when the bulge occurs, simple enough to do .
My money is on the seating/crimping station though, and the reason LEE sells a 4 die set that seats and crimps separately to allow processing of "range" brass."


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