9mm Reloading Questions

[wanneroo]

I think everyone else answered most of your questions so I am just going to mention this.

I think you may not have to use 5.7 gr of Unique. I know if you read ten reloading manuals you will get ten different answers, but I am sure that I have a manual at home that lists 5.2 gr as a starting load and lists 5.7 as a maximum do not ever exceed load.

I load 115 gr jacketed bullets with 5.1 - 5.3 gr of Unique and never have any trouble with cycling the action on my Glocks or other 9mm firearms.

You may want to try loading some rounds with 5.2 and see how they work. Over the course of loading thousands of rounds, a half a grain per round adds up to a nice savings.

Good luck!

I saw elsewhere online in google searches that many have loaded 5.0 to 5.5g of Unique and 115 FMJ's with no problems. I can try it out and see.

I'm also going to see what the dipper in the Lee 9mm die set gives me.

I'm also going to try marking a few rounds with a marker and see what happens when I run them through the dies.

[Sshuker]

From left to right:

Case marked to show how cases were marked prior to performing tested operation

Case marked then put through Lee Deprime/sizing die

Case sized then marked, then put through Lee Factory Crimp die

Case marked then put through Dillon Deprime/sizing die

Case sized then marked, then put through Dillon Crimp die

[Mike7777]

I used Unique powder up until it disappeared. I switched to IMR SR7625. It has a slightly faster burn rate.

[wanneroo]

I was out of action for a few weeks with work but was back at it today at the bench. After shooting some of my reloads and looking at them, I think some of the ones I did were over done on the taper crimp. I guess I need a chronograph at some point, but the 5.7-5.8g of Unique felt "hot". Not excessively so but I think I can back it down and I did. I went with 5.3g of Unique, lightened up on the OAL up to around 1.139 and set the Lee factory crimp die to a more mild crimp. Everything fit the case gauge fine. Will try them out tomorrow.

My Lee powder measure still throws inconsistently. Some people have said they have corrected that by coating it with "Blaster" dry graphite lube. I might just decide to wave off on it and get a better powder drop from RCBS or Hornady. I forget to try the included powder dipper with the Lee die set to see what it gives me.

Admittedly I have made mistakes. I have screwed up some bullets, some brass, while learning how to set up my dies. Not a lot, a few pieces. I've had to put the bullet puller to use too.

Coming up next is a bench specifically for reloading, a bench mounted press and hopefully by summer starting on rifle calibers.

[Bang]

Unless you want to use a rapid loading progressive system, find the amount of propellant that does what you want it to, then make a brass dipper that yields that amount. Dip and pour thru funnel into each case. It's quick and accurate and checkable by eye. I don't think powder measures do well with small amounts. Mine doesn't, anyway.

[filgun11]

I realize that question on bulge near the base was 4 weeks ago. You might want to try EGW's sizing die. It's undersized and "goes" further down.

From their site:
"EGW offers custom designed, carbide sizing dies that are 0.001" smaller in diameter than typical dies. Not only is it smaller in diameter, the bottom corner is radiused which sizes the case further down. This helps prevent feed failures from cases that bulged near the base during reloading- which is typical of brass fired in Glocks and other loose chambered guns"

https://egwguns.com/wecs.php?store=2...y&target=70010

[wanneroo]

Unless you want to use a rapid loading progressive system, find the amount of propellant that does what you want it to, then make a brass dipper that yields that amount. Dip and pour thru funnel into each case. It's quick and accurate and checkable by eye. I don't think powder measures do well with small amounts. Mine doesn't, anyway.

Yes I think that might be the tact I'll have to take, also to speed up the process. Just to do 50 rounds yesterday took forever screwing around with this powder measure. Lee has a cheap set of various powder dippers so maybe I'll look at that.

This powder measure got me started but looks like I'll have the money to buy something better so I think I need to do that too.

[wanneroo]

I realize that question on bulge near the base was 4 weeks ago. You might want to try EGW's sizing die. It's undersized and "goes" further down.

From their site:
"EGW offers custom designed, carbide sizing dies that are 0.001" smaller in diameter than typical dies. Not only is it smaller in diameter, the bottom corner is radiused which sizes the case further down. This helps prevent feed failures from cases that bulged near the base during reloading- which is typical of brass fired in Glocks and other loose chambered guns"

https://egwguns.com/wecs.php?store=2...y&target=70010

I'll keep that in mind if I need it. So far whatever the finished product is, it all fits the case gauge and subsequently works in all my 9mm firearms and haven't had one failure to feed or fire yet.

[Farbmeister]

From left to right:

Case marked to show how cases were marked prior to performing tested operation

Case marked then put through Lee Deprime/sizing die

Case sized then marked, then put through Lee Factory Crimp die

Case marked then put through Dillon Deprime/sizing die

Case sized then marked, then put through Dillon Crimp die

Are you sure that's a Lee FACTORY CRIMP die for #3? The FDC leaves no marks as the fingers squeeze the case. It looks like a taper crimp die (shiny ring at the case mouth).

Also all dies will have a tolerance and every piece of brass different so the fact that the marker is there/not there means nothing. MIC the diameter and if its in SAAMI spec, shoot it.

[Sshuker]

Are you sure that's a Lee FACTORY CRIMP die for #3? The FDC leaves no marks as the fingers squeeze the case. It looks like a taper crimp die (shiny ring at the case mouth).

Also all dies will have a tolerance and every piece of brass different so the fact that the marker is there/not there means nothing. MIC the diameter and if its in SAAMI spec, shoot it.

Yes, I am sure.

Keep in mind that the case was sized/deprimed then marked, then run through the factory crimp die.

Had the mouth been flared and a bullet seated, the FCD would have pushed the flare back in, but that was not the point of my demonstration. I was just trying to show that sizing and crimp dies will not reach the entire case, so a bulge at the base, from say an early Glock, could very well remain through your entire reloading process.