Problem reloading 9mm

[semartin13]

I have been reloading .45 ACP and just bought 9mm dies as well. I have 9mm casings, and 115 gr. FMJ RN .355 dia. winchester bullets. I just got the RCBS 9mmluger/9X21/9X23 reloading die set, and when I went to seat the bullets, they were too large; they will NOT fit into these casings, even though I ran them through the expander die. Anybody else have this problem? Am I missing something with weird sizes of dies/bullets/casings?? Please help.

Seth

[WVBob]

Basic question first. What does the case have for a head stamp? If you have sized them and belled them, the bullet should fit if it's a .355. If it's a .356, it should still fit. In your post you say your doing it right. Check the dies and see what they have on them. I have the same dies and just did 100. It could be a bad sizing die.

[Steve in PA]

You flared the case mouth correctly, right?

[semartin13]

I have checked the dies. And these bullets are .355 dia. I ran them all through the first die; which makes the case smaller and pops the spent primer. Then I ran them threw the expander die, then tried to seat the bullet with the last die, and they are just don't fit.
WVBob, what do you mean by head stamp? and 'check to see what the dies have on them?'

[semartin13]

Yes, I flared the case mouth with the expander die exactly to the point this picture shows. these are two bullets that i tried, without powder. Excessive force was needed, as you can see by the bent case in the picture

[Xringshooter]

After you deprime and resize, but before you expand the case mouth, take your calipers and measure the OD of the case at the mouth. It should be 0.380". If it is smaller than that the dies are probably defective. Contact RCBS and they will make things right. Or, take the dies back to the store you bought them from (or contact the place you bought them from).

[tl_3237]

Also measure the expander insert of the die itself by measuring the INTERIOR length of a case and the same distance from the tip of the insert measure the diameter. This should be larger than the bullet diameter to give the desired oversize flaring. I assume that you verified previously the bullet diameters.

If properly flared you should be able to place a bullet on top of a flared case and the base of the bullet should drop ever so slightly past the case mouth rim.

[fingers80002]

Looks like there is no expansion.

[PA Rifleman]

Yes, I flared the case mouth with the expander die exactly to the point this picture shows. these are two bullets that i tried, without powder. Excessive force was needed, as you can see by the bent case in the picture

Can't really tell without checking your equipment settings, but I'd have a look at the die settings. Looks like the cartridge may be getting crimped too much. I wouldn't rule out a burr inside the crimp die, either.

And speaking of burrs, you're deburring your cases, right?



Also your photo of the flared case is too out of focus to tell me much, if you can get a clearer photo with the flared case with & without a bullet, that might help. If the two attached photos are any indication, you may have inadequate case mouth flare.

I've reloaded a *lot* of 9mm in many variations, it is quite possible to make decent rounds.

[semartin13]

Yes, I am deburring the brass prior to seating the bullet, but by how hard it is to seat the bullet, it is way more than a possible bur on the case. Here is a picture. This is a factory loaded live round, with a expanded round directly to the right. standing up, is a resized round on the left, and an expanded round on the right. Top right again, you see how far I ran the rounds up into the expander die. This expander is stamped 38/9mm but is it possible it is just not expanding the brass?