Pennsylvania Firearm Owners Association
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Thread: Case bulge

  1. #11
    Join Date
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    Default Re: Case bulge

    OP, maybe I missed it, but it would have been useful if you mentioned if all the brass was new or used, range pick-up, if all the brass had the same headstamp, if you pre-inspected the brass for pre-existing bulges prior to reloading, the applicable firearm, whether the bullets were cast, coated, FMJ, their diameter, etc., pictures of the bulged brass, whether all the bulged brass has the same headstamp, etc.

    As a result, while members are attempting to assist you diagnosing the problem you encountered, in some respects, it's like well-intended blind individuals (me too) attempting to describe for you what an elephant looks like according to the part of the animal we may be holding: a floppy ear, a tusk, the trunk, a leg, or a tail...

    With the limited information you provided, I can only add that 9mm isn't a straight-walled case - it's slightly tapered. And rather than attempting to re-size/re-seat bulged brass with unknown consequences, maybe consider segregating those bulged cases - pull the bullets, save the powder, deprime the brass, discard the bulged brass and use fresh cases that you've properly inspected.

    Those "shitty unsupported chambers" that Gunsnwater described is indeed a possible cause for your trouble. But there may be other causes too that may or may not have anything to do with the way you've set-up your reloading press.
    Last edited by bamboomaster; May 11th, 2020 at 09:14 AM.
    - bamboomaster

  2. #12
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    Default Re: Case bulge

    I have had similar issues, usually attributed to too much flare on the brass, then not setting the die down enough to remove the flare when seating. Sometimes it can take a few cases to set up correctly.

    Sounds like you are doing things right though, using a case gauge will definitely make your life easier and ensure you are making in spec ammo.
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  3. #13
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    Default Re: Case bulge

    I use both a seating and a crimping die. The quote with the

  4. #14
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    Default Re: Case bulge

    All the 9 mm I load is shot in Glocks. I use nothing but range brass and I don't even keep track of how many times I've used the same cases. I used to but decided it doesn't matter. I load them until they split. To give you an idea, I've loaded somewhere around 50k rounds of just 9mm. I've never used a case gauge and I've never had a case that was bulged and wouldn't fit in the chamber. I also use a Lee Factory crimp die. It is awesome. The only problems I've ever had like that were from reloads a friend of mine gave me to test out. They wouldn't chamber. Turns out he didn't have his re-sizing die set up correctly. He set his so it didn't bottom out on the shell plate so the brass wasn't fully re-sized. If your brass is bulged and won't chamber, I would check your re-sizing die setup and also see if you have too much crimp and are deforming the case. Hope this helps.
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  5. #15
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    Default Re: Case bulge

    You can use the 9mm Makarov LEE factory crimp die as a push through “bulge buster”. The 9 Mak is a straight wall case, so it works really well for me.. My reloads are much more reliable now, even though I’m using range brass that was shot through who knows what.

  6. #16
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    Default Re: Case bulge

    Thanks fellows, I got the Lee Makarov bulge kit, all said and done it ran about 50 bucks. That thing works so good it's worth every penny of it. I had about 30 rounds that wouldn't headspace, it took about two minutes to fix all of them. Thanks again for your help. Joe

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