Need help with some reloading...

[DukeConnor]

Primer flow

[DukeConnor]

You didn't happen to get these from a competition shooter did you ? it is common when people load hot to make a power factor.

primer becomes liquid for a monent and flows into the firing pin hole.

[gghbi]

Do you have a picture of a unfired reload for a before and after shot?

[Walleye Hunter]

I have none unfired at the moment. Here are a few more that I was able to dig out of the bucket of them. I am also finding some factory rounds with that strike but it's not as pronounced and it looks like that big pin strike might well not be from my gun. Also attached is my load and ballistics data, shots tested at 15 yds. OAL is 1.13"+_

Primer Strikes 2.jpg

9mm data 1.jpg

[Delkal]

Some of those are extremely high pressure so somethings wrong. Its harder to tell with the square hits but when you see a fully flatted primer like the Norma case in the left you are well into the danger zone. And is one primer in the bottom right group sticking out? If it is pull any remaining bullets.

Some of the primers look normal while others are extremely high so it doesn't look like your charge is consistent. Were these shot from the same pistol? Another cause for high pressures is some pistols have a shorter lead and you might be jamming a bullet into the lands. You might be seating the bullets way too long. Take the barrels off your pistol and make sure a loaded round drops right in with nothing touching the rifling. Set your seating length a little shorter than the shortest throat then back your charge up a lot and work back up. You will have to redo this for every different type of bullet since the noses all have a different shape. The OAL you see in the loading manuals are only good for the exact bullet they are using. Even then it is only a recommendation and still too long for some pistols.

Also consider just using a low to mid range target loads at the range. No reason to be shooting max loads at paper.

Edit: just noticed you have different color primers in the cases so we are looking at the same load.

[Walleye Hunter]

Some of those are extremely high pressure so somethings wrong. Its harder to tell with the square hits but when you see a fully flatted primer like the Norma case in the left you are well into the danger zone. And is one primer in the bottom right group sticking out? If it is pull any remaining bullets.

Some of the primers look normal while others are extremely high so it doesn't look like your charge is consistent. Were these shot from the same pistol? Another cause for high pressures is some pistols have a shorter lead and you might be jamming a bullet into the lands. You might be seating the bullets way too long. Take the barrels off your pistol and make sure a loaded round drops right in with nothing touching the rifling. Set your seating length a little shorter than the shortest throat then back your charge up a lot and work back up. You will have to redo this for every different type of bullet since the noses all have a different shape. The OAL you see in the loading manuals are only good for the exact bullet they are using. Even then it is only a recommendation and still too long for some pistols.

Also consider just using a low to mid range target loads at the range. No reason to be shooting max loads at paper.

Edit: just noticed you have different color primers in the cases so we are looking at the same load.

And based on the Hodgdon site, it does look like I am over max on the loads. I'll reboot and try again.

I believe that the brass colored primers are factory loads. All I am using is Winchester and they are all silver. I'm still a rookie at this and have a lot to learn but aren't the velocities close enough that inconsistent is not an issue?

And based on the Hodgdon site, I am over max. I'll reboot and try again.

[Delkal]

I also noticed you chronographed these loads and from what I see the velocities you are getting are very consistent and conservative for a 115 gr bullet. A high pressure round shown in some of these cases would have a much higher velocity than the rest. I would still recommend finding the right seating depth and chronographing the velocity from all of your pistols separately. If you have one pistol that gives a much higher velocity than others with the same length barrel that is the pistol with the short throat giving higher pressures.

And try an keep the cases separate for inspection. With the consistency of your loaded rounds you need to make sure your not mixing in someone else's dangerous load..

[Walleye Hunter]

I also noticed you chronographed these loads and from what I see the velocities you are getting are very consistent and conservative for a 115 gr bullet. A high pressure round shown in some of these cases would have a much higher velocity than the rest. I would still recommend finding the right seating depth and chronographing the velocity from all of your pistols separately. If you have one pistol that gives a much higher velocity than others with the same length barrel that is the pistol with the short throat giving higher pressures.

And try an keep the cases separate for inspection. With the consistency of your loaded rounds you need to make sure your not mixing in someone else's dangerous load..

I don't shoot anyone else's reloads and won't let them shoot mine.

[Delkal]

And based on the Hodgdon site, I am over max. I'll reboot and try again.

Are you using the EXACT bullet shown in the Hodgdon load. A different bullet could have a large difference in where you should seat it even if it is the exact weight. Seat a dummy round with the length you are using and make sure it just drops in all of your chambers without touching the lands. Another recommended trick is to blacken the bullet with a dry erase marker. You will see marks where the rifling is if it is touching.

I don't shoot anyone else's reloads and won't let them shoot mine

I meant finding a spent case by mistake that they shot

[Walleye Hunter]

Are you using the EXACT bullet shown in the Hodgdon load. A different bullet could have a large difference in where you should seat it even if it is the exact weight. Seat a dummy round with the length you are using and make sure it just drops in all of your chambers without touching the lands. Another recommended trick is to blacken the bullet with a dry erase marker. You will see marks where the rifling is if it is touching.



I meant finding a spent case by mistake that they shot

Aaaa OK, I'll pay more attention to my brass. I do not know who made this batch of bullets and I don't recall who I bought them off of, I got them ten years ago or more. They are 115 gr FMJ. I'll check a dummy in all of my guns and see how they fit. Thanks.