blackhand

Just wanted to get some feedback before working up a load with a new bullet. Bullet is an Acme 122 gr flat point. The thing is, I need to load the bullet very short to pass my EGW case gauge, 1.025" COL. At this length, just a hair of the driving band is above the case mouth. At 1.025" COL, the seating depth of the bullet is .250". I checked a different load with an SNS 147 gr flat point bullet. That bullet I load to 1.125" COL and the bullet seating depth is .250". Remaining case volume after both bullets have been seated should be the same, right? Can I use the same amount of powder safely in the 1.025" COL Acme 122 gr loads as the 1.125" COL SNS 147 gr loads since the case volumes are the same? Right now I use 3.6 gr WSF for the SNS 147 gr loads. It's a light target load. I understand the velocity of the two loads will be different. My main concern is that case pressure may be unsafe with a round loaded so short. On paper, seems like everything should work out safely, but I don't want to assume and miss something critical.

I use a separate expander die, but I clean the insert after every 1000 or so rounds loaded. I load with wet tumbled brass, but there's still a visible buildup of grime and brass dust. So far no issues with flare size changing. What kinds of issues are you having with your case feeder? I've installed sweeps inside the bowl to prevent multiple cases from dropping, restricted the feed funnel so cases don't drop upside down, added tubing to the bottom of the drop tube so cases don't bounce off sub plate, AND smoothed out the push rod that moves the pivot block so it doesn't bind up. I think I also polished the angled portion of the pivot block the push rod pushes up against and used grease to smooth out the action. After all that, I finally have that case feeder working close to 100%. On occasion, the v-block will get stuck trying to push a shall into the shell plate.

I'm not the OP, but 3.4 gr WSF behind a 147 gr SNS Casting NLG FP at 1.135" OAL reliably cycled my Glocks. The bullet profile is very similar to the Acme 147 gr bullet. I've increased the charge to 3.6 gr WSF and shortened the OAL to 1.125" to work with my match barrels. The increase in powder was because the brass pretty much dribbles out at 3.4 gr. I was worried about the inverse temperature sensitivity of the powder shooting in summer. Very little smoke if the coating remains intact. You will get that unique burning Hi-Tek coating smell, but it's faint.

I was wondering the same thing because I just picked up a compensator. I went with a Lone Wolf Alpha compensator that only has two ports on top for use with sub-major ammo. The compensator is paired with an 11 lb. ISMI spring. Not planning on shooting Open. I was just curious to see how much of a difference a comp can make. My normal target load is 3.8 gr WSF behind a 124 gr TC Bayou Bullet at 1.095 OAL. I had to bump up the charge to 4.2 gr to reliably cycle a Glock 17. Muzzle flip is definitely less pronounced in rapid fire. 4.4 gr had more push on recoil but without any added reduction in muzzle flip. My comp has fewer ports and is not as efficient as ones with more ports, so I didn't need to adjust my load as much.

Cabela's still has S&B primers for $24.99 per 1000 (Large Rifle, Small Pistol) and Winchester primers for $26.39 per 1000 (Small and Large Rifle, Large Pistol). Hazmat is only $20 and until 9/5, use code 6TENOFF for 10% off and free shipping for orders over $100.

WSF is my favorite powder for 9mm, used behind coated lead 124 gr and 147 gr projectiles. It's a little dirty when loaded for minor, but it's been the most accurate powder in my guns (Glocks). It's a slower burning powder, but I prefer the recoil impulse compared to faster burning powders like VV N320.

I made several adjustments to my Hornady Case Feeder to get it to work about flawlessly with 9mm cases. 1. Adjusted the clutch to increase torque. Probably a quarter turn on the hex bolt adjustment in the center of the bowl. 2. Restricted the right side of the opening in the bowl with thin plastic. It's hard to see in the picture, but it's about lined up with the opening. Cardboard or any other thin material will do. 3. Restricted the funnel that leads to the case drop tube with a cut section of primer tray on the left and some cardboard on the front. 4. Made a sweep with thin plastic that prevents cases from piling up and causing a jam. It's a wedge shaped piece of plastic that has some give. This modification was the hardest to dial in. I tried to place the sweep in multiple positions, even using more than one sweep. The placement in the picture is what's worked best for me. These were intended as temporary fixes, but they work so well that I haven't bothered to replace the slapdash construction with something better. I load about 100 cases at a time and almost never get jams. I only put 100 cases in at a time as that's when I'll stop to reload primer tubes, etc. The funnel area. The sweep.

I reload using once-fired, range pickup brass for my 9mm Glocks. All the rounds I've reloaded using Tula and PPU brass have failed my case gauge and plunk test with my barrels. On the worst of these rounds, I could clearly see that the bottom of the case was bulged out, even after resizing with a full length resizing die. I've only used coated lead rounds (6000 or so) and have not had a problem with them. Haven't had problems with Perfecta brass. I primarily use WIN, FC, Blazer, and RP brass because that's what I have the most of on hand. Based on recommendations on this forum, I avoid the problematic headstamps that most people point out (IMT, Ammoland, etc.). Stick with the flat seating stem for flat point bullets. I think you correctly diagnosed the problem as the brass.

I shoot coated lead bullets with WSF out of Glocks almost exclusively. I sometimes get smoke from shooting these loads, but it happens inconsistently. I recall having less smoke with the faster, cooler burning powders like N320. But you may want to check your crimp, too. If the crimp is breaking the coating to the point you see exposed lead, I think that also causes more smoke. I haven't had issues with smoke with the last several hundred rounds I've loaded and shot at an indoor range. That's after backing off my crimp from .375" to ".377". WSF also makes my cases pretty sooty, but it's the most accurate powder I've found for my 9mm Glocks.

I personally like coated lead bullets out of Glocks. Bayou Bullets, SNS Casting, and Blue Bullets are all vendors I've used. I've settled on 124 gr TC (truncated cone) bullets from Bayou Bullets for the majority of my shooting. They're usually cheaper than plated or jacketed bullets and can be safely shot through factory Glock barrels. For powder, lots of competitive shooters prefer Vihtavuori N320. It's a clean, cool burning, consistent powder. A popular load based on searches of this forum is 3.8 gr N320 behind a coated lead 124 gr bullet at 1.135 OAL. I use 3.8 gr WSF at 1.095" OAL with the 124 TC Bayou Bullet in my 9mm Glocks. This is a practice round that probably won't make minor power factor, but it reliably cycles my guns. I've loaded as short as 1.075" and as long as 1.125" without any issues. It's best to start lower than posted data and work your way up with a chrono. You'll see several types of powders come up in the searches. Try a few that have been established as working well in 9mm and go from there. Any small pistol primer should do. I haven't had any problems with Winchester, Remington, CCI, and Sellier & Bellot primers. There are small differences between the manufacturers, but they should all work fine in a 650. Bullets I'll order online from one of the previously listed vendors. Powder and primers I'll get from one of several online vendors--Powder Valley, Graf's, Widener's, etc. You'll have to pay a $27.50 hazmat fee plus shipping when ordering online, so it helps to buy in bulk. There are a few places I buy from locally, too. The price usually comes out to be about the same.

Another thing to watch out for with Glocks is making sure your primers aren't too soft or seated too high. Before I had my press dialed in and getting the primers to sit below flush, I'd see a pierced primer on occasion. The firing pin spring on Glocks is pretty stout, ensuring that all different kinds of rounds go off. But the rectangular dimple on the primer combined with an extra strong striker spring, and you could find erosion on your breech face. Maybe avoid softer primers, like Federal, and make sure your primers are seated below flush to be on the safe side.

I have the EGW 7 hole gauge and shoot Glocks. Same experience as you guys. When loading coated lead rounds, I have to adjust the OAL shorter to pass the gauge, even though longer OALs will pass the plunk test on my Glock barrels. The coating on Blue Bullets is rougher than bullets that use Hi-Tek coating and wouldn't pass the case gauge as consistently. With an SNS Casting 147gr coated lead flat point bullet, I could load to 1.135" OAL and pass the case gauge about 95% of the time. Loading to 1.125" OAL, and the rounds would pass the gauge 100%.

Glocks leave a rectangular impression from the firing pin. I thought this was what's known as primer flow. I was concerned at first, but I see the same marks on factory ammo. My usual target loads are much softer than factory, so I don't worry about it anymore.

Full-metal Jacket, FMJ, bullets will be more expensive compared to plated, coated, and cast lead bullets. FMJ loads will usually require more powder to reach the same velocity as loads with coated or lead bullets, but the difference in powder charges amounts to fractions of a cent. Depending on your gun, load, and other factors, you'll get comparable accuracy from all the bullet types. Generally, jacketed hollow-point bullets will be more accurate than the bullet types mentioned. Plated bullets use an electroplating process to put a thin copper plating over a swaged or cast lead core. Some companies re-size the bullets after plating for greater consistency. One benefit is that the entire bullet is plated, leaving no exposed lead like you'd find in an FMJ bullet. The plating tends to be thinner than the copper jacket of an FMJ bullet. You need to be more careful crimping plated bullets or you can cut through the plating, which can cause excessive smoke when firing these rounds and other issues. Plated bullets are usually cheaper than FMJ bullets. Coated bullets use a polymer coating over a swaged or cast lead bullet. Most companies offering coated bullets use Hi-Tek coating. The entire bullet is coated, so no exposed lead. Though the coating is very thin, I've found it to be more resilient than the plating on plated bullets. Some powders produce more smoke and a burning smell when used with coated bullets. Coated bullets are usually less expensive than FMJ and plated bullets. Coated bullets are safe to shoot through factory Glock barrels. Lead bullets are the cheapest bullets of all the options. Most cast lead bullets will have grooves for lube. The lube can fall or run out of those grooves and make a mess. Glock says not to shoot bare lead bullets through factory barrels. Plus, you may not like the idea of handling bare lead. For range use, practice, and competition, I find that coated bullets fit the bill. They're usually cheaper than FMJ and plated bullets, require less powder to reach the same velocity, have no exposed lead, are safe to shoot through Glocks (which I shoot primarily), and are very accurate. It was reading through these forums that convinced me to load with coated bullets.

I've had great success with my Hornady Lock 'n Load. This is my first and only press, despite being a progressive. I watched several hours of instructional videos before making the purchase and loading my first rounds. There were some things I had to adjust to get the press dialed in, but now I just load components and crank out rounds. I haven't had to mess with anything at all after the initial setup. I use a crush washer on the shellplate, so I don't have issues with the shellplate wobbling. Smoothed out the contact surfaces on the primer shuttle and put a shim under the primer ram to get good primer seating. I'd say those were the biggest "fixes" I had to make. The selling points for the Hornady for me were ease of changing calibers (though I only load 9mm) and lower cost. A Dillon would've been great, but I only load about 5000 rounds a year, so it was hard for me to justify the higher expense.

I've loaded Blue Bullets (Round Nose) and SNS Casting (Flat Point) bullets in 147 gr. Both shot well, but Blue Bullets will leave blue residue when handled. Flat point bullets work better through my bullet feeder setup, so that's what I prefer. They leave nicer holes on paper, too. Price is less than $.08 per bullet when purchased in bulk. No problems with the .356" diameter. These have been shot through several 9mm Glocks with factory and match barrels. A good suppressor load is 3.6 gr N320. 1.135 OAL for factory Glock barrels. 1.125 OAL for some tighter match barrels I have. I've also had great success with Bayou Bullets (Flat Point) 124 gr bullets. About $.07 per bullet for these. The SNS Casting bullets had the smoothest, uniform finish. Bayou Bullets were comparable. The Blue Bullets I've used had a bumpier texture, but this didn't affect function or accuracy in my testing.

FM brass is okay to load for minor and where PF isn't an issue. Before reloading, I bought a few cases of FM ammo and saved the brass. I've reloaded the same FM brass at least two times with no case separation issues. But I usually use those reloads at lost brass matches. The primer pockets aren't crimped as far as I can tell, and I haven't had trouble depriming them. It is terrible brass, though, with the flash coming out into the primer pocket. That's probably where the OP's primer seating issues stem from.

The coating on the Bayou Bullets I've used has been very smooth. I haven't seen anything resembling an "orange peel" texture. I've gone through a case (3100) of the SNS Casting 147 gr coated flat point bullets. I've tried Blue Bullets, Black Bullets, Bayou Bullets, and SNS Casting. Blue Bullets had the most uneven finish, but they worked fine. I prefer the bullet profiles and Hi-Tek coating offered by Bayou and SNS. Flat point bullets work better in my bullet feeder. I can load the SNS Casting 147 gr coated bullets to 1.135 OAL in a match barrel for my Glock 19. I can load them even longer in OEM Glock barrels, but I like to load everything to pass chamber check in my match barrel. The coating is very smooth and has more of a matte finish. I'd say the finish on Bayou bullets is just as smooth, but appears glossier.

WSF is softer shooting than N320? Interesting, I wouldn't have guessed that; I haven't tried WSF yet. I've been using that same load with N320, 3.2gr @ 1.135" with 147gr coated lead and it feels pretty soft to me. WSF burns slower than N320, so the recoil impulse is more of a push than a snap. It's subjective, but WSF feels softer to me. WSF is also more accurate out of my Glocks than N320.

I run a very similar load in my stock Gen 4 Glock 17 and 19. 147 gr SNS Casting (coated) bullet, 3.6 gr WSF at 1.135 OAL. Extremely soft shooting and accurate. 3.4 gr WSF will cycle my Glocks reliably, but you may need to a little more powder to cycle a Glock 34. I use N320 as well, but the recoil is sharper with the same bullets. 3.2 gr N320 at 1.135 OAL pushing a 147 gr bullet. I've worked up loads for 124/125 gr bullets, but they're snappier than 147 gr.

If you can see the bare lead underneath, then that's too much crimp. Depending on which powder you use, having exposed lead will generate more smoke. I crimp to about .377-.378 with coated bullets and don't have any issues with smoke. Though I can see a slight indentation in the coating, the coating is still intact.

I second the SNS 147 gr flat points. I can load these longer than the round nose 147 gr bullets from Blue Bullets and Black Bullets International. Supposedly, the lack of lube groove is a benefit because of the longer bearing surface. Accuracy with all three manufacturers is excellent, but the flat points make nice, clean holes on paper. I prefer the SNS bullets because they feed better in the bullet feeder die I'm using. The coating on the SNS bullets is smoother and more uniform.

Thanks for articulating that. I looked in my EGW gauge earlier and saw that the shoulder where the case mouth rests extends straight down. That's the exact issue I had where the bearing surface of a loaded round hit the area where you'd normally have leade/throat.

Others have ruled it out, but I use the EGW case gauge and found that it is very sensitive to OAL and bullet profile. All other things being equal, shortening the OAL fixed the issue with rounds not passing the EGW case gauge. I use a Lee U-Die to size my 9mm brass. I bell my brass to .385" and taper crimp using a separate die to .376-.378. Any more crimp, and you run the risk of cutting the coating on coated lead bullets. I couldn't set up my seating die to seat and crimp at the same time without scraping the coating on coated lead bullets. After crimping, I run all my rounds through a Lee FCD with the crimping stem removed. This is just an added precaution to make sure my brass isn't bulged and is sized close to factory specs. For 147 gr SNS coated, flat point bullets, 1.135 OAL loads will pass the EGW case gauge. I do have about 2-5 out of every 100 that don't pass the case gauge, but by a smaller margin than the examples you've shown, Russell. I'm going to shorten my OAL to 1.125 to 1.130 to make sure all the rounds pass. Almost all the rounds that don't pass the EGW case gauge still pass the plunk test in my factory Glock barrels. However, I have rounds that pass the EGW case gauge that still won't pass the plunk test in my match barrels. So I end up testing all my rounds in the match barrel anyway.

My standard load for the 147 gr SNS coated, flat-point bullet is 3.2 gr N320 at 1.135 OAL. I've used various primers and brass. I run these through a GLOCK 17 and 19. On the forums, most of the 147 gr coated lead bullet loads with N320 suggest 3.2/3.3 gr at 1.135 OAL to make power factor. I can get my guns to cycle with lower charges, but I've found that shooting during transitions affects the point of impact much more. That may be what was happening to you at the match.