hobbit99

Wait.... Now I'm offended that you un-offended some guys but not me.! I want to be offended and un-offended too.... Please, can I, huh, can I..

Hmm, well that does make a difference..... I guess. I am afraid MY rationalization would be far more drastic than that... I know quality costs money. But there is a limit to my understanding. Sometimes you just have to say NO.!!! But I'm happy for you.!!

Hmmm... Really.?? Let's see now... Right hand = New shooting glasses; Left hand = Food for a couple of months or more.... and incessant complaining.... and constantly looking over shoulder for flying objects.... I guess it's pretty much a toss-up.

Your German is probably WAY more current than mine....

N3WWN...Your image in the last post made me think. I went back to your post of the measurements and read more thoroughly. I also reviewed the "net" and found some more images of sectioned brass much as you said. After reviewing and thinking I believe that your measurements are probably very close.... but I think you may have moved a little off track in a couple of places. This is really easy to do on a computer, especially when you are working quickly. In any event, here is what I discovered. You said: .... "... the "good" range brass shows about 0.009"-0.011" for the top ~1/4" of the wall..." Okay, this sounds plausible. "... brass culled out has walls 0.013"-0.015", with 0.0135" being the most common (same top ~1/4" of the wall)..." Okay here too, sounds likely. Here is where things start to go a little "off". "...If I have the FCD set to just remove the flare from my "good" range brass, let's call that 0.010" for each wall + 0.3565" for the bullet, or 0.3585" at the case mouth...." Not really... Your numbers allow for only an additional .002 (two thousandths..) for the case walls instead of .020 (twenty thousandths..). The correct number here should be .3765 not .3585. "...If we throw in the worst case reject brass, that's 0.015" for each wall + 0.3565" for the bullet, or 0.3595..." Again, not really. The number here should be an additional .030 (thirty thousandths..) for a total of .3865 not .3595. "...BUT, the FCD is set to 0.3585", so the bullet is getting swaged 0.0010", resulting in a 0.3555" bullet at the case mouth..." The errors up there ^ start compounding... The FCD would be set to .3765 resulting in a swaging effect of .010 (ten thousandths..) not .001... resulting in a bullet diameter at the case mouth of .3465 not .3555. It is now easy to see why there could be a problem. Your original "good cases" would allow the bullet to leave the case at approximately .3565 which is very close to groove diameter and with a little obturation should fit the barrel very well. The "bad" cases would close the bullet down an additional .010 (ten thousandths..) which would make them undersize for the bore at .3465. Now, depending on the amount of internal taper in the case, the "driving" surface of the bullet could be a bit smaller than that.!!! Undersize = yes.!! Gas leakage = yes.!! Gas cutting = probably.!! Deformed bases = probably.!! Squeezed like this, it is conceivable that the bullets may not have even touched the lands..... Remember the potential diameter of the lands is around .348, depending on the type of barrel and the QC by the manufacturer, and whether or not they hold tight to SAAMI specs. You could probably use these cases, but you would have to back your FCD off to just straighten out the case at the mouth without swaging them down..... This puts a whole new light on this issue.....

Hmmm, yes, I know. I thought that is what I said... "That would mean you could shoot in various divisions depending on how you have the gun set up." Maybe I was not clear. Sorry for any confusion...

I don't know what they did... if anything. But the forum is definitely quicker today. Me and my Mac(s) thank the responsible party..!!

Exactly.... I've fired a LOT of dented cases in my lifetime. Everything from small dents across the case caused by dropping a round to dents on shoulders caused by excessive case lube (way back in the days of sticky case lube in tubes..!). I have never had a problem firing a dented case. Of course, I HAVE thrown away a few with BIG dents too.. As long as the "dents" are not "creases" I would do exactly as Mem-Mech suggested. Should not be a problem...

Hey Uni & H-P J..... Quick question for you guys... The single prescription is perfect for our use I think, rather than fool around with bi-focal lenses. So, here's the question.... Can you get a prescription like that in a GOOD quality ANSI/MilSpec pair of shooting glasses..?? You know, with wrap-around lenses..?? My current eye guy made up a pair for me, but I had to order side wings to cover the edges and couldn't get the lens color I wanted either. I haven't seen anything like that around here..... Hence the question.

Tres interresant.!! Thanks for the image... That explains a lot.!! Some things I was not aware of (bad English..), I had no idea you were loading that short. That definitely makes a difference. How many different guns do you try to use the same load in.?? Admittedly, there is more thickness variation in the walls than I had imagined. I knew there would be some..(all cases are somewhat thicker near the web..). So, the deeper you seat your bullets the more potential swelling of the case and the more swaging that would occur in the FCD...depending on how it is set up. I stopped writing for a moment and did some quick checking... Have to go find my slide rule... I'll be back after I do some checking and some calculations...

Ja und Nein.....?? Mein Deutsch ist alt und selten verwendet. Ich denke, so oder so in Ordnung...(that's not right...??) ... entweder man ist in ordnung ... ?? Ich bin nicht der deutschen sprache Polizei.!!! Or something like that....

Ich verstehen...

Hey Possum Stomper.... Did you overstate your case maybe..?? Just a little..?? Let's see now.... 5 x $50.00 = $450 ??? Yikes.!! My college calculus tells me that although $250 -> (approaches..) $450.. it really isn't close enough...!!!!!

Well, Howdy....!! I am guessing that I am not the only one who discovered the forum outage today.... (assumptions..??) Forum "went down" about 2:15 EDT and generated error messages across the entire site. Now back operational at approx 6:15 EDT....

Ahhh, yes, that makes the issue a little more demanding. A good eye doctor will probably be able to help, although he probably WONT have the ability to work with glasss like SSP. My prescription glasses are good, but are not a wrap-around style. I have to use them with side shields. Also, the lenses are quite expensive and the correction is NOT in the top of the lens. >>Sigh<<. I like my SSP glasses better.

Spoken like someone who has seen the light. Much as Falstaff proclaimed in one of The Bard's works.... "Discretion is the better part of valor." .... (probably misquoted, but I don't care.... the gist is correct.).... See Act I, Henry the Fourth....

I want to thank those who have contributed to this discussion. It has been enlightening. I find it a little amusing that almost everyone who has posted here in this discussion admits to the usefulness of the FCD. That seems to support my original thesis on the matter, even though there are some individuals posting on the reloading forum who seem to adhere to the idea that the FCD is totally worthless and is in fact a danger to the sport and to society as a whole. In any event, due to the absence of any reasoned response to the contrary, I guess I will just continue to use the FCD (very carefully..!) as a separate operation. When I have some reliable data from loads I will post it. Perhaps it will point to something definitive... or maybe not. Ultimately my goal is to produce 9mm ammunition that is solid, runs clean and cool, and performs better than I can shoot. And, much as MemphisMech has indicated, that is quite enough. There is no reason to spend hours and days and weeks testing and evaluating if there is nothing to be gained on the target. I just want to know that when I experience a sub-standard performance, the problem is with me.... not the ammunition.

That is a LOT of powder and primers..!! My last order was about half of that weight and I still made out far better than local purchase.

You silver tongued devil.... Certainly have a way with words.!! The only cases I have culled at this point are the stepped ones I have reserved for the recycler. Everything else is still in play. There are a certain number of cases that I don't recognize and a few with sealed primers that are "suspect". Those are the ones that will be looked at more carefully. Originally, I was asking about the FCD because of some threads in the reloading forum and some statements there bashing it without explanation. Just hoping to find out more about the "why" of it all. In any event, I will continue to research here... maybe it will become more transparent. Re: Your "Analogy Alert" ..... I realize that I fit into that scenario somewhere. Of course, perceptions are strange things. My anal-retentive mode has served me well in various situations where attention to detail was first and foremost. I still make mistakes, but not because I haven't thought it through.... or because I just threw up my hands and said "that's good enough". One of my catch phrases that seems to properly state my position is: "Why is there never enough time to do a job right, but always enough time to do a job over.??" I don't feel guilty for being the former OR the latter. Sometimes you're the butter and sometimes you're the knife..... to put a slightly "nicer" slant to a trite saying.!!

I am going to take the option here of responding "in line" instead of quoting and restating.....

Hmmm... You must not shoot or load a lot of ammunition... I have several local sources who know me well. They can't come close to Powder Valley's prices even with HazMat included.... It's not possible to source locally for the price you can get online. Precisely.....

Yes it does.... The problem is, at least for me right now, I don't have enough of any one kind. I ordered 5000 from Monmouth and there is tremendous disparity in those cases. At least ten different headstamps that I recognize and more that I have never seen before. I need the brass for practice mostly..... I can set aside enough of one brand for match use if necessary. I just don't want to have to adapt loads or continuously sort brass by headstamp before loading. I will work it out by judicious sorting and weighing. It looks like that will be my only choice, at least for now.

"Put it on your permit.." ??? Ohh, NY. Okie Dokie. Ich verstehen (I think..!!) Doesn't matter though. Welcome aboard. Lots of good folks around here. Sounds like you have some nice toys!!

Welcome to the forums.!! Lots of your fellow Texicans around here.!! Lets see now... WEST Tejas...??? Texas is so big it's ALL west, isn't it.?? I mean it is to me anyway. I'm in the Old North State.!! (North Carolina..) So, addicted to USPSA huh.? Could be a lot worse.!!

Welcome Mr. Sanchez.....!! As you can tell we're pretty formal around here....NOT.!