Ben53

I'm a gunsmith with decades of experience with Remington's and other firearms. PM me with specifics and I'll see if I can help.

I've never had a problem with Norma, there are undersize pins available for most decapper dies.

I like the Zombie Pro also, have it on my original TP9SFx. No complaints at all, dropped right in.

I'm running Sport Pistol under Blue 147 TC's, and am extremely pleased. All the accuracy I need (and more!), easy recoil, cost efficient, clean.

Try pushing them through a .357 or .358 sizing die. That should put a short cylindrical section on the ball that you can crimp into. I haven't done it, but others have. It should work fine. Not sure how to lube to avoid leading. Powder coating would be fine, I would think.

I've been using 147 gr. truncated Blue Bullets and Sport Pistol powder to make accurate minor loads for USPSA. Has been working well for me.

I run them through the APP to deprime only, no need to resize. then wash & dry as above. I use Southern Shine media in a F.A.R.T.. When putting the brass into the progressive press, I use a light Lanolin spray to add just a touch of lube, and they run through the press easily. Removing the primers keeps the primer residue from gunking up the press and I can go a bit longer without lubing & cleaning.

R3Brass. I bought their bulk unprocessed brass and processed it myself. Good people and good product.

I run original TP9SFx's, but really like everything I've heard about the Rival. Now, with a steel frame, I may have to upgrade. I've never had any problems at all with my SFx's, complete reliability so far, and there's a lot to be said for that. I can't think of any reason the steel frame wouldn't be the same.

Don't know if this will work for you or not, but I use Sport Pistol for minor 9mm w/147 gr. Blue Bullets. Sport Pistol is pretty available right now, I think. It's a nice soft load that works for me in CO. Hope this helps.

I is a lot of fun, for sure! You should go to another one and check it out once again. I'm just getting back into it after being out for 12 or more years.

I shoot Caniks for competition in USPSA Carry Optic, and (Laughing!) Ruger New Model Vaquero's for SASS (Cowboy Action)!! But for serious social purposes, I keep either a G17 or a G23 handy, stock, with factory ammo.

Welcome from another "old guy" (69 years). This is a great forum, and I've learned a lot from the good folks here! I also learned I'm probably not ever going to be a world champion in action pistol shooting! LOL....

My 9mm Minor load is the Blue 147 gr. bullet over a small amount of Sport Pistol. Recoil is very mild, recovery is fast.

I have that same set-up. Recently I tore mine down for cleaning/lube. If you haven't, I'd suggest you try that first. It isn't difficult, and you might find some "crud" in there keeping the mechanism from advancing fully. Primer residue may be a culprit, or granules of powder. I deprime and wet clean my brass before it goes through my machine, but if you don't that may be what's causing the problem. Anyway, that's just my best guess. Good luck, and let us know what you find out, ok? By the way, I've had my SDB since the mid-'90's and it's still going strong. Dillon has been great about keeping it running on the few occasions it needed something.

I've been using 147's, but I'm going to try some 135's my next match. I've been told it's an excellent compromise.

I've had good luck with 147s for minor in my TP9SFx's, but want to try some 135's as well. The 147's with Sport Pistol is a soft shooting, accurate load with perfect reliability.

I run my fired brass through the LEE APP press; very fast decapping there. Then tumble clean w/SS pins and Armor All Wash-N-Wax. After drying, they go through my Dillon. Works fast for me and squeaky clean brass through the press to load.

Hello, and welcome! Where in NC are you? We have USPSA shooters all over the state!

The only time I've had cases split like that was when I was over-sizing them. For me it was using a carbide .45 Colt die to size. When I moved to a properly made "steel" die, that problem went away. .45 Colt is not a strictly straight-wall case and in my case, didn't respond well at all to the carbide sizing treatment. So, what caliber is that, what dies are you using to size it with, and what are you shooting it in? Starline has a stellar reputation with most reloaders.

I seem to remember some nickel Federal 9mm brass that had small flash holes, my Lee deprimer would get stuck in them. Seemed to only happen with those Federal nickel, and the unplated brass cases were just fine.

Sorry to hear. RIP, and condolences to friends and family.

I usually set up my recoil spring so the cartridges are ejected about 5' plus or minus. This gets me in the ballpark usually, and then, if necessary, a small tweak for recoil management. YMMV.

This discussion has given me a lot to think about. I'm a Super Senior, and not in the best of shape. I enjoy the comradery and the shooting, and I do try to help with pasting and resetting. I don't think I could keep up as an RO. The biggest problem is that the heat often gets to me here in the hot, humid south, and I can't do all I want to do to help without often having some issues. Last time I shot (It's been a while) someone must have noticed I was starting to struggle and when it was time to tear down I was told not to worry about it, go on and cool off. I appreciated that, but I know I haven't been holding up my end of squad duties. I'm working on getting into better shape but it's not that easy for me... but working on it! I know I probably won't ever be the best squad mate you've ever shot with, but I do hope to be more helpful in the future. I appreciate the comments on here and promise to work harder not to be one of "those guys." Thanks to all.

Ok, sorry, I didn't catch that. My bad. Have you contacted Dillon directly about it? They are usually very responsive to customer needs! They may be able to get you the parts you need to rebuild your machine. Just a thought.