sometimes i think buying factory ammo would be better

[Field]

you load and successfully shoot about 500 rounds of a certain load, then when you are shooting a match and the stage you are on is a big hoser stage with 18 targets, and 4 targets in you have this ONE FREAK CARTRIDGE that is not sized properly and locks your slide up, you have to stop and take X number of mikes and FTE's. then after the match when you are at home you case gauge the rest of your 150 rounds and they all look perfect. srsly. i find it kind of annoying the rules dont allow you to reshoot a stage in those kinds of situations.

but i guess NOT having those odd stage zero'ing occurences do to bad ammo is part of the skill of successful reloading. isnt it.

can anyone say ....hulk smash?

Edited August 2, 2010 by Field

[foilhat]

I have not had any problems with my reloads during practice. After reading on this forum, I started gauging all of my match ammo. I know it's a pain, but I do it when I can't go out because of the weather or I just have a little free time. The match ammo is then set to the side. My practice loads and match loads are the same, but I have been using up my Wolf primers for practice ammo. I haven't had the malf you speak of yet, but I'm sure my days are numbered.

[Skydiver]

I think today's Custer match had some kind of jam vortex surrounding it. I had a jam in the jungle run midway which cost me at least 7-10 seconds. RJ had a jam in the jungle run as well with his limited gun. Gunter had a jam with factory ammo in his Stock M&P on the next stage. I know that Christina had at least two or three jams in her traditionally reliable open gun. The vortex might have been a side effect of the Canadian IPSC Nationals happening up north across the border. :-)

Edited August 2, 2010 by Skydiver

[Skydiver]

Let me recommend using the Lee Factory Crimp Die. It sizes the case while crimping.

http://www.leeprecision.com/html/catalog/dies-crimp.html

(Scroll down about halfway down the page.)

[Sarge]

Case gauge/Barrel Drop is part of my reloading routine. I have enough to worry about during a match without ammo causing problems.

[Chris Keen]

Do NOT use a case gauge to check your ammo, unless you are SURE that the case gauge and the barrel in your gun are exactly identical. I once bought a Dillon case gauge, only to discover than it was looser than the chamber in my gun. So now I ALWAYS take my barrel out of my gun, and drop-check all my ammo in the barrel. There is no substitute for using your own gun to be sure.

[Sarge]

When I am worried about length during load development I always use the barrel. But my case gauge is tighter than my Glock chamber. After getting OAL worked out, if it fits in the gauge it's good.

[G-ManBart]

Do NOT use a case gauge to check your ammo, unless you are SURE that the case gauge and the barrel in your gun are exactly identical. I once bought a Dillon case gauge, only to discover than it was looser than the chamber in my gun. So now I ALWAYS take my barrel out of my gun, and drop-check all my ammo in the barrel. There is no substitute for using your own gun to be sure.

Why not just get a case gauge that's tighter than your barrel? If it goes in the gauge, it'll go in the barrel. I have two .40 gauges, one an EGW, and one custom. I know that any round that goes in either of those will work in any of my guns. R,

[G-ManBart]

One comment about the Lee Factory Crimp Die. Read some of the threads here before you buy one...keep an open mind and then decide whether you want to try one. Some folks like them and some folks hate them.

[Field]

i have the Lee factory crimp die ever since i started reloading actually. Its the last die they get ran through on my LNL-AP.

i really think it was more of a sizing issue that occured do to me doing something odd with the press action for 1 stroke because sometimes ill get thrown off by a bullet falling out of my case during seating, or maybe a partially seated primer stops the press from indexing and i need to goof with some stuff . i don no

[alpha-charlie]

I had the exact same thing happen to me just yesterday. I was only 6 shots into the first stage when a bulged case got lodged into my barrel. Zero'd out on that stage. I didn't properly re-install my re-sizing die when I had to pull it out for a quick fix. My barrel is now my new case gauge

[Field]

I had the exact same thing happen to me just yesterday. I was only 6 shots into the first stage when a bulged case got lodged into my barrel. Zero'd out on that stage. I didn't properly re-install my re-sizing die when I had to pull it out for a quick fix. My barrel is now my new case gauge

ugh. that is worse because having it happen on the first stage kind of steals your thunder a little bit more i think, i had it happen on the second to last stage so it wasnt quite as bad and then the very last stage was the classifier so we were pretty much finished anyways

[Reshoot]

Do NOT use a case gauge to check your ammo, unless you are SURE that the case gauge and the barrel in your gun are exactly identical. I once bought a Dillon case gauge, only to discover than it was looser than the chamber in my gun. So now I ALWAYS take my barrel out of my gun, and drop-check all my ammo in the barrel. There is no substitute for using your own gun to be sure.

+1 on using your barrel. I do so to every round.

Dave

[JeffWard]

I chamber check EVERY round... That's what commercials are for! Mute, chamber-check, primer check, un-mute...

I'm down to <1 failure per 1000, and they're always primers...

Jeff

Edited August 2, 2010 by JeffWard

[Seth]

Guys, I TRULY don't mean to be rude... but something is wrong here. I'm not the most anal retentive reloader and I haven't had a whisker of trouble in the 40-50k rounds I've reloaded. Most have been on a Dillon 650 with a U-die in st. 1 and dillon dies the rest of the way.

I NEVER chamber check anymore. Everything ALWAYS goes bang.... and that's in a Tripp built 2011 with a tight Schuemann barrel.

Perhaps there's a piece of the system that needs to be reevaluated. I can't imagine that I'm special in any way when it comes to reloading, but my stuff is dead reliable.

[Bob DuBois]

While I am mixed on the factory crimp die, I can't say enough about the Lee U die. At a Breakfast this morning I had a friend tell me how pleased he was since going to the U die. Glocked brass ran great through his tight 9mm 1911, even some old brass that he had chunked in the scrap bucket worked.

Every one I have told using STI 40's has had good results, saves a lot of grief.

[Field]

yeah i got the U-die also and it definitely made a difference with the oversized cases.

XDms pretty much have tight chambers for no reason at least i dont know what that reason would be

[CSEMARTIN]

A case gauge will solve your problems. Buying factory ammo will not.

I've got a really good friend that's been shooting Winchester white box 9mm, and the quality isn't even close to being on par with my reloaded ammo.

Edited August 3, 2010 by CSEMARTIN

[joecichlid]

Let me recommend using the Lee Factory Crimp Die. It sizes the case while crimping.

http://www.leeprecision.com/html/catalog/dies-crimp.html

(Scroll down about halfway down the page.)

I am with you on this one. Since day one of my reloading I have been running the Lee FCD and never once had a problem with ammo around this part of the reloading. All my issues have been crimp related, as in not enough or too much but I have it settled down now.

Joe W.

[jmorris]

you have this ONE FREAK CARTRIDGE that is not sized properly and locks your slide up, you have to stop and take X number of mikes and FTE's. then after the match when you are at home you case gauge the rest of your 150 rounds and they all look perfect

It's too late to case gauge after it has jacked your day up. Do it the day before instead of the day after for better results.

Do NOT use a case gauge to check your ammo, unless you are SURE that the case gauge and the barrel in your gun are exactly identical. I once bought a Dillon case gauge, only to discover than it was looser than the chamber in my gun. So now I ALWAYS take my barrel out of my gun, and drop-check all my ammo in the barrel. There is no substitute for using your own gun to be sure

Not a bad idea in theory but in practice you will notice that you are onlychecking about 25% of the base of the cartridge. The hood of the barrel is only over the top of the breech face and the round can be damaged in the feed ramp area or to either side (the parts you are not checking that cause a malfunction). I guess you could mark and index the case around in the barrel 4-5 times and know its ok all the way around but I would rather pay a gunsmith to make me a tight case gauge than waist that much time.

Edited August 3, 2010 by jmorris

[Putty]

Case gauge/Barrel Drop is part of my reloading routine. I have enough to worry about during a match without ammo causing problems.

+1 on barrel drop. Even my case gauge has let some bads through.

[Field]

It's too late to case gauge after it has jacked your day up. Do it the day before instead of the day after for better results.

lol u got that right

[CC712400]

I've had a few unhappy ones, even a few scary ones, but more attention to detail in all aspects (not just the loading or inspecting, but also in brass prep, and load work-up), has always been the solution.

Plus, no matter how scary or costly some baddies can be, one look at factory ammo prices is all I need to feel excited about reloading again.

[TGibe]

Field, Bummer on the jams...

After a few problems early on I now case gauge every round even though I use the EGW undersized die on my 550. I have not had a problem since taking the time to do this. I find about 3 rounds per thousand that don't gauge properly and usually the problem is a burr on the bottom of the case.

Cheers,

Allen

[Chris iliff]

Keep reloading. I zeroed a whole stage at the recent Indiana State/Section, due to one bad round. I've reloaded on a 650 for 5 years and this is the first time this has ever happened. I undersize everything first and then load. Crap happens, unfortunately, ..... sometimes when it matters the most.