reloading questions

[T_Linville]

Ok first off i am new to reloading, i bought a dillon 550 and have it set up to load 9mm all that is left to do is get the powder set where i need it. I have my bullet depth set, the only problem i am having so far is how to set the crimp. Any insight on this would be great. As i am pretty new to this forum my search skills aren't very good yet thanks in advance..

[bodene 5]

Ok first off i am new to reloading, i bought a dillon 550 and have it set up to load 9mm all that is left to do is get the powder set where i need it. I have my bullet depth set, the only problem i am having so far is how to set the crimp. Any insight on this would be great. As i am pretty new to this forum my search skills aren't very good yet thanks in advance..

http://www.reviewsofthings.com/guns/crimping_9mm_luger_%20cases_for_reloading.html here ia a link i used when i set up my dillon sdb my came with way to much crimp i used a bullet puller and pulled a round apart to check the crimp . a dummy round with no primer or powder ofcourse and went from there it took me a few times to get it where i needed it take youre time and dont rush

[bodene 5]

sorry i forgot to mention i took a factory round apart with the puller and looked at the crimp dont know if it was right or wrong to do but i had no help and it gave me a rough idea of what a crimp should look like just fyi

[CocoBolo]

Ok first off i am new to reloading, i bought a dillon 550 and have it set up to load 9mm all that is left to do is get the powder set where i need it. I have my bullet depth set, the only problem i am having so far is how to set the crimp. Any insight on this would be great. As i am pretty new to this forum my search skills aren't very good yet thanks in advance..

I'm not new and I can't find anything either.

Since you are new I will try to put all the details in place. First is reloading is all about the details. You didn't say what type of bullet you are working with. So I am going to answer as if you are loading a jacketed bullet, if you are loading moly, cast, or plated this answer could very well be wrong.

Set the crimp so that the diameter of the brass at the edge is .377 to .378. Crimp a dummy round, next take the round and place the nose of the bullet against the bench press on it firmly with your thumb, measure the length again if it moved give it more crimp.

I'm not sure if you are asking how to adjust the amount of powder drop or how to set the bell on the expander. The bell for Jacketed 9 mm should be @.380 to .382. To adjust the powder turn it clock wise for more counter clock wise for less. Make sure that you are using load data that applies to the powder that you are using and the bullet you are using and the primer you are using and that you are wll below the maximum level of powder, and that you total length aka OAL is at least as long or longer than specified in the load data. . Check and recheck and check again, load a few and check the powder level again.

Keep in mind that you adjustments need to be made when all of the stations have brass in them. If there is no brass in the sizing die then your bullet seat depth will shorten by about .010 depending on the die you are using.

Before you crank out 10,000 rounds I suggest you make a few dummies, no powder, no primer, make sure that they fit in your mags and that they will cycle thru your gun. Again I have no idea if you have selected the proper length without the details about the bullet and the gun you intend to shoot it in. Make sure you don't mix the dummies up with the real mccoy, and don't drop the hammer on the dummies.

Always drop check every round in a SAMMI guage or your barrel at least. My first batch of 9 mm produced the worst jams you can imagine, I had to jam the end of the slide on a brick to get it to open up! A fat 9 case will really lock it up tight, and it won't go in to battery. Can't close it and can't open it.

Also on 9 mm check all your brass with a magnet, some of it is steel with a brass wash on it, and when you shoot one of those it can get wedged in the chamber and its time to get the brass rod and hammer it out.

While loading any time anything goes wrong stop and check the status of every peice of brass in the loader at every station and make any corrections, it is the interrups when something goes wrong that causes real problem later shooting the ammo, squibs and double charges.

[T_Linville]

thanks for the great reply, i understand how to set the machine up i was just woundering mainly about the crimp. Yes the bullets are jacketed precesion delta 147gr powder is going to be titegroup. My measurements on the dummy rounds i have made are just about right on with the specs you gave,a few more adjustments and i should be ready to go.. thanks again...

[bodene 5]

he hit the nail on the head i would follow his advice to a tee there is alot of good folks on this forum here and some damn good help. it is nice to have a place to go for help on these things when you are first starting out. these guys are the best

[Red Ryder]

The subject of "crimp" in 9mm reloading really should be called "removing the bell" the press makes so a new bullet can be seated.YOU REALLY DON'T WANT A CRIMP. "Setback" is when the bullet on a newly reloaded round becomes accidentally seated deeper than you started out with when cycled through the gun. This can be dangerous if the result is a compressed load. You want to avoid this. It can be avoided by using the EGW U-Die, a special die sold by Evolution Gun works for 20$. It sizes the brass case .001 slimmer than a regular die, resulting in a tighter fit between the case and seated bullet. Just get the EGW U-die and not worry about "setback" again. (It will also solve a few other problems you may run into using used brass.) I started out with the U-die so I have had no experiences with bullet setback. The final reloaded round should mic .376 to 0.379 inches at the diameter of the case just before it meets the new bullet. Anything smaller is "crimp" and accuracy and performance could be negatively affected. Anything larger won't passed the case gauge check or barrel check,,, and you should case gauge check EVERY round. Good luck!

Edited June 29, 2011 by Red Ryder

[ckfarris]

use your calipers and make sure your reloads are identical to a factory load and you should be good to go

[rfwobbly]

Set the crimp so that the diameter of the brass at the edge is .377 to .378. Crimp a dummy round, next take the round and place the nose of the bullet against the bench press on it firmly with your thumb, measure the length again if it moved give it more crimp.

Mr Bolo told you right. The picture in your reloading book showing .380" at the case mouth is the SAAMI maximum. So if you want your cartridge to fit your chamber, then you need to be smaller than that number... and .377 to .378" works out great. However, your barrel is ALWAYS the ultimate authority. The reason this number is not printed anywhere is that you should do successively tighter crimps until one of your "test cartridges" (no primer; no powder) will drop in and out of the naked chamber using ONLY it's own weight. When you reach that point, then a caliper measurement should confirm .377 to .378". So we set out to please the barrel; we use the diameter as confirmation. This simply because every barrel is different.

Allow me to make an additional observation that taper crimp is more important on 9x19 than almost any other cartridge. This is because the Luger cartridge is tapered, whereas a 45ACP is not. If a 45ACP or 38 Super (both nearly straight wall cartridges) will even enter the chamber, then it's as good as home. However, it's quite common for new 9x19 reloaders to not crimp enough. The result is that the 9x19 cartridge will enter the chamber, but due to the taper only make it half-way home, thus keeping the gun from going into battery. This is all the result of the tapered cartridge trying to fit into a tapered chamber. So proper 9mm chambering is the "driver" for all this detail.

The measurements we're discussing here are about 1/3 the diameter of a human hair. Probably the finest adjustments you've ever made. So work slowly and with tiny incremental changes and you'll get there.

Hope this helps!

Edited June 29, 2011 by rfwobbly

[astephenson]

I've never measured the crimp on my 9mm loads. I've only ever removed the belling by visual and tactile inspection. As long as you're sizing the cases correctly there should be enough tension to hold the bullet without having to crimp, so that's not an issue. You just want the case wall to be straight enough that it's going to feed/chamber properly.

[Bob DuBois]

Think everyone covered it well, to much crimp and accuracy goes away.

[OUshooter]

The subject of "crimp" in 9mm reloading really should be called "removing the bell" the press makes so a new bullet can be seated.YOU REALLY DON'T WANT A CRIMP. "Setback" is when the bullet on a newly reloaded round becomes accidentally seated deeper than you started out with when cycled through the gun. This can be dangerous if the result is a compressed load. You want to avoid this. It can be avoided by using the EGW U-Die, a special die sold by Evolution Gun works for 20$. It sizes the brass case .001 slimmer than a regular die, resulting in a tighter fit between the case and seated bullet. Just get the EGW U-die and not worry about "setback" again. (It will also solve a few other problems you may run into using used brass.) I started out with the U-die so I have had no experiences with bullet setback. The final reloaded round should mic .376 to 0.379 inches at the diameter of the case just before it meets the new bullet. Anything smaller is "crimp" and accuracy and performance could be negatively affected. Anything larger won't passed the case gauge check or barrel check,,, and you should case gauge check EVERY round. Good luck!

What RR said can't be over stated. Get a case gage and check your setback religiously for the first 15-20 rounds, then still check it at random. For plinking ammo you can use your barrel as a gage. For competition/life on the line ammo you have got to use a gage. I have seen lots of ammo that "passed the chamber test" but wouldn't run under the timer.

No amount of setback is an acceptable amount. A properly sized case with a properly seated/crimped bullet shouldn't move at all. If you are running used brass then get a EGW U die and life will be good.