h4444 Posted August 17, 2012 Share Posted August 17, 2012 Help.... I just converted my 550 from .45 to .40. And I think I have something that is not setup right yet. I wanted to load up fifty for a test batch, but I had to load 72 just to get 50 that would fit the chamber of my sti. The barrel was pulled of course. Of the 22 that failed they all did the same thing, they would go about 90 percent of the way into the chamber then get stuck. I could force them in but would have to pry them out. I am loading a 180 grain berry in mixed once fired brass,,,there is no pattern to the brass brand nor whether or not they were glock fired. The oal is 1.165. I was loading a little longer, but it seemed like I was having more success when loading them a bit shorter. No worries on the pressure by shortening these, I had lengthened a Load from hodgdon's website, so I am safe if I have to crank them down a bit more. As I type this I am starting to wonder if maybe the chamber in my pistol is a little short...... Pardon any spelling errors,,,,,typing on a tablet that seems to enjoy changing words to whatever the heck it feels like.....dang autocorrect. Byron Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D.Hayden Posted August 17, 2012 Share Posted August 17, 2012 Do you have a case gauge? If so.. try the round after each stage of the process.. that might pinpoint the issue pretty quick Just off the top of my head, either not sized enough or the seating went awry? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yoshidaex Posted August 17, 2012 Share Posted August 17, 2012 Sounds like the free bore length is on the shorter side for your barrel. Use of a shorter oal or reaming your barrel should do it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jetracer013 Posted August 17, 2012 Share Posted August 17, 2012 I think you are experiencing "Glock Bulge." Are you using once fired (or more) brass? Due to the unsupported chamber of a glock, cases that were fired in them, have a bulge near the base. To correct this, EGW makes a "U-die" U is for undersized. This sizes the case all the way down to the base slightly smaller to bring it back into spec. I had the same issue and the U-die corrected it. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corey Posted August 17, 2012 Share Posted August 17, 2012 Have you set up the press in .40 before or is this the first time? My guess is the bulge as well with .40. EGW or Lee undersize die should help. I still have about 1 in 100 that wont fit my chamber gauge perfectly and those get tossed into the practice bin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
h4444 Posted August 17, 2012 Author Share Posted August 17, 2012 Have you set up the press in .40 before or is this the first time? My guess is the bulge as well with .40. EGW or Lee undersize die should help. I still have about 1 in 100 that wont fit my chamber gauge perfectly and those get tossed into the practice bin. Yeah, I've ran .40 before, I'm getting this with non-Glock'd brass as well. I'm going to start with D.Hayden's suggestion, I'll pull the barrel and test after each station. The other thought about a short chamber is valid too and come to think about it, nearly all were doing this when I was loading around 1.19. So, I may crank a few down to around 1.155 and see if that helps....I'll need to back off on my load a bit,,,I was starting a smidge too high anyway....nothing over max, just higher than I probably need to make a nice comfy major. My fist batch is going in the practice bin. Thanks much, and keep 'em coming. I really appreciate the help. Thanks, Byron Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrumpyOne Posted August 17, 2012 Share Posted August 17, 2012 (edited) It's not a free bore problem. If it were a free bore issue, you wouldn't be able to push them into the chamber with your fingers, as you would be trying to seat the bullet deeper as you did. It is an issue of bulged brass. Take your calipers, and measure a round that for a fit nicely, and measure one that won't. I'll bet the one that won't fit is bigger at the base than the one that does fit. Make sure the sizing die on the press is going all the way to the shell plate when sizing. The issue could also be caused by short stroking the press. Edited August 17, 2012 by GrumpyOne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Braxton1 Posted August 17, 2012 Share Posted August 17, 2012 (edited) I didn't see what brand of dies you're using, but there is an issue that CAN pop up with some dies that hasn't been addressed yet: 40S&W has a short web in the case that doesn't taper much at all. With certain brands of dies (or even certain early vintages of those dies), it is possible to set-up the die where it is trying to re-size the solid brass of the web. Of course, that can't be done, so the displaced brass has to go somewhere. If the die doesn't have enough radius at the entrance and you try to use the old "screw the die down until it touches the shellplate" method, you can actually push a burr ahead of the die, ruining the case. I haven't seen this happen since the early 90s, since most die manufacturers figured it out pretty quickly and put more radius at the die mouth, but those older dies may still be out there. At one point with their first generation 40 dies, Dillon's recommendation was to leave a nickel's thickness between the die and the shellplate. Edited August 17, 2012 by Braxton1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhenry132 Posted August 17, 2012 Share Posted August 17, 2012 More Cow Bell ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
h4444 Posted August 17, 2012 Author Share Posted August 17, 2012 It's not a free bore problem. If it were a free bore issue, you wouldn't be able to push them into the chamber with your fingers, as you would be trying to seat the bullet deeper as you did. It is an issue of bulged brass. Take your calipers, and measure a round that for a fit nicely, and measure one that won't. I'll bet the one that won't fit is bigger at the base than the one that does fit. Make sure the sizing die on the press is going all the way to the shell plate when sizing. The issue could also be caused by short stroking the press. GrumpyOne, I can push them in, but man oh man, it is TIGHT. I loaded 10 down to 1.155 and only got two to fail versus the nearly 1/3 from before at 1.165,,,and nearly all of them at 1.19. Next batch, I'm going to back off on the powder charge a little and run them down to factory length,,,,I bet they'll all work. Hopefully, that's the issue. Then at some point I'll just get the barrel reamed and be good to go.... Byron Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
h4444 Posted August 17, 2012 Author Share Posted August 17, 2012 WINNER WINNER..... If i load them at 1.125,,,,everyone of them loaded at that length have worked just fine when I drop them into the chamber...anything 1.13 or higher and I'm guessing what determines the success/failure is how well or not the Berry's are conforming to the shape they are "supposed" to have. So, looks like the chamber is pretty tight/short. I should be OK for a while,,,,I'm hoping. The first time I shot the pistol and the first match I shot was with factory ammo and it ran just fine. Eventually, I'll want to get it reamed as I'll want to run longer, and maybe experiment a bit more with my loads. For now, I'm starting with 4.9 of U Clays at 1.125. Hodgdon lists 5.0 at 1.125 as their starting load and on paper it is supposed to make a shade over 175 PF, so I'm probably good....I'll confirm soon with a chrono though. Thanks everybody!!!! Byron Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yoshidaex Posted August 17, 2012 Share Posted August 17, 2012 To confirm it is a free bore issue, use a sharpie and mark the head where the bullet will contact the lands. Press the bullet in and remove it. See if the sharpie mark is rubbed off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
h4444 Posted August 17, 2012 Author Share Posted August 17, 2012 To confirm it is a free bore issue, use a sharpie and mark the head where the bullet will contact the lands. Press the bullet in and remove it. See if the sharpie mark is rubbed off. Good one!! I'll do that, as I have about 25 or 30 that are still failing at they previous length, so I'll have plenty of test material. :-) I loaded another 25 or 30 at factory length and they're basically all good to go. I'm wondering if it isn't a combination of very little free bore and the profile of the bullet I'm loading. WE'll see soon as once my shooting budget recovers a bit, I'll be ordering a larger supply of bullets from another supplier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Braxton1 Posted August 18, 2012 Share Posted August 18, 2012 Wow! That is one short-throated STI. My factory gun will take up to 1.200 all day long; that's why I didn't go down that thought path. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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