New reloader - fits gauge but not chamber

[MNshooter]

I've been digging through the forums and *think* I may have found the solution but I'm hoping to get the collective benos universe to weigh in. I'd like to have options when I get back to my press tonight.

I'm loading 147 gr Montana Gold CMJ in range pick up WIN brass at 1.13 - 1.135. I have just enough crimp to remove the bell - about .374. I'm using Dillon dies on a new 550b.

My rounds case gauge all day long. They drop in, spin, and drop out with ease.

When I chamber check in stock Glock barrel, most will drop in, spin and drop out; however, I'm noticing a very high failure rate of about 40%. These 40% will chamber and sit flush but not as smoothly and require just a little help to remove from the barrel. They will soon but need a little force. The specs (oal and crimp) are consistent with the good rounds.

So, is this am issue with the sizing die? It looks to me like the bullet is not canted.

What else should I consider? I'm hesitant to change the dies too much as my "good" rounds feed very well, chamber well and these specs are a proven Glock load.

[SilverBolt]

It sounds like you are doing it right. Have you pulled a bullet to confirm you are not over crimping? I am using the same bullet for my G34. I am loading to 1.15. I case gauge 100% of my rounds but have not bothered with the barrel test since my initial setup. I have now run about 12k-15k rounds with zero failures.

[CZinSC]

Sounds to me like the ogive of the bullet is hitting the lands. With that OAL you might be right at the cusp of go-no go. Try loading a dummy round out to 1.140. if it sticks in the barrel, that is probably your answer. Depending on the shape of the bullet, you can case gauge and get success and have it not drop free of the barrel. For 115 and 124 is really not an issue, but when you get into JHP's and 147's you can have this issue.

To give you an idea, last weekend I was loading some new bullets i wanted to try. 135 FMJ case gauged fine but wouldn't drop free over 1.125. 147 FMJ i was able to load out to 1.135. In this case, the profile of the 147 is a unique shape and more narrow than the 135.

Just because someone has the same gun/caliber doesn't mean that your round will be the same OAL. It's a good starting point, but you need to fine tune.

[Hi-Power Jack]

loading 147 gr MG CMJ at 1.13 - 1.135. just enough crimp to remove the bell - about .374.

My rounds case gauge all day long. They drop in, spin, and drop out with ease.

40% chamber and sit flush but require help to remove from the barrel.

That's why I don't use a gauge - I use the actual chamber.

Just a little too much crimp is possible. 0.376 .378 micht be better.

If they're not real accurate, that's a clue you have too much crimp.

Will the 40% that "need Help" fire and eject perfectly?

If they work, I wouldn't worry too much about it.

As CZ mentioned, I'd certainly shorten the OAL a bit ( 1.125?) and

see what that does.

Edited July 2, 2014 by Hi-Power Jack

[MNshooter]

Thank you for the replies - keep them coming!

I'm brand new to this, why would over crimping cause the chambering issues I have? I haven't fired any of these rounds yet (loading for chrono) so I can't speak to accuracy. My bullets are about .354 so my crimp is roughly 2x case wall. Maybe I should back off a hair. I pulled a handful and I didn't see any marks or indentation suggesting over crimp. I did pull some AA&A which does have a ring and a much tighter crimp. That said, I have not experienced any accuracy issues with those.

Ogive is not something I've considered. 1.135 is the longest I've loaded but I *think* I can go as long as 1.17 if I did the "push test" correctly. My confusion comes from the fact that most of the rounds drop in, spin, drop free from my barrel easily - why do a handful under the same specs not?

If I can't get this figured out going shorter is the next step. I chose 1.13 as I see a lot of loads on the forum at this length and I liked the cushion (my manuals list 1.10 as min). Also, I have several batches loaded at this length in various charge weights for load development later

I have not fired any of these rounds but I suspect they would eject OK.

I sincerely appreciate the feedback. Any thoughts on resizing? Could it be as simple as lowering the sizing die by a hair?

[Sarge]

One thing at a time. Shorten the oal just a tad and see if the problem goes away. I suspect it will. If not then you can check one more thing, etc until the problem goes away.

[mike_pinto]

One thing to try is the marker test. Draw a couple lines down the side of the case with a marker and see where the ones that are sticking are in-fact sticking. That'll tell you where the issue is. If the marker rubs off at the base, you might have found some brass that was fired from a "not so supported" barrel. The fix to this is to make sure your sizing die is hitting the shellplate, or roll size all of your brass. If its right under the crimp, there's too much, causing the brass to slightly bulge a little on maybe some "more than once or twice" fired brass (read weak brass). If its hitting the lands in the barrel, you will need to shorten the OAL, however, with a CMJ (FMJ profile) 1.13 should be plenty short. I load 1.155 for my M&P with that bullet and have plenty of room. The marker test will tell you where to start, or like Sarge stated, start at OAL and if that doesn't fix it, move on to crimp, sizing, etc..

Hope this helps buddy. Keep us updated..

[lcs]

One thing at a time. Shorten the oal just a tad and see if the problem goes away. I suspect it will. If not then you can check one more thing, etc until the problem goes away.

I suspect that is great advice.

[Laughingdog]

First, .374 sounds like a lot of crimp. Your crimp measurement should be the diameter of your bullet plus twice the thickness of the brass. This usually comes to .380-.381", which is also why every reloading manual I've seen lists one or the other of those as the spec at that point on the cartridge.

Second, not all case gages are the same. I know for a fact that my EGW gage is much tighter than a Dillon case gage. I wrote something up the other day on how to use a micrometer to determine exactly how long the max OAL is for any particular bullet with both the barrel of your gun and with your case gage.

http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=196723&hl=

If your case gage isn't as tight, then get a tighter one. I know the EGW ones are drilled out to the minimum SAAMI spec.

[SilverBolt]

1.15 OAL runs great for me. 1.16 OAL fits the barrel but will not feed in the Glock mag. Are you by chance using case lube? Over crimping can let the round drop too far into the chamber. The lip of the case is supposed to index at the front of the chamber. If that case is crimped too much it could protrude deeper into the bore.

[MNshooter]

I appreciate the suggestions. My calipers (new) died. I'm questioning how accurate my measurements were before. I'm out of commission until I get a fix and can be confident in specs.

[truborshooter]

'Case gages' vary by mfg.

Some use max cartridge specs, some min cartridge, some max chamber

Chambers vary also

http://www.saami.org/PubResources/CC_Drawings/Pistol/9mm%20Luger%20-%209mm%20Luger%20+P.pdf

so it is common for a cartridges to fit the gage and not the chamber

[whitetail1]

Too much crimp!!! drop a suspect round into the barrel. If it does anything but go "CLUNK" there is a problem. The case mouth of the round needs to hit the counter bore in the breach.

It could be your COL but I doubt it with the info you provided. I load 160 grain RN in my Glocks at 1.160 all day and are not even close to hitting the rifling.

Drop your crimp to .378 and it will fix it.

[rhyrlik]

.374" is too much crimp, but not all that excessive. I set mine to .375", but measure some Win factory ammo. Talk about over crimping!

Something else is going on. Are you seating them straight? Are they bulged on one side of the case? Or is the bulge nice and even all the way around? If they are seating crooked, that could explain why some are sticky.

[MNshooter]

Thank you for all the help. I had a wonky caliper. Brian sent me a fresh one and I made a dozen dummy rounds. My "old" dummy rounds were way too long. New OAL 1.135 & crimp .380. They plunk, spin & drop just fine!

Thanks to all who chimed in.