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9mm bullets seating crooked


Kepo

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On a similar note, when I load 9mm on my Dillon 550, I get the coke bottle effect described by everybody, but the contour along the case is asymmetrical. The bulge caused by seating the bullet is usually more pronounced on one side than the other. I can both see the difference and feel it with my fingernail. On one side, the case is nearly straight/flat if you draw a line from the case mouth to the case head. Then on the other side, there is a bump where the seated bullet causes a bulge. These rounds fit in my chamber and case gauge without problem, but the assymetry bothers me. I don't know if this is normal for a Dillon 550 and Dillon dies or not.

Do you guys see anything similar?

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On a similar note, when I load 9mm on my Dillon 550, I get the coke bottle effect described by everybody, but the contour along the case is asymmetrical. The bulge caused by seating the bullet is usually more pronounced on one side than the other. I can both see the difference and feel it with my fingernail. On one side, the case is nearly straight/flat if you draw a line from the case mouth to the case head. Then on the other side, there is a bump where the seated bullet causes a bulge. These rounds fit in my chamber and case gauge without problem, but the assymetry bothers me. I don't know if this is normal for a Dillon 550 and Dillon dies or not.

Do you guys see anything similar?

This is exactly what I'm seeing on my Lee Classic Turret. Almost everything gauges ok, but the lack of symmetry is disconcerting. I thought perhaps my bullet seating die was causing the problem; if adjusted per directions, the Lee seating die will crimp when it seats, which I didn't want. I'd backed it way out to prevent crimping, but maybe I'd gone too far.

Farther up the thread, I noticed a couple folks suggested a bent/obstructed powder//flare die was the culprit, so I'm going to take mine apart.

This a really good example of a useful thread. Thanks everyone who contributed.

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I took the insert out of the die, drilled a bigger hole in the center, and put some grease on a bullet then jb welded the bullet into the insert. Let it dry then filed away the excess. Now the insert is contacting the ogive during seating and not the tip of the bullet. Seems to be working better.

Edited by Kepo
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  • 2 weeks later...

Well i was still experiencing alot of rounds that did not pass the chamber check, so I decided to get the hornady new dimension seating die. I ran about 20 rounds tonight and I am still getting some rejects. It looks like the 9mm glocks can cause a bulge too. I have my lee u die set to the shell plate plus a quarter turn deeper and it still doesnt get rid of this deformity at the base of the brass. I am using a fcd also and not doing any crimping in the seating station. Has anyone else experienced this? I am considering getting a lee bulge buster for the failing rounds in 9mm makarov. Has anyone else done this?

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Well i was still experiencing alot of rounds that did not pass the chamber check, so I decided to get the hornady new dimension seating die. I ran about 20 rounds tonight and I am still getting some rejects. It looks like the 9mm glocks can cause a bulge too. I have my lee u die set to the shell plate plus a quarter turn deeper and it still doesnt get rid of this deformity at the base of the brass. I am using a fcd also and not doing any crimping in the seating station. Has anyone else experienced this? I am considering getting a lee bulge buster for the failing rounds in 9mm makarov. Has anyone else done this?

How much play does the rim of the brass have in the shell plate when its in the crimping station? If there is excessive play/room, that could lead to what you're describing.

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9mm Glocks don't cause a bulge. You still have some other issue with sizing your brass or your bullets are being seated crooked.

Upon further investigation, you are correct. The deformity of the brass is happening during the reloading process. I took used brass shot out of my dvc open, sized them and they fell in the chamber easily. When I reloaded that same small batch of brass there were still some rejects. I am wondering if the small amount of play in the lee classic turret die tool head is causing this. I will be calling Lee tomorrow to try and get some insight.

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  • 1 month later...

I just fought this same problem. I have loaded 9mm major for years using 124gr MG JHP bullets. I started using 147gr Acme coated bullets for 9mm minor loads. I added some more case flare so I wasn't scrapping the coating. When I came back to start loading 9mm major, I left the case flare that I had been using on 9mm minor loads. After loading 100 9mm major rounds I noticed 1/3 of them didn't pass the plunk test in the barrel. The ones that didn't pass had nasty asymmetric bullet bulges.

Remembering the only thing that changed was the case flare, I brought the flare back down to 0.380-0.383" and fixed the issue. Coke bottle-shaped with a symmetrical bulge. I didn't realize how important the correct amount of case expansion/flare was on the seating process.

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There as a q earlier on checking for bullet setback.

Measure OAL of a loaded round to 1/1000"

Use 2 thumbs to press nose of bullet hard into a piece of wood.

Shoot for 50 lbs of pressure.(Wild Ass Guess s fine)

Re-measure OAL.

If no change, you should be good to go.

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I am having the same issue with Blue Bullets 147 RN not chambering in my DW PM9. I was using Lee dies in a 650. Switched to a U die, no difference. Switched to Hornady dies to see if the sleeve on the seating die would help with getting a straight seated bullet. Still was get some failures. Then I found the shell plate had some wobble. Tightened it, & got less failures. The only thing that has been 100% is running loaded rounds thru a Lee bulge buster & a 9mm Mak FCD. All my failed rounds would chamber fine in all my other 9mm guns. The DW chamber is just really tight.

The Mak FCD does not touch the bullet base, so it does not size the bullet at all. Only swages the case base, as it should.

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