Why will some 9mm cases not resize?

[LilTMoney]

I am having trouble with some 9mm cases not resizing enough to drop into a case gauge or barrel. Most are ok but certain brands will not. I am using a dillon 650 press with lee dies. Does anyone have any insight or advice for this?

[B_RAD]

What are the brands that are not?

I'm curious to know?   

Is it every piece of that brand? 

 

Edited October 25, 2016 by B_RAD

[Taroman]

I have encountered the same with a few types of imported brass that's thickened in the middle, apparently to control bullet setback.

When run thru the expander, the middle bulges out a bit. Maybe enough to interfere with a tight chamber.

One reason why I sort 9mm and only use WW R-P or FC.

All the rest are scrap.

[LilTMoney]

The main brands are AMERC. And looks like sbj or scj. They will drop all the way down except for about an 1/8" and just stop.

[haiedras]

A-MERC is a known meh brass case. got a picture of the sbj/scj headstamp? And what Lee dies are you using, the standard resizing die?

[nelson1each]

I had issues with "glocked" brass....switching to the undersized die solved the problem 

[wheelie]

You need a different sizer die or just toss the cases that won't pass the gage - its hard to say which for sure. If the case is badly bulged from a hot major load or firing in a grossly oversized chamber it might be ruined. Or you might just need a smaller sizer if the cases are still sound. If the numbers of cases is small I'd just toss them and go on.

[Quack]

I use Hornady LNL, dies and Lee FCD. I found that when I get to Glock'd brass I go slower on the downward stroke to get the bulge out. Output isn't as fast but doing this, pretty much all ammo fits in the hundo gauge.

The front row is brass picked up at the range. Second row is brass fired through my gun (2011). You can tell what brass was fired from a Glock.

[LilTMoney]

Yes i am using the standard lee resizing die. Most if not all of this brass i get is fired from glocks at a police range. I have thousands and thousands of cases so i could probably pick through and get certain brands. But if changing to a different resizing die might help, that would really save me alot of time.

[LilTMoney]

I went ahead and ordered an undersizing die. Will give that a shot. Hopefully that might help.

[Sandbagger123]

Lube

[LilTMoney]

I lubed the cases, still didnt work.

[SCTaylor]

Are you trying to cases prior to or after loading? How far are they going into the gauge? Is it near the web?

 

I've not run into an issue with a high failure rate in my Shockbottle gauge when using a Lee sizing die. It's about a 1% fail rate in the gauge but they still drop in the barrel.  This is with range brass, no idea what they've been shot in.

 

Have you made sure the die is a c-hair away from the shell plate at full downstroke? Lock ring is tight?

[dillon]

Try some sized, empty cases in your gage first. On the ones that fail, try them backwards in the gage. Rim deformation can stop otherwise acceptable cases from aging. If the rim fails to enter the gage, then the issue is not sizing. Load the cases that pass, and gage again. AMERC brass has been problematical to reload regardless of caliber.

[LilTMoney]

Yes prior to resizing i have tried them. Most will barely drop at all. After resizing alot of brands work perfectly, alot will not. Usually when they dont drop they are about an 1/8" to 1/16" from dropping. Some of the same brand cases work and some will not. Yes i have no idea what they have been shot out of. I am assuming mostly glocks on alot of them because they come from a police range. Also most are once fired. 

[Sandbagger123]

Do they drop in and out of the barrel smoothly ?I would not worry too much about it unless they don't drop out of your barrel.  

[noylj]

>I am having trouble with some 9mm cases not resizing enough to drop into a case gauge or barrel

Paint the case with black magic marker, drop in barrel, rotate back-and-forth once or twice and remove.

There will be scratches showing where the hang-up is.

1) Scratches in the ink on bullet--COL is too long

2) Scratches in the ink on edge of the case mouth--insufficient crimp

3) Scratches in the ink just below the case mouth--too much crimp, you're crushing the case

4) Scratches in the ink on case at base of bullet--bullet seated crooked due to insufficient case expansion (not case mouth flare) or improper seating stem fit

5) Scratches in the ink on case just above extractor groove--case bulge not removed during sizing. May need a bulge buster.

In general, a case that doesn't "resize," almost certainly has a bulge just at the end of the web. For this, you either need to run them through a bulge buster (for 9x19, I use a Lee 9mm MAK FCD) or get a Lee or Hornady sizing die as they go down further than other dies.

In general, some 9x19 cases have very thin walls such that they don't size down enough so the ID is smaller than bullet diameter and the bullet will just fall in the case with very little pressure.

Some case now have a ledge on the inside to control COL at manufacturing. These case should be thrown away.

Some 9x19 cases have been loaded so many times that they are very work hardened and spring back when removed from the sizing die.

[LilTMoney]

No thats the problem, they dont drop in or out. If you try to fire them they hang and the slide will get stuck. Thats why i try all of them before shooting. 

[LilTMoney]

Thanks for that. My problem seems to be towards the bottom of the case. They will drop all the way in except for  the extractor groove or the rim

 

[Sandbagger123]

hmmm. sounds more like a crimp problem. measure the crimp. the offending cases might be shorter than normal and its not getting enough crimp 

[Sarge]

13 hours ago, Quack said:

I use Hornady LNL, dies and Lee FCD. I found that when I get to Glock'd brass I go slower on the downward stroke to get the bulge out. Output isn't as fast but doing this, pretty much all ammo fits in the hundo gauge.

The front row is brass picked up at the range. Second row is brass fired through my gun (2011). You can tell what brass was fired from a Glock.

Only problem with your display is those are not Glock striker marks on all of those sticking way up

[Quack]

The Glock cases do the same thing.

Crap, thats a pic of my 40 gauge too, but I use Hornady dies and Lee FCD.

[Service Desk]

14 hours ago, noylj said:

>I am having trouble with some 9mm cases not resizing enough to drop into a case gauge or barrel

Paint the case with black magic marker, drop in barrel, rotate back-and-forth once or twice and remove.

There will be scratches showing where the hang-up is.

1) Scratches in the ink on bullet--COL is too long

 

2) Scratches in the ink on edge of the case mouth--insufficient crimp

 

3) Scratches in the ink just below the case mouth--too much crimp, you're crushing the case

 

4) Scratches in the ink on case at base of bullet--bullet seated crooked due to insufficient case expansion (not case mouth flare) or improper seating stem fit

 

5) Scratches in the ink on case just above extractor groove--case bulge not removed during sizing. May need a bulge buster.

 

 

In general, a case that doesn't "resize," almost certainly has a bulge just at the end of the web. For this, you either need to run them through a bulge buster (for 9x19, I use a Lee 9mm MAK FCD) or get a Lee or Hornady sizing die as they go down further than other dies.

In general, some 9x19 cases have very thin walls such that they don't size down enough so the ID is smaller than bullet diameter and the bullet will just fall in the case with very little pressure.

Some case now have a ledge on the inside to control COL at manufacturing. These case should be thrown away.

Some 9x19 cases have been loaded so many times that they are very work hardened and spring back when removed from the sizing die.

I have some 38 Super cases that have been loaded in excess of 30 times and have work hardened to the point that they are virtually useless for loading jacketed bullets but are fine on lead.

Bullet setback is a pain! 

[.45 ACP nut]

Your title say 9mm cases, but the pictures of your case gauge are of 40S&W. Don't know what difference that might make, but I am wondering which caliber you are discussing?

[wheelie]

I'm using a Lee "Factory Crimp Die" to bring bulged 9mm cases back to useful life. (This die is made to use on loaded ammo - don't do it!)  Pretty much anything it won't fix is not fit to be shot again. I'm finding very few it won't fix. Its pretty easy to tell by the force needed on the press handle if I have a bad case, or the real bad ones have a swollen extractor groove and are hard to insert into the shellholder.

Out of about 10,000 pieces sized this year, I have a medium soda cup full of brass bulged beyond repair. Obviously, the number will vary with the source of your brass. If you pick up after someone shooting 9 Major in their Open gun you get more scrap.