Blue bullet problems

[Swiley383]

I know some of you are using Blue bullets for 9mm has anyone had problems with them? I am having trouble with them bulging the case out as far down as the bullet is seated like they are over sized.

[36873687]

I use lee u die to size an lee factory crimp. These will fix your problem. 

[glassblower]

I have loaded Blue Bullets in 9mm and 40 and have not had issues. I would check the bullet diameter which should be .355. Typically, 9mm ammo has a slight coke bottle shape, so if that it what your concern is, you should be ok. A plunk test would also be advised.

[Hi-Power Jack]

1 hour ago, Swiley383 said:

  bulging the case out as far down as the bullet is seated 

 

The heavier bullets will do that  e.g. the 147 gr.

 

But, it's normal - do they feed thru your gun ?

[Dr. Phil]

I shoot BB in my 929. .358 dia .38 bullets. Mine have that same hourglass shape. I resize with a Lee U die. If they pass in your chamber checker or in your gun's barrel they should be fine. I use an EGW checker or the cylinder on my revo.

[elguapo]

What is the actual diameter of your bullets?

 

How does that compare to the diameter that you ordered?

 

What is the diameter of the loaded case over the bullet?  How does that compare to SAAMI standard?

 

How do these cartridges with the "bulge" work in your pistol?

 

Those are questions I would answer before assuming there's a problem with Blue Bullets, as your thread title states.

[Swiley383]

They will not fit the barrel or my Lyman cartridge gauge. Some of the ones that did pass have had trouble going into battery in both my Glock and S&W.  Bullets I have measured came out to .355. I seated some jacketed bullets with no problems. I do have a Lee FC die but I have not been using it I don’t normally crimp 9mm but I will give that a try. 

[AHI]

What is you OAL?  What head stamp is the brass ?

[Swiley383]

Mixed head stamped I have try different OAL from 1.13-1.15. I just pulled a couple of the problem bullets and they measure.355. The case seem to be within spec per my caliper and I also just now did the plunk test. The rounds would either not drop in far enough or when the did would not spin or fall out without being pulled out. The one that pass shoot great but this is to big of a fail rate to make them cost effective. I also check my sizing die and it seem ok.

[Hi-Power Jack]

Can you post a photo ?

[Swiley383]

It’s not letting me post a picture say I can’t upload that big of file  

[GrumpyOne]

7 minutes ago, Swiley383 said:

It’s not letting me post a picture say I can’t upload that big of file  

How big of a file is it?

[Swiley383]

Don’t know how to tell it’s just a picture of 2 rounds sitting on my bench 

[GrumpyOne]

On your phone, open the pic, look top right, should be 3 dots. Tap them, click details. That should show you the pic size. On a computer, right click on the pic, details...

[Swiley383]

 

[superdude]

Yeah, that nose looks a little short.  Have you determined WHERE the rounds fail?  i.e. is the bullet touching the lands? Is the bulged case too big for the chamber?

 

Do the magic marker test to determine exactly where they are not fitting in your chamber/ case gauge. Then we'll know how to address the problem. 

 

Explained here:  https://www.shootingtimes.com/editorial/reloading-tips-the-plunk-test/99389

[GrumpyOne]

I would bet money that they are hitting the lands and grooves. Take a fired case, not resized, slide a bullet barely into it, slide into the chamber, push all the way in....very carefully pull back out and measure the OAL.  Then shorten that by at least .010.

[Swiley383]

Have not done magic marker test yet. I did measure the length of a couple blue bullets and compared them to some Xtream 124 grains I have. The blue bullets are 0.08 longer so I am starting to think they may be hitting the rifling. I will give the marker test a try tomorrow night. I normally load my 9mm loads to 1.145 I did try shorting to 1.13. I will see what the marker test shows I believe my data shows a minimum of 1.12.

[GrumpyOne]

It's not the length of the bullet, it's the length of the shoulder of the bullet. The shoulder is what is hitting the rifling.

[Swiley383]

I will give that try also and keep you updated. Hopefully I won’t have to work late tomorrow and give these suggestions a try. 

[Hi-Power Jack]

I don't see any bulge in that photo.

 

Just shorten the OAL and you should be good to go.     

[ezra650]

I load 1.100 with blue 125gr... Have no issues in my 1911 SA loaded or the glock 34 I used to run with a storm lake barrel... Shorten the OAL.  Heck in that pic I can see imprints/a ring on the bullet where it's hitting the rifling!

 

That can also cause pressure spikes... no bueno. Your max OAL will have a lot to do with the profile of the bullet. If you for some reason need to load long look at using truncated cone or HP bullets. The longest I've ever gotten with 125gr blues is 1.125.

[ddc]

3 hours ago, ezra650 said:

I load 1.100 with blue 125gr... Have no issues in my 1911 SA loaded or the glock 34 I used to run with a storm lake barrel... Shorten the OAL.  Heck in that pic I can see imprints/a ring on the bullet where it's hitting the rifling!

 

That can also cause pressure spikes... no bueno. Your max OAL will have a lot to do with the profile of the bullet. If you for some reason need to load long look at using truncated cone or HP bullets. The longest I've ever gotten with 125gr blues is 1.125.

 

Those marks could also be caused by the seating plug.

[ezra650]

1 minute ago, ddc said:

 

Those marks could also be caused by the seating plug.

Ah fair point, and probably more likely. Didn't think of that 

[redpillregret]

What kind of firearm? The profile of the blues is such that the ogive of the bullet it more toward the tip. This is fine to achieve pressure with a smaller powder charge, I suspect. This means less powder to get your desired velocity. Less powder, less recoil.

My CZs like 125 gr. Blues at 1.08”. My Sig and Glocks will function at 1.10”. I don’t use just one gun, so I try to make a load that functions in everything.

If you use the flat tip bullets, they can be loaded longer, and I would recommend this for 147s. That has been my experience with Acme 147s anyway.

The bulge you experience is normal. I don’t think the bulge is what is keeping your rounds from gauging. I suspect it’s OAL. Perform the test other posters have posted above to determine proper OAL.

I experienced a problem with a bulge keeping my rounds from gauging. I was told it was oal but it wasn’t the problem. It was that my RCBS die wouldn’t size the rounds down far enough. Shooting certain guns without fully supported chambers created a problem. The Lee Factory Crimp Die provided a solution for me and I would recommend it if you truly have a bulge stopping your rounds from gauging. As an experiment, size a piece of your brass and pull it out of the press. Will the freshly sized brass gauge? If not, the Lee will solve your problem.

I ended up using the Lee U die and it helped as well, but ultimately my brass didn’t seem to last long and the press didn’t run smooth. I replaced that with a Redding Titanium Carbide FL die and a Redding Competition Seating Die. My ammunition doesn’t even need gauges anymore and it is now more accurate than its ever been...that or I’m becoming a better shooter.

Good luck in getting this solved.




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