bullet stuck in throat

[tomjerry1]

Okay smart guys, the latest issue with this 929. While reloading on a stage, I don't use all rounds, and when I eject the moon clip, one bullets is stuck in the throat and will not allow for a reload. The case comes out with the moon clip and powder gets into everything. I have measured all chamber/throats, have one that is a little larger by maybe a half a thou. I do not see any visible marks or protrusions for the bullet to get caught on. I have ordered a hone and will polish all the chamber/throats. Suggestions please. And no, I didn't think to take a picture.

[MWP]

So it got stuck after you fired it? Or it was unfired and fell out of the case? 

[perttime]

Weird.

Faulty round? Longer than the rest or bullet seated at an angle?

Did the rounds go in as easy as usual?

Are the rest of your rounds uniform?

Edited May 3, 2023 by perttime

[ParrytheWind]

How's your crimp? My chambers are all differently sized,.. Thanks S&W!

[tomjerry1]

The round was unfired, I just used 7 rounds for the stage, this did happen on three separate occasions. My crimp I believe is good, use Blue Bullets, and when I pull one, the coating is being removed, but not all the way to the lead? I do get a slight amount of walking out of the bullet. My rounds slide into the cylinder easily, especially after having them chamfered.

[Joe4d]

when that happens in an auto, its usually caused by the bullets being too long, check a dozen to make sure your oal is consistent and shorten the next batch.  Another issue could be bullet creep, fire four un load and check remaining rounds see if they grew. Also check your bullets to ensure they are consistent

 

[testosterone]

This is the whole crimp vs neck tension convo I think.  I personally switch to a egw udie a long time ago, it creates a more consistent result, for me anyways.

 

Proper 9mm headspaces on the case mouth, there isn't a "crimp" other than removing the bell down to .377" - 378".

 

929's headspace on the moonclip, so its not really a thing, or at least not a functional issue to overdo the crimp, but a crimp will routinely not do anything to help with bullets pulling under recoil, at least in my experience.

 

I haven't used blue bullets, but if you are pulling them and the coating is gone it sounds like, possibly anyways, a tiny bit more bell is needed before you seat the bullet so the coating is not getting disturbed which may be compromising it enough to cause slippage later.

 

Load a clip, fire 7, and then check the OAL of the last, it should not change.

 

[perttime]

Do the rounds come back out OK, if you don't fire any?

[MikeBurgess]

likely either a bad crimp or bad case. 

do some quick testing, measure your OALs then shoot 4 to 7 rounds and remeasure the remaining rounds, do this through several clips and number of rounds shot. if you see any OAL growth you need to look at your crimp and case tension to stop it. 

 

ps you also probably want to mark a couple rounds and run them 2 or more times through the test with firing the other 7 to account for unfired rounds that get recycled 

[MikeyScuba]

6 hours ago, tomjerry1 said:

The round was unfired, I just used 7 rounds for the stage, this did happen on three separate occasions. My crimp I believe is good, use Blue Bullets, and when I pull one, the coating is being removed, but not all the way to the lead? I do get a slight amount of walking out of the bullet. My rounds slide into the cylinder easily, especially after having them chamfered.

I'm wondering why the coating is being removed?    I occasionally have it happen but I'm shoving a .358 round in a 9mm case and probably the bullet might not be true to spec anyway. and I am using the uniquetech expander for exactly this purpose

[ysrracer]

Lee U die, and crimp the s#!t out of it.

[Farmer]

Are you getting much blowback out of the cyl gap? Possibly getting crud into the other chambers or melting the coating? I know the blue coating is really slick and they have a tendency to walk out more than others. 

[Squirrel45]

I use a pretty aggressive taper on all mine. Especially the 145's through 170s

[GOF]

It sounds like a too-light taper crimp that is allowing bullets to 'prairie dog' under recoil. Recoil in a handgun isn't unlike an inertia bullet puller. Bang/bang/bang/bang -- creep out/creep out. 

It's a known problem in lightweight compact revolvers chambered for .357 mag.

Tightening down on your crimp should solve it.

[pskys2]

Several points, 1 take it these are reloads?  2 see any cracked cases? 3 was it random range brass, or bulk brass you're using?

Cracked cases can allow this, or if the brass had been used in a 9mm major loading.  9 major stretches and abuses the case horribly.  Everything from not holding a crimp to primers not staying seated.  I'd bet one of those 2 issues.

Recommendation of gritting your teeth and buying good new brass for match loads, you don't lose them and they will last over a dozen reloadings without those kind of issues.

[NoSteel]

This issue was discussed quite a bit when the 929’s first came out.  It’s a neck tension/crimp issue.  Measure oal on 8 rounds, chamber them up and fire off 4 rounds.  Unload the clip and measure remaining rounds oal.  You’ll find they are longer.  I’ve seen this be worse if your loading long as you have less bullet in the case to start with.  I had similar issue using 125gr Blues but it lessened when I went to 147gr blues.  Was using an Lee Udie so never was as bad as your seeing.  When I slugged my barrel and found it to be .357 I switched to .358 160gr coated and I get no bullet movement with less crimp and no coating scrape.

[tomjerry1]

I'm using 9mm Win cases, Lee U-die,147gr 38/357 Blue Bullets. Crimp is a Lee factory crimp at .379/.380, oal is 1.268. I am getting some creeping out, which I was learning to deal with, thought I had this issue fixed last year, what I considered a 98/99% reliable load. What I changed this year, was I shortened the barrel 1.5" and had the cylinder chamfered, I don't think these two things are causing this issue. Guess I'll try expanding the bell and crimping some more. Will try your recommendations and shoot 4/5 and then check to see if the rounds are still growing. One last thing, has anyone experienced reloaded rounds growing after sitting for extended periods of time? I have heard of this, but associated with compressed loads, which mine are not.

[pskys2]

1 hour ago, tomjerry1 said:

I'm using 9mm Win cases, Lee U-die,147gr 38/357 Blue Bullets. Crimp is a Lee factory crimp at .379/.380, oal is 1.268. I am getting some creeping out, which I was learning to deal with, thought I had this issue fixed last year, what I considered a 98/99% reliable load. What I changed this year, was I shortened the barrel 1.5" and had the cylinder chamfered, I don't think these two things are causing this issue. Guess I'll try expanding the bell and crimping some more. Will try your recommendations and shoot 4/5 and then check to see if the rounds are still growing. One last thing, has anyone experienced reloaded rounds growing after sitting for extended periods of time? I have heard of this, but associated with compressed loads, which mine are not.

1.268 is really long for a 9mm?  I taper my 38 short colts and 9mm, in semi auto's, to.370, or less in my revolvers.

[NoSteel]

2 hours ago, tomjerry1 said:

I'm using 9mm Win cases, Lee U-die,147gr 38/357 Blue Bullets. Crimp is a Lee factory crimp at .379/.380, oal is 1.268. I am getting some creeping out, which I was learning to deal with, thought I had this issue fixed last year, what I considered a 98/99% reliable load. What I changed this year, was I shortened the barrel 1.5" and had the cylinder chamfered, I don't think these two things are causing this issue. Guess I'll try expanding the bell and crimping some more. Will try your recommendations and shoot 4/5 and then check to see if the rounds are still growing. One last thing, has anyone experienced reloaded rounds growing after sitting for extended periods of time? I have heard of this, but associated with compressed loads, which mine are not.

I think you may be better off as you indicate getting a bit more crimp.  I run a length of 1.155 with the 160gr RN so quite a bit more seating depth.  Also,  not sure if your running a snappier powder like titegroup but that can have an affect also.  I’m running N320 so with a 160gr bullet it’s a pretty soft load even @ 130pf

[xrayfk05]

4 hours ago, tomjerry1 said:

I'm using 9mm Win cases, Lee U-die,147gr 38/357 Blue Bullets. Crimp is a Lee factory crimp at .379/.380, 

 

Have you measured the bullets before and after crimping? If you are using fatter bullets, chances are they are getting swaged by the FCD.

[testosterone]

9 hours ago, tomjerry1 said:

I'm using 9mm Win cases, Lee U-die,147gr 38/357 Blue Bullets. Crimp is a Lee factory crimp at .379/.380, oal is 1.268.  Guess I'll try expanding the bell and crimping some more.

 

The udie in my experience solves slippage.

.357 bullets into a 9mm udie sized brass should create excellent neck tension.

 

Some find it upsetting, the factory crimp die is a nonsolution to any loading issue, especially with soft bullets.  Think of it loke this, the fcd is resizing the neck, again, with a soft bullet in it.  The neck squeezes, the lead bullets deforms, when it comes out of the die, the lead bullets deforms but the brass has spring to it, so the effect is you loose neck tension.  The solution is not more crimp, its to just remove the bell.

 

My theory here is that your brass is getting overworked between udie/357 bullet/fcd over that and its compromising neck tension.

 

Throw fcd in trash(or at least back of bench) and put in a taper crimp that just takes the bell off.

[tomjerry1]

I am going to try shorting the round, above I said 1.268, but it is really 1.168, but will still shorten them. I will also bell the case more; I also have one of those uniquetech powder drops. 

[testosterone]

18 minutes ago, tomjerry1 said:

I am going to try shorting the round, above I said 1.268, but it is really 1.168, but will still shorten them. I will also bell the case more; I also have one of those uniquetech powder drops. 

 

1.168 is fine, I load 160's to 1.200 and there is no slippage, egw udie,  355 , 357, and 358 bullets, they all hold fine.

 

Get rid of that fcd.

 

[pskys2]

5 hours ago, testosterone said:

 

The udie in my experience solves slippage.

.357 bullets into a 9mm udie sized brass should create excellent neck tension.

 

Some find it upsetting, the factory crimp die is a nonsolution to any loading issue, especially with soft bullets.  Think of it loke this, the fcd is resizing the neck, again, with a soft bullet in it.  The neck squeezes, the lead bullets deforms, when it comes out of the die, the lead bullets deforms but the brass has spring to it, so the effect is you loose neck tension.  The solution is not more crimp, its to just remove the bell.

 

My theory here is that your brass is getting overworked between udie/357 bullet/fcd over that and its compromising neck tension.

 

Throw fcd in trash(or at least back of bench) and put in a taper crimp that just takes the bell off.

I had the same experience years ago, quit using the fcd.

[pskys2]

4 hours ago, tomjerry1 said:

I am going to try shorting the round, above I said 1.268, but it is really 1.168, but will still shorten them. I will also bell the case more; I also have one of those uniquetech powder drops. 

Thought it might have been a typo.  Usually my 9mm loads are under 1.150, depending on bullet length.