9mm Brass issues- Need advice

[Sherwyn]

Let me add a little twist.

I use mixed headstamp for practice and sorted for match ammo. Load on a 1050, only adjust swage to operate when using crimped brass and have had very good luck. I did purchase some sorted once fired, roll sized brass, 4 blown cases and a couple failure to eject issues. No problem with same brand in once fired, but roll sized had issues.

I will sort for my match ammo, and there are a few headstamps that I will throw out. I won't be using roll sized again, but other than that, have had less brass issues than when shooting super.

Sherwyn

[pmd]

Chuck,

Is this what your breechface looks like?

[chuckbradley]

Chuck,

Is this what your breechface looks like?

Yep but not that bad yet. The 40 is real light but there is a ring.

[chuckbradley]

Howdy, Chuck !!

Have been following this thread of yours and your predicament. Also that you are thinking of the possibility of switching to .38 SuperComp. Either cartridge is good, but by now you have grown used to the Major 9. Frankly, I'm sure that by now you have surely realized that there is more to the "following" than just cheap brass ??? If you were to shoot only new brass the cost would be high for either one. We all know that "once fired .38 SuperComp" is not available from the usual sources of once fired brass. If you were to pick-up your brass it would not make a difference which cartridge it was, obviously.

I do not know of .40 caliber that is crimped for military use, but it may exist. How about switching your 9 mm to your Dillon 1050 then?? This wouldn't solve your situation with the rest of that brass you have on hand with the (maybe ?) oversized primer pockets. But then, I am not quite convinced those pockets are oversized, really ... ??? Those burrs you noticed obviously are not interfering with the carttridges chambering or causing any functioning problems. Any gas erosion would show as a "blasting" sign while changes from brass extrusions would show up as "pinning". In any case, not enough of a basis to discard the set-up. It will cost you more to switch cartridges than just the difference in brass costs.

Anyway I will be calling you soon for some needed stock supplies. Maybe you can slip your "un-needed" 9 mm brass into the shipping box ... ???

Dont know how I missed your post Vinrey. The 40 is what I shoot most and i am not giving up my 1050 :angry2:

I am considering buying a 1050 and using unprocessed 9mm brass but I had a mag problem Sunday. 4 nose dives, same mag. I meant to send them to Howard but havent. I will now. The other option is to buy a 1050 and some super comp brass and get Dan to ream the barrels out to super.

Not sure yet but the cheap brass is attractive. Have I said that yet. If it wasnt for the cheap brass 9major wouldnt even be an issue today. Maybe we need to get more Government agencies shooting 38 super comp so we can have cheap brass

Edited September 25, 2007 by chuckbradley

[ipscbob]

Nose dives? Mag problems? Sounds like our local 9Major shooters! I really like these guys, more opportunity for those of us whose guns run well

[Flexmoney]

I jumped back & forth on posting this in Open gun technical or Reloading. I settled on Open gun since it is more relevant to open guns. I bought some brass off ebay that was cleaned and reamed in 9mm. The brass has a sharp burr on it where it was reamed. The burr doesnt interfere with function so we used it anyway. I have about 6000 pieces of this stuff. After only shooting about 4000 of this brass through 3 guns we notice a ring around the firing pin hole on the breech face. Its worse than any open gun I have ever seen before. My question is , in your opinions, do you think the burr of barss is causing the erosion by cutting into the breech face under pressure or do you think it would be more so the gas getting around the primer causing it due to an oversized primer pocket?

The reason I ask is if its the burr I can remove it and use the brass. If its the primer pocket then the brass cant be used for 9mm major. I may ask the guy I got it from to switch it out for non-reamed brass.

We know that brass is softer than steel.

We know that the headstamp area of brass tends to flatten over time...fromt getting slmmed into the breech face and being "ironed" out.

I would think that a burr would also get inroned out?

Given that, I would guess that the cutting is coming from gases getting around the primer.

[Flexmoney]

My grandfather uses small rifle primers from CCI in his 9x21 but some other shooters have been using Small Pistol Magnums for 9mm major. they work pretty well and also work really well for .40 so you don't have to switch out primers to reload.

Yea, the federal 200 is a small pistol magnum. They are softer which tend to have a better ignition. I would think the softer metal would expand and seal the pocket.

I used Federal 200's almost exclusively in my 40 Glock. (That is what you had in stock way back when...when I first started loading for this game. Not wanting to change much, I always stuck with them.)

Eventually, I started to get erosion similar to what is pictured above. I can't be sure, but I suspect it started when I started to load minor for Production.

My feeling is that those 200's have walls that don't seal. (They go off just fine though.)

[chuckbradley]

My grandfather uses small rifle primers from CCI in his 9x21 but some other shooters have been using Small Pistol Magnums for 9mm major. they work pretty well and also work really well for .40 so you don't have to switch out primers to reload.

Yea, the federal 200 is a small pistol magnum. They are softer which tend to have a better ignition. I would think the softer metal would expand and seal the pocket.

I used Federal 200's almost exclusively in my 40 Glock. (That is what you had in stock way back when...when I first started loading for this game. Not wanting to change much, I always stuck with them.)

Eventually, I started to get erosion similar to what is pictured above. I can't be sure, but I suspect it started when I started to load minor for Production.

My feeling is that those 200's have walls that don't seal. (They go off just fine though.)

I woul dbe more incline dto think that if I hadnt been using them in open guns since back in 94 and in 40's since I started shooting 40 in limited. Never had a problem with any guns or loads until now using the reamed brass. Federal 200 have always been a constant, the only change was the reamed brass. Given that I cant blame the primers.

[GentlemanJim]

I dont have much doubt that the reamed pockets are allowing gass to escape around the primer.

The damage shown could not have been the result of a burr .

JMHO jim

[Flexmoney]

I don't know the answer, Chuck.

The 200's worked great for me until I changed loads. Same brass supply, same bullets, same powder, same OAL...same primers.

[Religious Shooter]

Well I guess there's a good reason for SVI's interchangeable breechfaces.

Just be sure that they are tight... but not too tight.

[chuckbradley]

Well I guess there's a good reason for SVI's interchangeable breechfaces.

Just be sure that they are tight... but not too tight.

That is a benefit if you can deal with them breaking, coming loose and finding one the right size when needed. I would keep an extra on hand for every gun.

Think I would rather not use reamed brass. I just never came across this bridge before but we never stop learning.

[DKSComp]

Chuck;

In my humble expirence, the reamed primer pockets leak gas and cause breack face erosion, the swaged ones don't.

Send the brass back as you said. My 2 9MM majors show no erosion , use swaged brass only, haven't touched a reamed case in years.

Dave Schattel

[smokshwn]

Nose dives? Mag problems? Sounds like our local 9Major shooters! I really like these guys, more opportunity for those of us whose guns run well

At our local club there are a couple of guys who are always talking about the superiority of 38 super and how if 9major was so great the big boys would be shooting it.

I wonder why there guns never run as well as my Bedell shorty in 9

[ipscbob]

I used Federal 200's almost exclusively in my 40 Glock. (That is what you had in stock way back when...when I first started loading for this game. Not wanting to change much, I always stuck with them.)

Eventually, I started to get erosion similar to what is pictured above. I can't be sure, but I suspect it started when I started to load minor for Production.

My feeling is that those 200's have walls that don't seal. (They go off just fine though.)

Years ago, I ruined a breachface on a 1911 in .45acp in a similiar manner. By process of elimination, I isolated it to loading minor loads using fast powders like clays. I got gas leakage like this with CCI, Remington, Winchester, and even Federal primers in both Winchester and S&B brass. The leakage went away when I bumped up the load to 160'ish PF. Sounds like your reamed pockets are causing this.

[Z-Bono]

It's not only the price of the brass. For me it was very disturbing to pick up those valuable pieces. It made me follow ejected cases from gun with half an eye. Sometimes I picked brass first and went to check targets after that. Actually it was question about money, but different way. NOT ANYMORE with 9 Major - I will enjoy shooting it.

[Coolduckboy]

Nose dives? Mag problems? Sounds like our local 9Major shooters! I really like these guys, more opportunity for those of us whose guns run well

At our local club there are a couple of guys who are always talking about the superiority of 38 super and how if 9major was so great the big boys would be shooting it.

I wonder why there guns never run as well as my Bedell shorty in 9

I have heard this comment before and laugh. Remember that not everyone can afford .38 super and not all of us have people to pay for some of those expenses.

Edited September 29, 2007 by Coolduckboy

[JThompson]

Chuck,

Thought I'd share my similar experience - I too have a problem with the breechfaces on both of my 9mm Major open guns.

It also appears to be erosion - if you'd like I could send you pictures.

Almost all the brass I have shot thru these pistols was FC and bought from a company as once fired, washed, deprimed/sized, primer pockets swaged/reamed) and rollsized. I've shot probably 20k rounds thru both pistols.

I use WSR primers, VV 3N37 and load on a 1050.

After reading this post I wonder if my problem is/was due to the primer pockets being reamed too much.

Now you've got me thinking...

FYI - 9mm brass issues have already modivated me to switch one of my 9mm Major pistols over to 38SC.

I plan to have my other pistol rebarreled to 38SC soon - but with this one I am also keeping the 9mm barrel so that I'll have the option to shoot 9Major as well.

I have about 15K through mine and not a mark... mixed brass.

Edited September 29, 2007 by JThompson

[chuckbradley]

Chuck,

Thought I'd share my similar experience - I too have a problem with the breechfaces on both of my 9mm Major open guns.

It also appears to be erosion - if you'd like I could send you pictures.

Almost all the brass I have shot thru these pistols was FC and bought from a company as once fired, washed, deprimed/sized, primer pockets swaged/reamed) and rollsized. I've shot probably 20k rounds thru both pistols.

I use WSR primers, VV 3N37 and load on a 1050.

After reading this post I wonder if my problem is/was due to the primer pockets being reamed too much.

Now you've got me thinking...

FYI - 9mm brass issues have already modivated me to switch one of my 9mm Major pistols over to 38SC.

I plan to have my other pistol rebarreled to 38SC soon - but with this one I am also keeping the 9mm barrel so that I'll have the option to shoot 9Major as well.

I'd like to see the pictures.....

Jim, refer to post #27 & #28

[JThompson]

Chuck,

Thought I'd share my similar experience - I too have a problem with the breechfaces on both of my 9mm Major open guns.

It also appears to be erosion - if you'd like I could send you pictures.

Almost all the brass I have shot thru these pistols was FC and bought from a company as once fired, washed, deprimed/sized, primer pockets swaged/reamed) and rollsized. I've shot probably 20k rounds thru both pistols.

I use WSR primers, VV 3N37 and load on a 1050.

After reading this post I wonder if my problem is/was due to the primer pockets being reamed too much.

Now you've got me thinking...

FYI - 9mm brass issues have already modivated me to switch one of my 9mm Major pistols over to 38SC.

I plan to have my other pistol rebarreled to 38SC soon - but with this one I am also keeping the 9mm barrel so that I'll have the option to shoot 9Major as well.

I'd like to see the pictures.....

Jim, refer to post #27 & #28

I found them Chuck... thanks bro.

For the record, I use WSR too and was using 3N37 STI slide loaded on 550. I'm using 7625 now.

Edited September 29, 2007 by JThompson

[bgary]

and some super comp brass and get Dan to ream the barrels out to super

I was thinkin' of going that way at one point, and my 'smith advised against it. He said that because the 9mm is a tapered case, and the super-comp is straight-walled, the back end of the chamber would be sloppy. Probably better to re-barrel it for supercomp, if you're going to go that way.

B