EGW "U" Die Question

[nhglyn]

I am setting up a 1050 toolhead to load 9mm and I have an EGW "U" die left over from a previous 38 Super setup. Can I use this 38 Super die in the 9mm setup, or do I have to buy a 9mm specific "U" die? Thanks.

[Matt Cheely]

Have to get the 9mm die. The case is tapered compared to the straight walled 38's.

[nhglyn]

Matt,

In a 9mm setup will a Dillon die do the job, or is it better to get the "U" die? Thanks.

[Matt Cheely]

Dillion's die is a good die, but I don't mind spending the $25 to get the U die and solve some glocked brass problems.

[Scout454]

Get the U die.

I load 10 to 15 K of 9mm a year and before I got the U die my failure rate was 2% (2 in 100). Now, it's less than .2% (2 in 1,000).

[nhglyn]

When using the "U" die, given the smaller diameter, should you lube the brass to make things go easier?

[Larry White]

Use Hornady one shot with the u die in all cals. Life is so much better.-------------Larry

[G-ManBart]

When using the "U" die, given the smaller diameter, should you lube the brass to make things go easier?

You don't have to, but it will work easier. I stay away from all the spray-on lubes and use pure, unscented lanolin (available at drug stores). Put a tiny dab on your hands (like the size of a pencil eraser), work it in to them (heat softens it) and then run your hands lightly through the empty, clean cases and you're done. No need to tumble after loading and it's the same lubricant used in many of the spray lubes...just neater. The other nice thing is that it's a lot cheaper. A tube runs around $10 and will last you years.

[Good Time Gang]

i guess i have the same question, i just purchased a barrel for my glock to run lead bullets in. i am having issue with the rounds fitting in a case gauge, but not the new barrel. i got a friends u die and re-sized several empty rounds and found that most of them dropped in correctly. my question is that i am picking up most of brass off the range. there are several 9mm open guns and even a few sub guns. are those cases going to size with a u die, or are they just better left alone? also, are there any tricks in setting on in a 650? i just ran it down as far as it would go. it does not touch the shell plate, and that seems rather silly. i would think it should touch the shell plate if it is going to size all the way. should i use the dillion lock ring or what? thanks.

Edited February 21, 2008 by Good Time Gang

[wide45]

The U die will fix most Glocked brass.

It won't fix brass that has expanded case heads from high pressures. They end up looking like belted magnums.

[scooterj]

also, are there any tricks in setting on in a 650? i just ran it down as far as it would go. it does not touch the shell plate, and that seems rather silly. i would think it should touch the shell plate if it is going to size all the way. should i use the dillion lock ring or what? thanks.

Try putting the lock ring under the tool head. That's how I had to set up my one set of Lee dies on my 650.

[boz1911]

Thanks for this thread, answered my questions as well.

[Hoofy]

I had to use the U die when I loaded 9 on my 550, because my failure rate was a little higher than Scout's. Since switching to a 1050, I've noticed that I can get the Dillon die lower on the brass and still clear the shellplate. My failure rate now is the same as the 550 with the U die setup. I've always liked the decap setup on the Dillon die better than the Lee. Just my preference, YMMV

[lcs]

i got a friends u die and re-sized several empty rounds and found that most of them dropped in correctly. my question is that i am picking up most of brass off the range. there are several 9mm open guns and even a few sub guns. are those cases going to size with a u die, or are they just better left alone? also, are there any tricks in setting on in a 650? i just ran it down as far as it would go. it does not touch the shell plate, and that seems rather silly. i would think it should touch the shell plate if it is going to size all the way. should i use the dillion lock ring or what? thanks.

I know some 9 Major guys reload their brass four or five times. I would not reload range 9 Major brass as you never know what pressure they have been subjected to. I do collect my 9 Major brass at the indoor range as I shoot a fairly low pressure load. I would have no problem reloading my brass for 9 MINOR loads.

The Lee dies locking ring sucks IMHO. The O-ring deal doesn't cut it. Midway has/had Hornady locking rings on sale. Hornady has a allen head set screw and allows the LEE dies to seat lower on the 650 tool head and secures the dies better.

Again, IMHO the LEE U-die is well worth the $30.

[SA Friday]

i guess i have the same question, i just purchased a barrel for my glock to run lead bullets in. i am having issue with the rounds fitting in a case gauge, but not the new barrel. i got a friends u die and re-sized several empty rounds and found that most of them dropped in correctly. my question is that i am picking up most of brass off the range. there are several 9mm open guns and even a few sub guns. are those cases going to size with a u die, or are they just better left alone? also, are there any tricks in setting on in a 650? i just ran it down as far as it would go. it does not touch the shell plate, and that seems rather silly. i would think it should touch the shell plate if it is going to size all the way. should i use the dillion lock ring or what? thanks.

It's really not the glock brass most are having issues with. It's the 9mm Major brass. I have used RCBS dies on all kinds of 9mm brass, and just recently started having problems with rounds not chambering. Almost every round with issues was from a 9mm major gun. Not all major barrels are made the same. The amount of expansion of a 9mm minor round from a glock 9mm chamber is insignificant for the average die. The amount of expansion from major rounds can be substancial depending on the barrel chamber.

Never-the-less, the result is the same, EGW U die or roll size the brass (and cull the brass that's hammered snot). My U die should be here tomorrow...

Edited to say: sorry, meant to reply to a different post and clicked on the wrong one.

Edited February 21, 2008 by SA Friday

[rhyrlik]

Redding 9mm sizer dies have much tighter carbide rings than RCBS.

Glock 9mm chambers are tighter than Sig, CZ, or Beretta. There is no such animal as a "Glocked 9mm case".

Sizer dies are not designed to resize the base of the brass to factory virgin specs. They are designed to size the case enough to chamber reliably in most chambers, but not so much as to overwork the brass. Being that the 9mm is tapered, the higher the pressure, the more the base expands. If the base expands where the carbide can't size it, i.e. close to the extractor cutout, the reload won't chamber.

The U die will size the case more than a standard die. So will a Reding standard die, which has a tighter ring than RCBS. But if you don't put the bottom of these dies right smack against the shellholder, they will not size the case enough. This is a tapered case. the die MUST be against the shellholder to size the case all the way.

I think the problem you guys are having stems from improper die adjustment. Don't be afraid to screw the die all the way down.

[SA Friday]

Redding 9mm sizer dies have much tighter carbide rings than RCBS.

Glock 9mm chambers are tighter than Sig, CZ, or Beretta. There is no such animal as a "Glocked 9mm case".

Sizer dies are not designed to resize the base of the brass to factory virgin specs. They are designed to size the case enough to chamber reliably in most chambers, but not so much as to overwork the brass. Being that the 9mm is tapered, the higher the pressure, the more the base expands. If the base expands where the carbide can't size it, i.e. close to the extractor cutout, the reload won't chamber.

The U die will size the case more than a standard die. So will a Reding standard die, which has a tighter ring than RCBS. But if you don't put the bottom of these dies right smack against the shellholder, they will not size the case enough. This is a tapered case. the die MUST be against the shellholder to size the case all the way.

I think the problem you guys are having stems from improper die adjustment. Don't be afraid to screw the die all the way down.

Trust me on this, it isn't the resizing die being adjusted too shallow on my press . There is a definate difference in expansion from major pf cases, and the only die that I know will reliably get deep enough on the brass is an EGW U die. The more 9mm open guns there are out there, the more this will be realized. It's not so much that the brass needs to be resized thinner, but the die needs to get deeper on the brass during resizing. My std glock barrels will eat anything I reload with an RCBS die, but my lone wolf barrel pukes on any brass from a major gun not resized completely.

[Shay1911]

Glock 9mm chambers are tighter than Sig, CZ, or Beretta. There is no such animal as a "Glocked 9mm case".

Really?

[ChrisStock]

Glock 9mm chambers are tighter than Sig, CZ, or Beretta. There is no such animal as a "Glocked 9mm case".

Really?

uhhh... I respectfully disagree, rhyrlik, and I have a ton of experience with glocked .40 brass.

Edited February 21, 2008 by Lighteye67

[Good Time Gang]

ok, so i placed the lock ring under the tool head and ran the u die all the way down the backed it off just a hair. seems to look like it will work on the 650, any other tips/tricks i need to know about?

[HuskySig]

How important is it to use a EGW Undersized Die when loading Monana Gold bullets? What exactly is "Glocked brass?"

mattk

[austinkroe]

I don't think the U die really matters with what bullets you are using. That said I use MG bullets and the U die sizes the brass tight enough to where I can see how far the bullet went down in a loaded case. So, th U die does give plenty of neck tension. It is kind of hard to explain but the loaded rounds do look slightly hour-glass shaped. I load all my stuff with a U die because I think it gets the brass tighter and helps prevent setback without having to crimp the crap out of my bullets.

Glocked brass really refers to the older .40 glocks. There was not a lot of support towards the breachface and it allowed the brass to expand low down on the case. This created what some call guppy bellied brass. Now when most people refer to glocked brass they mean brass that has been shot in a loose chamber that allows it to expand pretty wide at the base. If you do a search on glocked brass you will find out much more than I can tell you (pictures included).

[Joe D]

There is no reason to use a U die for 9mm or .40. The regular Lee carbide sizing die works just fine. BTDT

[austinkroe]

The U die is a modified Lee die FWIW. One of the reasons I go with the U die is because the only places around here sell Lee die sets and I have no use for the rest of the set. That and the U die is so popular here on BE.

[rhyrlik]

Glock 9mm chambers are tighter than Sig, CZ, or Beretta. There is no such animal as a "Glocked 9mm case".

Really?

uhhh... I respectfully disagree, rhyrlik, and I have a ton of experience with glocked .40 brass.

We're talking about 9mm chambers, not .40 S&W

I have measured case expansion from these chambers and "Glocked" 9mm brass comes out at least .001" smaller than Sig, for example.