cases too large to chamber

[Ridgerunnr]

Loading moly lead Bear Creek 147's ..

have run a few thous rounds thru the gun never had a problem..I checked them originally in barrel and because I never had a problem I quit checking..well you know what happens then...get to a match and the rounds jam because they are too large just at the very end near the case base..I have changed nothing on my Dillon 550..What causes this? I found about 25 out of 300 that wont fit in the barrel.The only thing different is the brass..I got some from a buddy and it is that batch of brass doing it intermitently.

Side note: I am going to switch over to some Star brand jacketed bullets I got for better bullet consistency..the lead ones are all over the place with OAL

[lcs]

Are you using a Lee Undersize die? If not get one. I think you got bit by buldged brass. Could happen from GLocks or some brass used for 9 Major.

[Ridgerunnr]

What does a Glock do to it?

I am using the dies that came with the new Dillon..what does the Lee die do differently?

[Boris Zaretsky]

What does a Glock do to it?

I am using the dies that came with the new Dillon..what does the Lee die do differently?

It's rarely has anything to do with die. When I push your press the forming die never gets to the very end of the base thus leaving the bulge. Usually it happens on brass from Glock because the chamber is slightly bigger in diameter than of other guns. The forming die "squeezes out" the brass to the end of the cylinder toward the base. Prescription for this problem is to buy $8.95 gauge checker from Dillon and check every round. I've done that and ammo never failed me since.

[redwoods]

A factory glock barrel has what is called an unsupported case chamber. The brass bulges towards the rim end of the case. Your dillon die has a funnel at the opening of the die that allows the case to enter the die without being exactly lined up, just like a big magwell on limited and open STI guns.

A lee undersized die is what you want. You can get one from EGW (Evolution Gun Works). It is a lee sizing die that has been ground down so some of the funnel is gone and you can set the opening of the die closer to the bottom of case. The lack of the bigger funnel in the die causes sizing of the case closer to the base, eliminating the "glocked brass" issue.

EGW has a web site, I don't know what it is now, but just google it.

Randy

[PINMAN44]

Get the sizing die and the gauge checker it will save your butt at a match. I bombed PSA due to bad ammo because I did not ave a gauge checker and most of my brass was glock 9 brass that I was using for my open gun. The bottom of the cases were all bulged and would not feed.

[lcs]

What does a Glock do to it?

I am using the dies that came with the new Dillon..what does the Lee die do differently?

LEE Undersize die is used in (some people use it in other positions) position 1 to remove the primer and size the case, (1000th smaller than normal). If set up properly, LEE U removes any buldge just above the rim in the case wall(the buldge can be caused by Glock barrels or high pressure rounds).

Two ways to check your reloaded rounds: (1) drop each reloaded round in the barrel of your gun (2) get a Wilson case gauge and case gauge every round.

I case gauge all my 9 Major rounds and might have 1 in 1000 not pass the gauge. My experience using Dillon dies and Dillon case gauges have led to a lot higher failure rate and pulling bullets is big waste of my time.

Do a search on LEE U die and you will read what others have said.

[pinger]

Lee Factory Crimp dies are worth the investment also. Make sure your resize/decap die is touching your shell plate. If not, you aren't resizing the whole case.

[yoshidaex]

Use your barrel as a case gauge and use the EGW "U" die. Make sure the die is just kissing the shell plate.

[Viggen]

Regardless of the gun you run ,or caliber, or type of dies, case gauge everything!

[Ridgerunnr]

Case gauge and the new undersized die on the way...dang Glocks anyway....lol

thanks folks!!

[yoshidaex]

do you happen to have some of the offending rounds?

if you do, take some measurements and compare with a round that passes the case gauge.

[Mr. Chitlin]

My experience using Dillon dies and Dillon case gauges have led to a lot higher failure rate and pulling bullets is big waste of my time.

I have found this out recently. I had no problems with my ammo until I decided to start loading 10mm. I ordered a Dillon 40/10mm die and decided to use it for my 40 ammo, and the Lee die that I had been using for 10+ years on 40SW for my 10mm ammo. I started having cases that would lock the gun up and be about a tenth of an inch short of fully chambering. Even though the ammo fit the Dillon case gauge, they didn't fit the Lone Wolf chamber. After I went back to the Lee die, all is well.

[NC Shooter]

I have had nearly the same experience as Mr Chitlin with .45 Caliber loads that would run fine in a "Plane Jane" Colt Government Model SSP but caused problems in a Colt Series 70 National Match Gold Cup with a Kart competition barrel. Some of the offending cartridges would not allow the slide to fully close and lock into battery. This ammo was also made using Dillon Dies.

The good news is that my Dillon case gages that I ordered from Brian should arive tomorrow. The bad news is that I'm concerned now that the ammo might pass in the gage but still not function in my Gold Cup - We'll see.

Does anyone have any data on comparative tolerence differences between Dillon and Wilson case gages? The only thing I have heard is that the Dillon gages are stainless steel and The Wilson gages are possibly chromium steel.

Ken

[Johann the Horrible]

I believe that the Lee Factory crimp die set up correctly will solve most if not all of your problem. I had a lot of trouble with ammo and bought a case gauge. The problem with the gauge was that my chamber was slightly tighter so some rounds would gauge but not chamber. After the Lee FCD I never had a problem again. It is so reliable that I cannot remember when last I bothered to "case gauge".

[pinger]

Lee factory crimp is well worth the 12 bucks

[HSMITH]

The factory crimp die is a band aid, it might cover the problem but it won't fix it. Fix the problem, skip the FCD, and case gauge everything. If you have ammo that won't gauge I would rather know why than smash it into compliance with a FCD.

[yoshidaex]

I use a FCD when loading some brands of moly coated 40 s&w bullets. For some odd reason I experienced multiple lock ups with ammo that 1) case gauged properly and 2) dies set up accordingly (EGW "U" die in station 1 touching the shell plate). I noticed some of the offending bullets were slightly larger than the .401 they claim to be. With the FCD, all the chambering issues went to 0. For jacketed or plated bullets, the standard dillon crimp die works just fine.

[Norm Lee]

I tried to send a reply to this thread yesterday, but apparently it didn't stick. Let's try again, shall we? Have you isolated the operation that is giving you a case too large to chamber? It just may not be that the sizing die is not resizing the case small enough in diameter. It might not be that it doesn't come down close enough to the head. It may be that it's a little too aggressive and makes the case a little too small for your application. To check to see if this might be so, try inserting your brass in a case gauge right after it has been resized if the brass mostly passes then but fails after a bullet has been seated and crimped you may have found the problem.

Your resize die is (unless your set up is pretty spendy) turning a tapered case into a straight walled case. This is prone to exacerbate what may be the problem. You are loading a long bullet which, being lead is likely about a thousandth larger in diameter than its jacketed counterpart. So when you seat the bullet, cases are failing under compression and you get a bulge which makes the cartridge too big to chamber.

You can reduce the number of rejects you get, if my hypothesis is correct, by using jacketed bullets, or shorter bullets, or tracking down a resize die a little larger in diameter. (Or perhaps finding a die which leaves you with tapered cases.

Good luck

Cheers,

Norm

[Ninja45]

I have the same problem in my Dillon 550B when loading .40 and .45. I started using the Lee FCD and the problem away. Also, there are some brass out there that will not resize like "normal" brass. When you resize brass and it takes a bit more effort to operate the handle than "normal" (you'll feel the difference when this happens), toss that shell in the recycle can. "AMERC" brass comes to mind. I don't even try to reload those, an exercise in futility, if you ask me.

I also use the barrel of the pistol I will use these handloads on as my case gauge. This guarantees me that the round will chamber in that particular barrel. If it goes in with a "thunk", it's good to go. If it doesn't, I put the bullet out, de-cap and toss the brass away.

Ninja45

[Ridgerunnr]

I measured good cases and bad cases. I measured at the case bottom and the non feed rounds measured .393 and above. Any case that was .392 and below my die would handle no problem..above that they would not resize enough. I got the undersized Lee die from EGW. It solved the problem and resized the brass perfectly