PistolPete Posted June 30, 2003 Share Posted June 30, 2003 Here is the deal... I loaded a bunch of ammo the other night. I then cycled them thru my gun to see if they would feed. All the ones that didn't feed I put aside. Out of 165 rounds 30 of them wouldn't feed. When I further inspected I noticed that all the ones that wouldn't feed were Federal brass. I don't understand why this brass will not feed thru my gun. I measured some cases and here are my measurements... LOADED ROUND MAGTECH BRASS OAL- 1.24" CASE MOUTH- .473" MIDDLE- .468" BACK- .471" FEDERAL BRASS OAL- 1.24" CASE MOUTH- .474" MIDDLE- .469" BACK .472" as you can see they are very close... ONCE FIRED BRASS (brass only) MAGTECH OAL- .894" MOUTH- .472" MIDDLE- .475" BACK- .473 [/b]FEDERAL BRASS OAL- .889 MOUTH- .467 MIDDLE- .478 BACK- .473 What I don't understand is that when the round is loaded the dimensions are almost identical yet the Federal one will not feed. The unloaded brass dimensions are a bit different. Anyone know what my problem may be? Do you think I need to reset my press up for different cases? Do you think the OAL of the unloaded case is where I'm seeing my problem? That would be my guess. Thanks in advance, Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skywalker Posted June 30, 2003 Share Posted June 30, 2003 PP, have you inspected the finished defective reloads, looking for flaws such as a small ring of lead around the brass mouth? I suspect that, since the figures you posted about Federal brass (alone) O.A.L. are slightly smaller than MagTech, maybe that the Federal are not getting flared enough before inserting the bullet (i.e. they could be too short to be flared enough). The flaring die could be set up for longer (MagTech) brass and a bit too high for Federal brass. This could cause the brass mouth to shave lead from the bullet being pushed down, and, eventually this lead ring on the case mouth will prevent the round from being chambered (usually the slide won't go completely in battery by the last 3/4 mm). This is also why all reloading manuals advice on sorting brass in batches of appoximately the same lenght. If the above depicted is not the case, try to barrel gauge all your reloads, and post the results/problems you encountered. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wildman Posted June 30, 2003 Share Posted June 30, 2003 Buy, beg, of borrow a case gauge, and try the loaded rounds both bullet first and base first. It should show up the problem area real quick. I crimp a little more than you, and the OAL for 200 gr LSWC run 1.255. Good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dillon Posted June 30, 2003 Share Posted June 30, 2003 We suggest a crimp measuring between .469" to .472" at the case mouth. Variation in case wall thickness between brands will cause this to fluctuate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ironman Posted June 30, 2003 Share Posted June 30, 2003 Pete, Are you using lead, washed or FMJ bullets? Round nose, round nose flat point, or?? I agree with Wildman if you do not have a case gauge get one. Dillon has a good one but I found with lead bullets they will sometime not seat all the way into the case gauge due to the diameter of the bullet. I was using Hardcast bullets back then. By the information you gave on the finished bullet they look very consistent. I use to sort all my brass but after a while I got lazy and only use sorted brass for competition. I find a mean that does not exceed the OAL or crimp that I desire and run with that for the non sorted stuff. Jim By the way, it is nice to see dillion addressing questions here. Thank you to the Dillion Gang. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PistolPete Posted June 30, 2003 Author Share Posted June 30, 2003 So then I should try crimping the cases a tiny bit more? I'll try that and see if that helps. I would like to be able to reload all my brass and not just anything but Federal because I do have a ton of that. Thanks for everyones help. As for what bullet style I'm using. I'm using a Carrol 185 grain lead semiwad cutter. Thanks again, Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricW Posted June 30, 2003 Share Posted June 30, 2003 Keep in mind that when you're talking about the difference between a slip and an interference fit, .001" is huge. If you're right on the borderline of jamming cases in the chamber, it doesn't take much to cause a jam. Are you sure that it's really the Federal brass that's the problem, or that the brass was previously fired in a stock Glock and *that* is the problem? Federal brass is generally on the softer side, so I have a tough time believing it isn't resizing fully. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricW Posted June 30, 2003 Share Posted June 30, 2003 Oh, you also may have a tight chambered gun, in which case you may be running on the ragged edge with everything anyway. An EGW die may do the trick, or you could choose to ream out the chamber with a Clymer reamer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Heiter Posted June 30, 2003 Share Posted June 30, 2003 Yep, Eric beat me to it. An EGW undersize die will take care of this for you. A Dillon press and and EGW undersize die are two things no .40 reloader should be without. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PistolPete Posted June 30, 2003 Author Share Posted June 30, 2003 All the .45 ACP brass I've fired has been mostly out of my Dan Wesson 1911 and a small amount out of my Sig P220 ST. None of the brass has been out of a Glock as I don't even own one. I have a gunsmith fit barrel on my Dan Wesson that has the chamber of the barrel fully polished. I'll try criming a bit more tonight and see if that helps. Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PistolPete Posted July 1, 2003 Author Share Posted July 1, 2003 UPDATE Here is the deal... I adjusted my crimp so it now measures .470 and all my cases now feed properly. Having the tighter crimp I can feel how much easier it is to cycle the rounds thru the gun. Thanks for all your help. Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dickwholliday Posted July 2, 2003 Share Posted July 2, 2003 i got a Lee factory crimp die the other day for my 45's and i can tell when a federal case goes through it....my guess is brass is thicker....you should get one of those dies and you can just about throw your case checker guages away....i like the die so much that i've got a 40 die on the way....D I C K Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bronson7 Posted July 2, 2003 Share Posted July 2, 2003 The best way to gauge rounds IMO is to use your chamber. Field strip your gun and have your barrel with you at your re-loading bench. Rounds should freely drop in and fall out. Bronson7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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