Case bulge when loading with boolits?

[Lord1234]

Perhaps someone can help me.

About 6 months ago, I cast a bunch of boolits using a Lee TL356-124-TC mold. They were cast using range lead. Upon weighing, these bullets ranged from 131 to 133 gns in weight.

I loaded them into untrimmed, once fired(mostly) 9mm cases. I loaded them using a Dillon 550 using the Dillon Carbide die set, with 4.1gn of Unique. Wolf SP Primers.

Now herein lies the question: Some of these cases pass the dillon case gauge just fine. Slide in and out. Some barely pass(need a bit of thumb pressure to get em all the way in). Some fail gloriously. I think it might be something to do with the bullet, as I notice on the cases that fail, that there is a noticeable bulge where the bullet was seated.

Can anyone provide some advice as to how to fix or get rid of this problem?

[NWFLYJ]

A couple of questions to help out.
1.Did you run the boolits thru a sizer?
2. Was the once fired brass from the same gun?
Mark

[Silent]

Tho I can't help with your problem, I can say that my 9mm reloads do buldge a bit. Mine work fine in my pistol unless I seat the boolit crooked. Then it just won't feed. I size all of my 9mm rounds to .358

[oneokie]

Mic the boolits after sizing.
Mic the loaded rounds to see if there is a difference in diameter.
Are you sorting the brass by maker? Different makes have different case wall thickness.

[Lord1234]

Bullets are tumble lubed, not through a sizer.

No I am not sorting by headstamp.

No these were not all fired from same gun(range pickup brass)

[Bwana]

oneokie beat me to it, " Are you sorting the brass by maker? Different makes have different case wall thickness. "
CBC in particular is an offender in this regard. Another reason to sort your brass by manufacturer.

[Lord1234]

Most of the brass is Win or RP stamped. Some SB, but I tend to cull that out.

[NWFLYJ]

Mic the boolits after sizing.
Mic the loaded rounds to see if there is a difference in diameter.
Are you sorting the brass by maker? Different makes have different case wall thickness.

Have you mic'ed any of your cast boolits to see the size/diameter variance?

[Lord1234]

Yes,
One round that passes is .356 in diameter(measuring the bullet that just barely sticks out of case mouth diameter). One that fails is .359.

[oneokie]

What diameter do you get when you measure the same two rounds where the boolit is seated into the case? Measure about midway from the case mouth to where the base of the boolit is in the case.

[Frank]

Sounds like you need a .358 sizer and a longer expander.

[lwknight]

It only takes a bulge of less than 1/1000th to show up on shiny brass.
Its normal unless you get way out there so that they won't chamber.

[thx997303]

Quit using the case guage for boolits.

Most times a properly sized boolit will cause the case to be larger than the case guage is set up to read.

[Lord1234]

well i wouldn't worry about the case guage, if they would chamber...but they don't. Hence the problem. I am going to try a push through sizer.

[ironhead7544]

I use the Lee Factory Crimp die. On my 160 gr LRN 9mm loads some of the cases bulge. The FCD irons it out.

[NWFLYJ]

well i wouldn't worry about the case guage, if they would chamber...but they don't. Hence the problem. I am going to try a push through sizer.

I thought about sugguesting that, but I was thinking it will crimp the boolit too tight. Thoughts anyone? Mark

[Fixxah]

I use the Lee Factory Crimp die. On my 160 gr LRN 9mm loads some of the cases bulge. The FCD irons it out.
What he said.

[Doby45]

Always use the barrel you will be shooting the boolits from as the "case gauge". If they don't fit the barrel chamber then the boolit is either too big (as in unsized) or the brass is thicker.

[mpmarty]

If you use a sizer on loaded ammo you will wind up with undersized boolits loose in the case as the sizer (as in the LEE fcd for pistols) reduces the diameter of the case and boolit and then the case springs back and the boolit doesn't. Piece of junk unlike most of LEEs stuff.

As said, slug the barrel and size to +.002" over groove diameter and see if the rounds will chamber. If not I'd look at a chambering reamer to make the chamber the correct size.

[chris in va]

Just about all my 9mm boolits will bulge brass. If I don't FCD, they won't feed in my CZ worth a darn.

[x101airborne]

Really make someone cringe, i loaded a test sample of 45 auto on a dillon 650 with 230 gr cast rn. had one fail to chamber. I said, ok.... acceptable. Range ammo anyway, and i get to practice "failure to feed / chamber" drills. loaded 3000 of same. over half would not chamber. bulges at the bottom of the boolit in the case. called Dillon for some *** advice. "Expert" told me to clean my resizing die with a drill and 2000 grit sand paper to lap it out larger and to lighten up on my taper crimp. It worked. i dont know why, it just did. Sold those 45's to a buddy that had a taurus 1911 that would feed em. he got a great deal, and i didnt have to pull 1500 rounds.

[Moonie]

Opinions vary on the Lee FCD. Personally I use it on all my loaded rounds. I do not size my pistol boolits, tumble lube them (normal GG not TL design) and load them. If I do not use my FCD my 45acp rounds generally do not fit, after running them through the FCD they do. I do not have issues with leading.

Others have problems with using the FCD, I do not. YMMV

[Silent]

I've noticed with my 9mm rounds, that if I don't crimp it just enough to remove the flair and make the case sides straight again, I will have trouble feeding. I have my bullet seating die set to do it. The factory ammo I've run that isn't crimped to remove that flair will FTL on occasion as well.

[fredj338]

If you use a sizer on loaded ammo you will wind up with undersized boolits loose in the case as the sizer (as in the LEE fcd for pistols) reduces the diameter of the case and boolit and then the case springs back and the boolit doesn't. Piece of junk unlike most of LEEs stuff.

As said, slug the barrel and size to +.002" over groove diameter and see if the rounds will chamber. If not I'd look at a chambering reamer to make the chamber the correct size.

I have to agree, a piece of kit that tries to make up for poor reloading technique.
The other guys have pegged the problem; shooting unsized bullets in mixed brass, you will get some that are just too large to fit. Size your bullets to a uniform dia & you'll get better results, even w/ mixed brass. Now what size, that is the question. Always taper crimp though, always. I load lead bullets that are sized 0.356", they fit a wide array of 9mm pistol, from Glock, S&W a BHP, no issues w/ bulged cases. Maybe a 0.3565" dia would hedge your bets for multiple pistols.

[ghh3rd]

Early on I was told not to size my Lee TL 175 gr .40 cal. boolits. It didn't work well for me, as I had the same experience that you are having. It was probably my casting technique that resulted in boolits of various diameters. In any case, I purchased a sizing die and almost completely eliminated the problem. I also purchased a Wilson case gage, which caught the few that might not have chambered. It's all good now...

Randy