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Thread: Resizing the 9mm??

  1. #1
    Boolit Master Whitespider's Avatar
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    Resizing the 9mm??

    There ain't really a "brass" forum so I'm posting where I'm comfortable.
    My son has decided he wants to reload for his 9mm Luger, and purchased a Lee carbide 4-die set.
    The effort to full-length resize the brass is more than any other pistol/revolver brass I've ever done (with a carbide die)... a lot more. On a handful of them I actually displaced brass and created a sharp ridge where the case stopped entering the die.
    Is this normal with the 9mm?? Or should I be lookin' at a die problem??
    I never thought about it, but I have a .38 ACP carbide resizing die I could have tried... but all the empty brass is resized now.
    *

  2. #2
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    As you know it is tapered not straight. I lube all brass I size even with carbide dies.

  3. #3
    Boolit Master Moleman-'s Avatar
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    What was the brass originally shot in? Never had a 9mm case so swollen it left a ring or started cutting into the case. Wonder if the chamber the brass was fired in was oversized, blowback and opening up early or if the carbide insert on the die wasn't beveled. Loaded many 9mm luger over the past 30 years with carbide dies and never lubed any of them.

  4. #4
    Boolit Master
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    +1 on lube even with carbide dies. I use just a dab of hornady one shot, if out I use lanolin.
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  5. #5
    Boolit Master pjames32's Avatar
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    Just loaded a couple hundred 9mm. Did not lube, but the cases were deprimed and cleaned before loading. The case does have a bit of taper.
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  6. #6
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    put the old measurer on them.
    I have had a case or two that took some handle pressure to size but not enough to put a ring on the case.

  7. #7
    Boolit Master 308Jeff's Avatar
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    I have the Lee Deluxe set for 9mm as well. Lube greatly reduces the effort, but loaded thousands before adding lube. Never had any problems like that. Sounds like you might have a die issue.

  8. #8
    Boolit Grand Master tazman's Avatar
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    I don't use lube on any pistol cases when using a carbide sizing die. By the same token I have never had an issue that resembles yours.
    Hard to believe a chamber is so oversize that it would give such results. You may have a die problem.
    I use a Lee 4 die set to reload my 9mm. Thousands done without problems.

  9. #9
    Boolit Buddy Hogdaddy's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by 308Jeff View Post
    I have the Lee Deluxe set for 9mm as well. Lube greatly reduces the effort, but loaded thousands before adding lube. Never had any problems like that. Sounds like you might have a die issue.
    ^^^^^^^^^^This^^^^^^^^
    H/D

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by tazman View Post
    I don't use lube on any pistol cases when using a carbide sizing die. By the same token I have never had an issue that resembles yours.
    Hard to believe a chamber is so oversize that it would give such results. You may have a die problem.
    I use a Lee 4 die set to reload my 9mm. Thousands done without problems.
    I'm with Tazman.....
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  11. #11
    Boolit Master reloader28's Avatar
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    I've ran into an occasional one that is stiff. But this sounds to me more like a die problem. Is it possible the die is down too far? Maybe raise it up a 1/4 to 1/2 turn and see what happens.

  12. #12
    Boolit Buddy hermans's Avatar
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    Have sized thousands of 9mm's with my Dillon die, no lube, no problem.
    Just had a problem with a under sized 222 Hornady die, left a ridge at the bottom as described here in the OP. Gave it back to the dealer and got a set of Redding dies, problem solved.....so it could be the sizer die that is too small.

  13. #13
    Boolit Master Whitespider's Avatar
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    Thanks guys.
    Yeah, I'm thinking a die problem also. The brass I was running through it was mixed head stamps, some fired in the boy's gun, some range pick ups. None resized easily, but some required considerable force on the handle. I do have the die adjusted to make contact with the shell holder, I could try backing that out just a little... but really, to me, the force required feels like too much as soon as the case mouth starts into the die.

    Well, there ain't any more cases to play with at this time, they've all been resized.
    Maybe next time I'll try my .38 ACP carbide resizer.
    *

  14. #14
    Boolit Master
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    I agree, die is out of spec. I've resized thousands of 9mm cases, range pick up, my reloads, once fired...never had any issue, no lube. same die set as yours.

  15. #15
    Boolit Master trapper9260's Avatar
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    I re size a load of 9mm Luger my self .But I have look at one time the size of a 9mm mac. I see there cases was bigger.because I seen that you can use 9mm luger for to make 9mm macs. That might be the case also if some of the brass was pick up at the range or other place. If all is 9mm luger then it could be the die. Just thinking.I do lube all my cases no matter what.
    Life Member of NRA,NTA,DAV ,ITA. Also member of FTA,CBA

  16. #16
    Boolit Master Whitespider's Avatar
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    Oh... as far as lubing the cases??
    I reload something well over a dozen pistol and revolver cartridges using carbide resizing dies, I've never used any lube or seen any need for it. The whole reason I pay the extra for carbide is so I don't have to mess around with lubing cases.

    I have reloading dies from RCBS, Hornady, Lyman, Redding, Herters, Hollywood Gun Shop, and Lee. Of the bunch, Lee dies are my least favorite. I know some guys swear by them... but... the only brand that has given me trouble is Lee, and the troubles have been many. A .357 Magnum carbide resizer would not size some brands of cases enough, a jacketed bullet would fall into the case. A .38-40 resizer would not set the shoulder back far enough and I ended up needing to remove .020 off the bottom of the die. I broke the "unbreakable" decapping pin on the first .30-06 case I resized. The short, stubby "powder through" expanders used in the pistol/revolver dies are worthless (in my opinion), especially with cast boolits. And now there's this (probable) problem with the 9mm carbide die.

    I believe I'm done with Lee dies... the savings ain't worth the frustration.
    *

  17. #17
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    ive loaded MANY thousand 9mm using lee dies. Never used lube and never seen where it took any more effort then any other pistol caliber. My guess is you have a rough or out of spec die. I load 9mm progressively like I do all handgun rounds. I'm surely not going to fool with lube and have to tumble it off.
    Quote Originally Posted by tazman View Post
    I don't use lube on any pistol cases when using a carbide sizing die. By the same token I have never had an issue that resembles yours.
    Hard to believe a chamber is so oversize that it would give such results. You may have a die problem.
    I use a Lee 4 die set to reload my 9mm. Thousands done without problems.

  18. #18
    Boolit Grand Master tazman's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Whitespider View Post
    Oh... as far as lubing the cases??
    I reload something well over a dozen pistol and revolver cartridges using carbide resizing dies, I've never used any lube or seen any need for it. The whole reason I pay the extra for carbide is so I don't have to mess around with lubing cases.

    I have reloading dies from RCBS, Hornady, Lyman, Redding, Herters, Hollywood Gun Shop, and Lee. Of the bunch, Lee dies are my least favorite. I know some guys swear by them... but... the only brand that has given me trouble is Lee, and the troubles have been many. A .357 Magnum carbide resizer would not size some brands of cases enough, a jacketed bullet would fall into the case. A .38-40 resizer would not set the shoulder back far enough and I ended up needing to remove .020 off the bottom of the die. I broke the "unbreakable" decapping pin on the first .30-06 case I resized. The short, stubby "powder through" expanders used in the pistol/revolver dies are worthless (in my opinion), especially with cast boolits. And now there's this (probable) problem with the 9mm carbide die.

    I believe I'm done with Lee dies... the savings ain't worth the frustration.
    *
    If my experience with Lee dies had paralleled yours, I would be down on Lee dies as well. Sometimes things just don't work out like they should and you need to work through it.
    I have had issues with other brands of dies but to this date none with Lee. Choose whichever brand of equipment you feel comfortable with.
    Confidence in your equipment is important.

  19. #19
    Boolit Master
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    I use carbide dies without lubing, EXCEPT for 30 carbine. I have to agree that the die is out of sorts. Shouldn't need that much effort.

  20. #20
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    I just spray Hornady one shot on mine to make the press run smoother. I load 9mm, 40SW and 45acp. 40 is the one I get oversized brass.

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check