I've loaded around 600 rounds on my new Lee turret press...

[wdfwguy]

I felt like I had everything dialed in pretty well. I'm using Lee 9mm dies, range brass, SNS coated bullets and a couple of different powders. I'm checking my powder charges and OAL every so often and they look to be consistent.

Everything has gone bang, and the accuracy level seems good. But I'm having other issues, like rounds not quite going into battery, failures to eject, stovepipes, etc.

I'm just not sure where to look for the problem.

[RogerDat]

Did you size your bullets after coating or before? Or size them at all?

BTW - those Turret presses are pretty sweet ain't they.

[Jamezius Maximus]

If you don't have a sizing die, I have one you can have. It's for the 9mm and it's a lee .356 sized with pusher and Ben. I have a .357 and primarily use that. You will need a single stage Press, highly recommend the lee challenger fairly inexpensive and rock solid for sizing. Here is my setup :) seriously PM me and I'll mail it to you. I need to pay it forward from another members generous PIF :) [emoji106][emoji95]

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20171213/4855f818cbf9c04caf9f650f6dd54281.jpg


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[wdfwguy]

Did you size your bullets after coating or before? Or size them at all?

BTW - those Turret presses are pretty sweet ain't they.

I do like the press...

No, I didn't size the bullets, but just to be clear I didn't cast these or do the coating

[wdfwguy]

If you don't have a sizing die, I have one you can have. It's for the 9mm and it's a lee .356 sized with pusher and Ben. I have a .357 and primarily use that. You will need a single stage Press, highly recommend the lee challenger fairly inexpensive and rock solid for sizing. Here is my setup :) seriously PM me and I'll mail it to you. I need to pay it forward from another members generous PIF :) [emoji106][emoji95]

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20171213/4855f818cbf9c04caf9f650f6dd54281.jpg


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I appreciate the offer, but I'm afraid I don't have a single stage press to use it...

[Jniedbalski]

Some guns are pickey. I have a nine that likes fmjs but cast hangs up in.it likes a shorter oal than the fmjs.i use mixed range brass some it likes some it don't hope u find what the problem is

[dikman]

You don't need a single stage for sizing, use a turret and just take out the indexing shaft. That's what I used to do before I made an upside down sizing press.

[RogerDat]

You don't need a single stage for sizing, use a turret and just take out the indexing shaft. That's what I used to do before I made an upside down sizing press. This works. I use the turret press with the indexing rod out about 1/2 the time. Sometimes for things like sizing, others when I just want to do one step on all the cases, then turn the turret and do the next step. That is what makes the turret such a good first press. Auto indexing allows one to crank out ammo with less complexity than a progressive, while still covering the stuff better done single stage.

Plunk test your bullets. With the barrel off try dropping some of the finished bullets into the barrel do they drop in and "plunk" to fully seated position, or are they tight or not getting all the way seated. You will be using your barrel like a test gage. If the bullets smoothly plunk into the barrel in your hand when dropped in then they are not over sized to start with, if not smoothly dropping in then sizing is called for.

If I was you I would take Jamezius Maxiumus up on his offer of a sizer. You can use it on your press and size matters, at least in bullets. And fish, bigger fish is better story. Buck or hog that got away, them too. :-)

You might google plunk test for bullets to get a better description or to find a YouTube video of it but it is basically just checking the round for fit in your chamber.

[toallmy]

There is a sticky in the classics and stickies forum titled ' setting up for boolits in a new 9mm ' that is very informative , and well worth reading . It may help you work out half your trouble even though it doesn't address the stove pipe issue , it might help .

[Bmi48219]

I agree that oversized bullets COULD result in rounds not going fully into battery, but from my experience so could a weak recoil spring. I don't think failures to eject & stovepipes indicate sizing issues.
Wdfwguy, do these problems occur in a particular firearm or several? If only in one firearm, do the issues go away when you use factory-made ammo? What kind of firearm? Loads that are on the mild side will often cause stovepiping and failures to eject. What powder & charge, what weight bullet are you loading?

[Ole Joe Clarke]

If your shells don't pass the plunk test, you might need to adjust your taper crimp die. But if your bullets are not resized before loading adjusting the taper crimp die probably won't help. Look in your reloader's manual for tips on adjusting dies. You do have a manual that you have read, don't you?

Have a blessed day,

Leon

[three50seven]

But I'm having other issues, like rounds not quite going into battery, failures to eject, stovepipes, etc.

I'm just not sure where to look for the problem.

It sounds like your rounds may be slightly underpowered. All of those failures could be caused by the rounds not having quite enough "oomph" to cycle the action properly. You didn't list your load, but just judging by what you are describing, that's where I would look first.

[Soundguy]

agreed.. underpowered and short stroking is a possibility.

[Smoke4320]

agreed.. underpowered and short stroking is a possibility.
which leads to no joy :):)

[jdfoxinc]

Is your wrist limp?

[Time Killer]

If they are 40,9mm or 45 you may need to run them thru a bulge buster. They may have been shot thru an unsupported barrel and have a slight bulge that the sizing die is not taking out. This is for the ones not going into battery. i run into that issue with my 45 from time to time.

[wdfwguy]

I'm not limp wristing, the same guns are running 100% with factory ammo

I tried the plunk test with a handful of reloads and a few factory rounds and they feel identical. Plunk in and fall out.

And I don't feel like they're underpowered. The AA #2 load data min/max is 3.0/3.8 and these are 3.8. Which the manual says should be 1012 fps, and the factory Blazer is 1090. Does that sound underpowered?

And the Sporting Pistol has a max load of 3.9g (1066 fps) and my loads were 3.8.

So, I'm still kind of confused.

[Jamezius Maximus]

I'm not limp wristing, the same guns are running 100% with factory ammo

I tried the plunk test with a handful of reloads and a few factory rounds and they feel identical. Plunk in and fall out.

And I don't feel like they're underpowered. The AA #2 load data min/max is 3.0/3.8 and these are 3.8. Which the manual says should be 1012 fps, and the factory Blazer is 1090. Does that sound underpowered?

And the Sporting Pistol has a max load of 3.9g (1066 fps) and my loads were 3.8.

So, I'm still kind of confused.

If same ammo is working in other guns, then like the gentleman above us said "your recoil spring is worn out" that would be my .02


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[wdfwguy]

I agree that oversized bullets COULD result in rounds not going fully into battery, but from my experience so could a weak recoil spring. I don't think failures to eject & stovepipes indicate sizing issues.
Wdfwguy, do these problems occur in a particular firearm or several? If only in one firearm, do the issues go away when you use factory-made ammo? What kind of firearm? Loads that are on the mild side will often cause stovepiping and failures to eject. What powder & charge, what weight bullet are you loading?

This was with 2 different pistols, a Glock 17 and a 1911.

124g SNS coated RN
Win SPP
Range brass

3.8g AA #2 and 3.8g Sport Pistol

[wdfwguy]

If same ammo is working in other guns, then like the gentleman above us said "your recoil spring is worn out" that would be my .02

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Sorry for the confusion, I'm getting the same failures in both guns. The factory ammo is working in both guns.

[Jamezius Maximus]

Sorry for the confusion, I'm getting the same failures in both guns. The factory ammo is working in both guns.

Ahhhhh well then, perhaps loads are a tad bulimic.


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[wdfwguy]

I did a little research this afternoon and I've seen where people have talked about loading these bullets a little shorter due to the shape. So, I took off all my dies and reinstalled them, just to be sure everything was correct there. And then loaded some to 1.13, and some to 1.12. I'll try those and see how it goes.

[Gus Youmans]

wdfwguy,

I recently experienced a standard Lee 9mm sizing die that was not resizing some cases enough to allow for reliable feeding. I assumed a lot of other causes for the problem but finally tried loading some of the resized brass in the chamber and some of the cases would not go all the way in. Lee makes an undersized reloading die for 9mm and that solved the problem. I don't know if the original Lee resizing die was defective or if some of the brass was bulged more than normal. I tried sizing some of the brass in Lyman and Dillon sizing dies and it chambered without a hitch.

Failures to eject and stovepipes may be gun issues or loads that are too light. Otherwise, I have no suggestions for those problems.

I was having the problem primarily with a Springfield 1911 but most of the rounds would feed through my Glock 19, and Glock 43 with only an occasional failure to feed.

Gus Youmans

[Soundguy]

Glocked brass.

A push thru sizer will de bulge it.

[gundownunder]

Are you sure about your loads?

I don't load 9mm but I cast for it for a couple of friends.
I just looked in Lee's second edition, and I see a 125 gr lead bullet load with Accur#2 is between 4.1 gr and 4.5 gr, and even at 4.5 it is about 10% lower pressure than the average for other loads.
Even the 124 gr jacketed bullet load goes up to 4.1 gr to achieve average pressures, and if your lead bullets are Hi-tek coated they will generate even lower pressures than normal lead loads
An underpowered load might explain the stovepiping.

[kens]

probably the most misunderstood item to make autoloaders feed reloads, is the crimp die.
Bullet seater by itself doesnt necessarily remove all the case mouth bell.
I had most all the same problems as described, until, I began using a crimp die.
That's when my cast reloads started feeding like factory ammo.
Seating a bullet for a auto pistol is really a 2-step process,
the seater die sets the OAL,
and the crimp die removes the last little bit of case mouth bell

[Honcho]

WDFWGUY, do you happen to have a Chronograph, or access to one? It might be an idea to run the loads you're having a problem with, thru a Chrony, to see how consistent they are at MV. It will also tell you how the loads compare with the reloading manual's published MV.
I have an old "Chrony" Chronograph that gives me a lot of feedback on my reloads, they only run around $100. on sale, and are a great tool.

[wdfwguy]

WDFWGUY, do you happen to have a Chronograph, or access to one? It might be an idea to run the loads you're having a problem with, thru a Chrony, to see how consistent they are at MV. It will also tell you how the loads compare with the reloading manual's published MV.
I have an old "Chrony" Chronograph that gives me a lot of feedback on my reloads, they only run around $100. on sale, and are a great tool.


Actually, I just ordered a ProChrono one yesterday

I'm still having some little issues. I loaded some 45acp in 230gr and 200gr swc. The 230s ran fine, but the 200s would occasionally not chamber fully. The slide wouldn't completely close, and it was sticking a little trying to kick them out. I took the gun apart and they dropped in and fell out of the chamber, but then would occasionally stick when firing. I suppose just a learning curve to this whole thing.

[Honcho]

I think you'll learn to love the Chrony, mine has been soaked in a hurricane, shot at and hit, (NOT BY ME)! and has been to the school of hard knocks, and still seems to keep on going, despite it's age!
On the .45 Ammo, does it digest commercial ammo O.K.? If so it's most likely not a weak mainspring, any idea how many rounds at on the mainspring?
Another thing I would check, is your case length, depending on how many times it has been reloaded, brass cases will stretch a bit from the sizing/depriming process. It's a good idea to check them with a case length gauge, after depriming/sizing, especially with Range pick up brass, as you don't know the history of the brass.
Are you using a good taper crimp die? Are you reaming the case necks, inside and out, to remove any burrs?
Have you checked the chamber and feedramp with a strong flashlight, to make sure there are no rough spots/burrs? (I have a bud who had a Kimber sub-compact .45, and he bought it brand new-- couldn't get it to shoot consistently-- I checked it out under strong light, and found a deep gouge in the feed ramp, that was on there when he bought it! He sent it back to Kimber and got his money back!)
Are you running very hot loads? Are the fired primers flattened?
O.K., you've got your homework assignment, now report back, so we can check your progress!!! LOL!
I can tell you this, I've been reloading since 1958, and am still learning new things, every day--Learning curve, indeed! I still run into things that make me scratch my head!/