Plunk test question

[jimlj]

I loaded a few Lee 358-125-RF powder coated boolits that plunk great in a Ruger SR9 and a Taurus 709 barrel, but lack just a bit of plunking in a AR-9 barrel. If I let the bolt spring forward they chamber fine, but you have to pull harder on the handle than a factory round to get them out. Would I be ok to shoot them, or do I need to have the barrel throat reamed?

I suppose I could seat the boolit about .001 deeper and I'll bet they would plunk fine. I plunked them in the Ruger barrel thinking they would be fine in the AR barrel. Lesson learned.

I have them loaded light based on information on cast boolits in my Lyman manual.

[Der Gebirgsjager]

I suppose I could seat the boolit about .001 deeper and I'll bet they would plunk fine.

Seems like the correct, and practical answer to me.

DG

[Bazoo]

Might try a bit more crimp. I've run tight rounds like that through a couple guns with no issues, only cause I had a few from my die backing off a bit or from when I was adjusting it. Though, it wasn't in a 9mm.

[jimlj]

Looks like I need to learn how to spell "Test".
Any way to edit the title of the thread?

[Bazoo]

Only a mod can edit the title.

[Walks]

Maybe a bit of Taper Crimp ?

[Winger Ed.]

Draw all over a problem child with a sharpie, see where they drag at, then go from there.

[onelight]

You can seat deeper and back up on your powder charge and work up again.
Rework your barrel so it will accept that bullet at that OAL
Or go to this style mold or a TC mold . http://www.accuratemolds.com/bullet_detail.php?bullet=35-128N

[DougGuy]

I would not shoot them because if they are hard to chamber, what are the chances you may get some boolit setback? Pretty good I would say, so any amount of setback = pressures can skyrocket unpredictably.

[mehavey]

Before you do anything, what is the case mouth diameter as currently loaded ?

[onelight]

Yup what walks , winger Ed and mehavey said . Check the easy free stuff first :)

[Rcmaveric]

I would definitely just seat deeper and run them through a factory crimp die. I have noticed newer more extensive fire arms tend to have a tighter chamber spec.

Sent from my SM-N970U using Tapatalk

[mehavey]

I would definitely just seat deeper and run them through a factory crimp die. Again, before the OP does anything to the rounds
What is the current/as-loaded mouth diameter ?

[Der Gebirgsjager]

I changed it for you.

DG

[mdi]

I don't mind reloading to fit a particular gun, but I would never alter a gun to fit a particular load. You have two guns that accept the load, and one that doesn't so why not just make up loads that fit them all? I would (and have done) seat the bullets a bit deeper (unless you have to go .015" deeper). I have 4, 9mm pistols and recently bought a Masada that has a slightly "shorter" chamber. The "standard" loads for my 9mms don't plunk in the Masada as well as I like, so I shortened my standard OAL to fit the Masada ands it has changed nothing for the other 3 pistols; accuracy, velocity, and functioning.

(just my opinion; I don't crimp, add any crimp, or measure any crimp for any semi-auto handloads and have produced many thousand semi-auto rounds that function 100% in 9 semi-auto pistol caliber guns. 32ACP to 45 ACP)...

[dverna]

I loaded a few Lee 358-125-RF powder coated boolits that plunk great in a Ruger SR9 and a Taurus 709 barrel, but lack just a bit of plunking in a AR-9 barrel. If I let the bolt spring forward they chamber fine, but you have to pull harder on the handle than a factory round to get them out. Would I be ok to shoot them, or do I need to have the barrel throat reamed?

I suppose I could seat the boolit about .001 deeper and I'll bet they would plunk fine. I plunked them in the Ruger barrel thinking they would be fine in the AR barrel. Lesson learned.

I have them loaded light based on information on cast boolits in my Lyman manual.

I doubt .001” deeper is even measurable. Unless you are near max, seat .010 deeper and KISS.

[mehavey]

Again....

There are two ammunition things that affect semi-auto "plunk"

#1 One is case dimension at/near the mouth.
#2 The other is bullet seating depth/shoulder/ogive protrusion beyond that case mouth.

Until you've checked #1, don't bother playing with #2.

[gwpercle]

It's OK to shoot them in the AR ... the only problem would be an unfired round ... if you try to extract it and the boolit sticks in the barrel/throat ... then you have a case full of powder dumped in the action and a boolit lodged in the bore .
Be careful and bring a range rod !
Gary

[mehavey]

I'm very leery of gas-gun setups where the bolt cannot fall freely into battery,
and no less freely extract that same loaded round.

Has the OP yet replied to the question of case mouth dimension ?

[Greg S]

Are you post sizing after powder coat and are you over crimping expanding the front of the bullet? As Winger said. Measure pre/post powder coat and loaded?

[jimlj]

Again....

There are two ammunition things that affect semi-auto "plunk"

#1 One is case dimension at/near the mouth.
#2 The other is bullet seating depth/shoulder/ogive protrusion beyond that case mouth.

Until you've checked #1, don't bother playing with #2.

Sorry I hadn't replied earlier. Case diameter at/near mouth is .376". My Lyman manual shows the max diameter to be .380. I have a Lee factory crimp die that just kisses the case mouth. There is no noticeable bulge anywhere on the case after the crimp. It is definitely the bullet touching. I can't find any published load data for this boolit and 9mm. The Lyman manual lists a 5 grain lighter bullet with a starting load of 4.0 grains Unique. It shows a 147 grain boolit with a starting load of 3.2 grains Unique. I started loading this boolit (358-125-RF) with 3.2 grains Unique so I *think* I am safe to push the boolit back a few thousandths of an inch till it plunks.

[mdi]

I do not crimp any semi-auto handloads. I merely deflare and don't measure the case mouth post deflaring and have rarely had a problem Plunking due to case mouth diameter. Nearly every "adjustment" made to insure good plunking had been bullet seating depth. Unless the case mouth looks like a tuba, 99% of the plunking problems are cartridge OAL (actually ogive location). My 45 ACPs all have "generous" chambers, my 32 ACP and 380 ACP are about "mid-way" in chamber tolerances, but I have 2, 9mm pistols with "generous" chambers, one with "normal" chamber and one with a "tight" chamber. The main difference for my 9mms is OAL and I seat all bullets, use the same OAL of my "tight" gun for all my 9mm pistols...

[mehavey]

Case diameter at/near mouth is .376"Okaaaay, we have met the enemy, and the enemy is bullet OAL.
Gradually seat further until it extracts freely...

With what you note as as your current load/leeway a coupla thousandths shouldn't have any effect at all.



BTW: I've run into plenty of semi-autos/re-loaded where the residual mouth diameter was the culprit.
Always check the easy stuff 1st. :popcorn:

[jimlj]

Are you post sizing after powder coat and are you over crimping expanding the front of the bullet? As Winger said. Measure pre/post powder coat and loaded?

As cast the boolits are .358-.3585". I am sizing after powder coat to .357".

[jimlj]

I shot the 20 I had loaded on Monday. All shot great and I'm shooting a group (1.5" at 25') with zero leading.
I started down this rabbit hole with a .356 tumble lube boolit and 45/45/10 lube. Terrible leading, I only shot about 5 before I quit. After powder coating the same boolit I was able to eliminate the leading, but was shooting a 10 shot 12" pattern at 25". New mold, new boolit and I'm at a 1.5" group at 25'. So far I'm into casting/powder coating several hundred dollars for less than 100 boolits. I think I'll wait a few years before I tell my wife how much money I'm saving.

[jim147]

I shot the 20 I had loaded on Monday. All shot great and I'm shooting a group (1.5" at 25') with zero leading.
I started down this rabbit hole with a .356 tumble lube boolit and 45/45/10 lube. Terrible leading, I only shot about 5 before I quit. After powder coating the same boolit I was able to eliminate the leading, but was shooting a 10 shot 12" pattern at 25". New mold, new boolit and I'm at a 1.5" group at 25'. So far I'm into casting/powder coating several hundred dollars for less than 100 boolits. I think I'll wait a few years before I tell my wife how much money I'm saving.

You're not really saving money, you will find something else to buy. This is one of those ever expanding hobbies.

[Landshark9025]

That particular bullet has a very blunt profile. I had to seat it deeper than I liked on my HK but was passable and way deeper than I was comfortable with on my AR9. I ended up having the throat reamed on it.

100% not helping you save money, but the MP 147g Competition Round nose over about 2.8g of Titegroup is a lot of fun. Stupid quiet if you have a can and feeds perfectly well in the "no feed ramp" AR9.

Closed group buy (http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?380096-ACTIVE-RERUN-MP-Mold-9mm-38-sp-357-mag-Round-Nose-147-grain-Competition-boolit) but shows up on the website from time to time.