I am about to throw a fit!!! 🤬

[badguybuster]

I have been reloading for 20+ years and have never had the issues I am having with figuring out 10mm. Ive made 30 dummy rounds so far and only one was correct.

#1- Resize brass, fits perfectly in gauge (check)
#2- Bell the case mouth (check)
#3- Insert projectile and seat to 1.26" (check)
#4- Taper crimp and poof....I am never able to get it to crimp in a manner that allows the round to fit into the guage more than 1/2 way.

I followed the instructions for the taper crimp and even tried setting it by using a factory round. I dont know where the problem is and Im getting a little testy about it.

[nhyrum]

Most of the time I find when I have a similar issue, it's that I flare too much, and the crimp can't get it all

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[bimus]

Cast or jacketed bullets ?

[Der Gebirgsjager]

If you can find one (difficult right now) try a Lee carbide factory crimp die.

DG

[Ed_Shot]

If you can find one (difficult right now) try a Lee carbide factory crimp die.

DG

^^^ What he said ^^^^

[Conditor22]

I have been reloading for 20+ years and have never had the issues I am having with figuring out 10mm. Ive made 30 dummy rounds so far and only one was correct.

#1- Resize brass, fits perfectly in gauge (check)
#2- Bell the case mouth (check)
#3- Insert projectile and seat to 1.26" (check)
#4- Taper crimp and poof....I am never able to get it to crimp in a manner that allows the round to fit into the guage more than 1/2 way.

I followed the instructions for the taper crimp and even tried setting it by using a factory round. I dont know where the problem is and Im getting a little testy about it.

How big are you sizing the boolits?
What are you belling the case mouth with --Bell should barely allow the boolit to start

[rockshooter]

1. Lee factory crimp die
2. measure case length, esp if new Starline case
3. gauges sometimes are useful, but mine normally sit in their blue box- the barrel is your best gauge
Loren

[jeepyj]

Cut back on the amount of crimp pressure and give it another try. Sometimes the crimp will compress the case causing it to bulge in the middle.

[Harter66]

+1 for the chamber fit .

Every time you add a dimension tool you add another set of variables .

[RickinTN]

Will they fit in the chamber of your handgun? I've been loading successfully for 44 years and never owned a gauge.
Rick

[Minerat]

I suspect the crimp. Are you seating and crimping in one step? That can cause the problem in auto pistols. I usually seat then crimp either roll or taper in a separate step. Use the plunk test before crimping if it doesn't plunk then seat the bullet a little deeper until it drops into the chamber without an assist.

[lawdog941]

Rotate the round 1/2 turn in the crimp die and crimp again. I've had several factory crimp dies act like that.

[jim147]

Will it plunk? I've never bought a gauge for any of my ammo. I already have one.

[Winger Ed.]

I seat then crimp separately.
I've also had a Hornady taper crimp die for 9mm/.38/.357 cause a bulge in the middle of .38s if I got too 'aggressive' with it.
Less flare, and less crimp fixed it for me.

[badguybuster]

Im not seating at the crimp. Im using a taper crimp die separately

[badguybuster]

Ok so I did a "plunk test" into my Dan wesson 1911 barrel. The test rounds fit perfectly but still wont fit in the guage. The factory rounds fit the guage with no issues but both rounds appear to fit exactly the same in the barrel......(expletives).

Pics 1-3 are handloads, pic 4 is a factory load

[ReloaderFred]

The chamber of your firearm should be the gauge, since that's where the ammunition you build will be fired. I've been reloading 10mm for years and years, and for multiple firearms (semi-auto handguns, a S&S 610 revolver and 10mm AR Carbine). I don't use a gauge, however I do use the firearms chambers.

Hope this helps.

Fred

[RickinTN]

Maybe throw the gauge away? Looks like your problem is solved. Good deal!
Rick

[lightload]

Please provide a picture of your bullet and give the diameter. If the bullet has a shoulder as do swc bullets, then the shoulder may be hitting the ring that head spaces the case. If so seating it deeper will fix the problem. Too the gauge might not be in spec.

[badguybuster]

Please provide a picture of your bullet and give the diameter. If the bullet has a shoulder as do swc bullets, then the shoulder may be hitting the ring that head spaces the case. If so seating it deeper will fix the problem. Too the gauge might not be in spec.

These are fmj-fps. Im seating to 1.26" which is identical to the factory round I am duplicating.

[onelight]

Will a factory round fit in your case gauge ? If so measure your reload and see where it is bigger than the factory round.

[Winger Ed.]

An old Indian trick is to draw all over a problem child with a sharpie, then test fit it.
It will tell you where the problem is.

[badguybuster]

thats a grand idea!

[Cast10]

Most of the problems, if not all, when I began with the 10mm/G20, was too much case belling. Also, depending upon bullet, you may need to seat a bit shorter. Check belling first; you want to just have the bell begin to flare enough that you can tell it did something. Then after the bullet is seated, with a small amount of crimp, push the newly loaded bullet, bullet first, into the edge of your reloading bench. You shouldn’t be able to move the projectile into the case. If it does, add a tad more crimp and recheck. Best to ya!

[Green Frog]

My guess goes in the other direction on the case... if the chamber near the breech is oversized, a Full Length Sizing Die doesn’t. The part shielded in the shell holder and the next little bit above it don’t get sized down (this latter due to the necessary opening taper of the die. Of course if you put the rounds back in the same chamber, they’ll fit, but not in another, tighter chamber.

Froggie

[Boogieman]

Make them fit the gun and forget the guage

[edp2k]

An old Indian trick is to draw all over a problem child with a sharpie, then test fit it.
It will tell you where the problem is.

Wise man.
+1.

[robg]

if it works in you pistol your good to go.

[jetinteriorguy]

Am I missing something in the pictures? They look perfect to me. First thing is throw the gauge in the garbage. Second , COL isn’t always going to yield the same results bases on difference in the shape of the bullets ogive. Start with a dummie round loaded long, then plunk. Keep seating deeper until it plunks, then go .010 deeper to allow for any variance. Next load up five dummy rounds and test for function in your pistol with all the mags you use. At this point start your load work up monitoring pressure signs. If this method doesn’t solve your problems, one last resort is to get an undersized sizing die, I had to do this with my 9mm so the ammo would plunk in all my pistols.

[onelight]

The sharpie method is my fall back method also . Bullet and case.
OAL from a book load is only correct if you are using a bullet with that same exact ogive shape , bullet weight and length from base of bullet to case mouth in the finished round.
I don't use any drop in gauges I use the tightest barrel I will be loading for. But with plated or jacketed bullets I would think a loaded round should drop in your gauge more than half way :) you may have an ogive shape issue but that is not what is holding it that far out of your gauge.
You have a bulge in it for some reason or not enough crimp . Your sized cases fit in the gauge so you know it is something in the seat and crimp process unless your bullet dia. Is way over.
The sharpie should show you where it is oversized but you need a good coat and several drop ins and twists to leave a mark .

[1hole]

I've been reloading everything that goes BOOM since 1965. I've never had a "case gage" nor even looked at a book OAL, I just make ammo that fits and shoots well in MY guns. Seems you have achieved that goal. ???

[GregLaROCHE]

I was just wondering if you tried an empty, resized case, before you belled it, in the chamber? Did it fit?

[garandsrus]

I had problems earlier this year with 9mm and a match barrel. My other 9mm fed everything so I never knew that I wasn’t sizing the brass completely back to factory specs. I do have a gauge. The new pistol was very frustrating until I figured out what the problem was.

[Handloader109]

while you MIGHT be loading it well enough to fit the one gun you have now, if you get another 10mm, it might be as tight as the gauge. Especially if the gauge works with factory ammo. Nothing wrong with the gauge. It is probably the small end of sammi spec. (which it should be).
I've struggled with 9mm, loaded a bunch and still have had issues. 100% plunks in my unused factory glock barrel (replaced with threaded barrel) But glock barrel is the high end of spec. ANYTHING fits in it. And having a bunch of various 9mm guns, it isnt the best check. I have always had a random jam. Plunk in other barrels, but still might not work in all.

I finally bought a 100 round case check from Slovenia. Armanov is the company. Not cheap, but works. I ran all my loaded 9mm through it and found a number of the marginal rounds. Lee full length crimp die solved all of the issues. I don't use it on all of the 9mm, but it just works.

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[jetinteriorguy]

while you MIGHT be loading it well enough to fit the one gun you have now, if you get another 10mm, it might be as tight as the gauge. Especially if the gauge works with factory ammo. Nothing wrong with the gauge. It is probably the small end of sammi spec. (which it should be).
I've struggled with 9mm, loaded a bunch and still have had issues. 100% plunks in my unused factory glock barrel (replaced with threaded barrel) But glock barrel is the high end of spec. ANYTHING fits in it. And having a bunch of various 9mm guns, it isnt the best check. I have always had a random jam. Plunk in other barrels, but still might not work in all.

I finally bought a 100 round case check from Slovenia. Armanov is the company. Not cheap, but works. I ran all my loaded 9mm through it and found a number of the marginal rounds. Lee full length crimp die solved all of the issues. I don't use it on all of the 9mm, but it just works.

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This is where an undersized sizing die can be useful. I had the same thing in 9mm until I went to the undersize die and seated bullets to plunk in the chamber of the gun with the shortest throat, which happened to be both my CZ75B SA and my M&P Storm Lake barrel. While the Lee FCD may work for some situations to accomplish this, in my case it didn’t, but the USD did the job.

[onelight]

The carbide factory crimp die works fo me too.
My reloads measure the same as the two factory loads I compared them with in 9mm .
I bought my first one because I had loaded a couple of thousand rounds for a 9mm sold that gun and the next I bought they would not plunk ran them through the FCD and worked great I now use them on 380 , 9mm , 40,and 45 acp . They all work in all my guns . Have used the 9mm in at least 20 9mm pistols including 3 cz 75bs , Rami ,HK, 3 sigs , 3 M&P , 2 SA , 3 rugers , 2 walthers 1 tarus and 2 Kahr .
I do run into ,seating depth ogive shape issues but have that whipped until I don't :)
So with my dies if factory loads plunk mine will.

[mdi]

Will they fit in the chamber of your handgun? I've been loading successfully for 44 years and never owned a gauge.
Rick

Me too! And I tried an FCD once and now it resides in a landfill somewhere in So. Oregon...

Sounds like you many be crimping too much. Forget the term "crimp" and think "deflare". Just use a taper "crimp" die enough to get rid of the flare, and plunk test in the gun barrel (your ammo is to be shot out of the gun's barrel, not a gauge). When too much taper crimp is used the case very often bulges farther down the body, usually about half way. Measure the case body after seating the bullet, beford deflaring, then again after...

[W.R.Buchanan]

Buster; You haven't mentioned what your crimps measure at the case mouth? And no where in this thread has anyone else mentioned what it should be either.

The Taper Crimp for the 10MM round or a .40 S&W round should measure .417-.418 at the mouth of the case.

If this is in place it means that you have completely eliminated any Belling on the case mouth and the round should chamber correctly, and the bullet should be held in place.

Not enough crimp would certainly be a big problem with this round as it is a very high pressure round and bullets being pushed back into the case by recoil would result in a Serious Pressure Spike!!! Which you don't want any part of!!!

Randy

[badguybuster]

They appear to be an average of .417, I still get the occassional outlier that wont fit but its coming along

[gifbohane]

In my opinion the Lee Crimp die just squeezes the whole kit and kaboodle together and masks a mistake in your processes.

I would just find my mistake and correct it. my 2 cents

[onelight]

In my opinion the Lee Crimp die just squeezes the whole kit and kaboodle together and masks a mistake in your processes.

I would just find my mistake and correct it. my 2 cents
If it masks it to the point of working well.
What is the problem with that ?

[dverna]

I will be the strange guy who disagrees with making ammunition that fits my pistol. I have very few pistol calibers I load for, but a lot of pistols. “Worst” is the .38 Spl. It needs to run in four revolvers...total of 20 chambers, and three lever action rifles.

I insist on loads that will run in every gun. 9mm is the next “worst”. 5 guns it must function in.

If/when the SHTF, I want confidence my ammunition will ALWAYS function in my guns. If I need to supply ammunition to my neighbors during an emergency, I want a high probability it will function as well as factory ammunition.

[rboeser]

I will be the strange guy who disagrees with making ammunition that fits my pistol. I have very few pistol calibers I load for, but a lot of pistols. “Worst” is the .38 Spl. It needs to run in four revolvers...total of 20 chambers, and three lever action rifles.

I insist on loads that will run in every gun. 9mm is the next “worst”. 5 guns it must function in.

If/when the SHTF, I want confidence my ammunition will ALWAYS function in my guns. If I need to supply ammunition to my neighbors during an emergency, I want a high probability it will function as well as factory ammunition.

This is what I always do, chamber an average of 1out of every 10 loaded rounds in all guns Chambered for that round. I check the first rounds to confirm they are good, then when done I randomly gather 10 to 20 rounds to confirm they chamber. The last thing I want is to rely on a gun that will not work when I need it.

[David2011]

I was just wondering if you tried an empty, resized case, before you belled it, in the chamber? Did it fit?

I was thinking along the same lines, only trying a resized case in the gauge.

[1006]

I find the Dillon or Lyman Taper Crimp die works as well or better than any other taper crimp die. They are designed to be used as a final step after seating the bullet.

Some brands put a roll crimp ring in their semi-auto cartridge seating dies and simply instruct the user to tighten it down just enough to create a taper crimp, but not enough to cause roll crimp.

In the 10mm: brass thickness, bullet diameter, and bullet length are generally part of the chamber check gage conundrum.

Measure your brass just at the base of the bullet and ensure that it has not swelled. If it is, try a lighter shorter bullet.