40 S&W reloading headache

[Dnotarianni]

Might as well continue to derail this thread. Dnotarianni, of these 2 Glocks you've seen blow up. What were the circumstances? Perhaps the shooters shooting bad reloads? Just wondering?

Squeeze

The first one was a brand new Glock and the shooter was feeding it WWB. About the 3th clip the top round in the clip blew when the shooter fired. Luckily just some minor first aid to the hand. Second one shooter was using hot reloads on bowling pins and the frame broke causing it to jam open. One reason why I always got a first aid kit in the truck. Don't get me wrong, Anything can blow. I saw a Clark 1911 longslide split at the welds many years ago back when they welded a piece onto a regular slide. Shooter with more money than brains pulled the trigger with a squib round still in the barrel during rapid fire at Camp Perry. Lucky nobody hurt but the gun and the shooters pride. That was operator error, no fault of the gun. Can we blame every gun that blows up on ammo? Maybe, The manufactures will tell you the use of reloaded ammo voids the warranty but we all do it. Glocks just seem to blow just a little more often.

 

[Lugnut]

Can we blame every gun that blows up on ammo? Maybe, The manufactures will tell you the use of reloaded ammo voids the warranty but we all do it. Glocks just seem to blow just a little more often.

Could it be that just maybe Glocks are used probably more than most other hand guns? I don't know about production numbers but I'd venture to guess there a crap load of Glocks out there compared to other mfrs. Toyota Camrys and Honda Accords are a couple cars with the highest amount of thefts.. but they dwarf other cars in production. As a percentage of KBs I bet they are no more likely to have problems than other guns.

In my 4 years of shooting I've seen just one KB in a Glock and it was a double load.

 

[Supermoto]

"""Now slide a resized or loaded cartridge into
the base of the Factory Crimp die and raise the
ram to push the case completely through the die.""" from the lee instructions for the bulge buster

Does anyone else have an issue with using a raised pin to push a loaded round through a sizing die like the Lee instructions recommend? The push pin doesn't look too much wider than a primer.

I do it with the redding kit, the push rod is relieved for the primer. I also resize glocked brass and am running 170pf+ out of a 3.5" ported barrel. Ooooh noooo. Its not a factory load and not found in the reloading bibles. oooh noooo I've developed the ability to think for myself

 

[Lugnut]

I do it with the redding kit, the push rod is relieved for the primer. I also resize glocked brass and am running 170pf+ out of a 3.5" ported barrel. Ooooh noooo. Its not a factory load and not found in the reloading bibles. oooh noooo I've developed the ability to think for myself

You daredevil you!

 

[Timberwolf]

The Lee instructions tell you that you also need a FCD. More money to spend. So the Push Through die costs $20 and the FCD costs $23, now you're at $43. The Redding die is $50 but that only does .40 cal.

I got the CasePro100 and dies for 9mm, .40cal and 45ACP.

 

[Scrivener]

You daredevil you!

I hear he also runs with scissors.

 

[Dnotarianni]

Could it be that just maybe Glocks are used probably more than most other hand guns? I don't know about production numbers but I'd venture to guess there a crap load of Glocks out there compared to other mfrs. Toyota Camrys and Honda Accords are a couple cars with the highest amount of thefts.. but they dwarf other cars in production. As a percentage of KBs I bet they are no more likely to have problems than other guns.

In my 4 years of shooting I've seen just one KB in a Glock and it was a double load.

From Forbes Magazine

The U.S. police business was once dominated by Smith & Wesson and Beretta. Then in 1985 along came Glock with a gun made from a nylon resin that was tough enough to be made into most parts of a pistol (except the carbon steel barrel). The Glock was also revolutionary for its simple design--34 parts, compared with 60 or so for the Smith & Wesson .45 caliber semiautomatic--and its 24-ounce weight, to 25.4 ounces for the Smith & Wesson. A Glock shooter experiences a softer recoil because the gun's polymer frame flexes slightly when it's fired. Glock fans include the New York City police, U.S. Special Forces, the FBI and many international antiterrorist units.

These days Glock GmbH has an estimated $100 million in sales, two-thirds of it from the trigger-happy United States. A gun that retails for $500 can be manufactured for $75, and the company has a pretax margin nearing 60%, estimates John Farnam of Defense Training International, a LaPorte, Colorado, small arms instructor.

I really like the part about softer recoil from the frame flexing.
Dave

 

[Scrivener]

I really like the part about softer recoil from the frame flexing.

Yes; that astounding assertion jumped out at me, also.

Apparently the weight difference was not included in the writer's expert analysis.

 

[Rob Boudrie]

Yes; that astounding assertion jumped out at me, also.

An astounding assertion that is also made by Glock's chief firearms instructor.

 

[Lugnut]

Everything flexes... you guys are just paranoid.

 

[Dnotarianni]

Everything flexes... you guys are just paranoid.

I just worry when something is flexing near my hands and face, Two things I would like to keep in one piece for just a little while longer. Maybe the flex could be cured by spending $150 instead of $75 to build the gun!

 

[Lugnut]

I just worry when something is flexing near my hands and face, Two things I would like to keep in one piece for just a little while longer. Maybe the flex could be cured by spending $150 instead of $75 to build the gun!

Plastic works just fine... Glock is not the only one doing it.

 

[Lopro]

40 S&W reloading headache was the question ?

Then it seemed to get Hi Jacked from there

I haven't had any problems loading 40 cal at all then again I did get my brass from Dnotarianni also use a Lee Carbide Factory Crimp Die in the last stage so far so good. Win 231 4.3 gr 180 jhp C.O.L 1.25 CCI primers .

 

[whatluck]

No good can come of a .40 thread.

 

[Scrivener]

I haven't had any problems loading 40 cal at all then again I did get my brass from Dnotarianni also use a Lee Carbide Factory Crimp Die in the last stage so far so good. Win 231 4.3 gr 180 jhp C.O.L 1.25 CCI primers .

I found WST a tad cheaper, cleaner and better-metering. Also, more generally available of late.

TiteGroup is also quite popular with those shooting jacketed 180 grainers. Do not use it with lead or poly bullets; it is too hot.

 

[Scrivener]

An astounding assertion that is also made by Glock's chief firearms instructor.

Has this ground-breaking Feature Benefit been independently and objectively quantified? And would it not be detrimental to accuracy, if it did occur?

 

[Lopro]

I found WST a tad cheaper, cleaner and better-metering. Also, more generally available of late.

TiteGroup is also quite popular with those shooting jacketed 180 grainers. Do not use it with lead or poly bullets; it is too hot.

Thanks I will have to try that .

 

[Glump]

I know this is a 2 year old thread but since I am new and just getting here...

When I use my Lee resizing die the brass does not go completely into the die and sometimes (most times) causes the case to have a small bulge around the base. I have not had any issues with feeding/jams etc in my Beretta 96, but should I be concerned of case failure?

I have concidered using the BB/FCD but have not purchased the BB yet.

 

[EddieCoyle]

The brass was probably fired out of a Glock.

Get this: http://www.egwguns.com/undersized-reloading-dies/undersized-reloading-dies/

or this: http://www.midwayusa.com/product/23...e-sizing-die-kit-40-s-and-w-357-sig-10mm-auto

and your problem will go away.

The FCD is a band-aid, these dies are a cure.

 

[eisenhow]

The brass was probably fired out of a Glock.

Get this: http://www.egwguns.com/undersized-reloading-dies/undersized-reloading-dies/

or this: http://www.midwayusa.com/product/23...e-sizing-die-kit-40-s-and-w-357-sig-10mm-auto

and your problem will go away.

The FCD is a band-aid, these dies are a cure.

Or get one of these. A little more expensive but it does a good job. He's a little backed up though, I waited ~6 months for mine.

 

[Rob Boudrie]

Solution choices in order of cool-ness:

1. Magna, Scharch or Camdex case processor
2. Case-Pro roll sizer
3. Redding G-RX die with soda bottle attahment and bottle (40 cal only)
4. Same as above without soda bottle
5. Lee FCD or "U" die
6. Luck

 

[EddieCoyle]

Or get one of these. A little more expensive but it does a good job. He's a little backed up though, I waited ~6 months for mine.

For processing .40?

Dude. You should've called me first.

 

[eisenhow]

For processing .40?

Dude. You should've called me first.

I didn't get it just for .40 but that did help push my decision. What got me started on the path was all the 9mm I came across that had nicks in the rim. Some wouldn't case gauge and many of those wouldn't chamber depending on how they clocked in some barrels. Some people have used a Lee bulge buster with Makarov dies to deal with it. I had tried the u-dies in other calibers and wasn't happy with the results. I was getting prepared to start shooting USPSA L10 and/or Limited so I had to start loading .40. My initial batches with range brass had a lot of glocked brass. I thought of getting a single stage and push through, either the redding or the Lee. I also looked into the case master jr. I missed a great deal when a CasePro sold locally. I heard that Mike was making them again so I figured I'd give it a try. If I didn't like it I could sell it quick. One sold on Enos a few weeks ago in less than 5 minutes. So far it works really well with my dillon case feeder. I've got it mounted on the same bench so I can share the feeder with my 550b. I've probably run 4k 9mm and 3k .40 through it.

 

[Glump]

The brass was probably fired out of a Glock.

Get this: http://www.egwguns.com/undersized-reloading-dies/undersized-reloading-dies/

or this: http://www.midwayusa.com/product/23...e-sizing-die-kit-40-s-and-w-357-sig-10mm-auto

and your problem will go away.

The FCD is a band-aid, these dies are a cure.

Thanks for the information on the dies, but just to be clear the brass I am using was never used in a Glock. It is all from new ammo I purchased then fired using a beretta 96, afterwhich there is no bulge. I would reload that same brass. The bulge I am refering to is very slight and is around the entire base and only occurrs after I feed the brass into my resizing die. Because of the design of the holder and the taper at the entrance to the resizing die it is not possible to get the brass completely inside the resizing die. This is what causes the bulge I am refering to.

I understand the bulge that is caused by unsupported chambers and in the interest of safety I would recycle any brass I came accross that was bulged that much.

 

[EddieCoyle]

Thanks for the information on the dies, but just to be clear the brass I am using was never used in a Glock. It is all from new ammo I purchased then fired using a beretta 96, afterwhich there is no bulge. I would reload that same brass. The bulge I am refering to is very slight and is around the entire base and only occurrs after I feed the brass into my resizing die. Because of the design of the holder and the taper at the entrance to the resizing die it is not possible to get the brass completely inside the resizing die. This is what causes the bulge I am refering to.

I understand the bulge that is caused by unsupported chambers and in the interest of safety I would recycle any brass I came accross that was bulged that much.

Then what you're seeing is normal. That part of the case doesn't expand when firing, so it's not like it's growing down there, you're just making the top smaller.

If they chamber and shoot OK, don't worry about it. If not (or if you just don't like the bulge), the EGW dies have a smaller taper on the bottom of the die, so they should minimize what you're seeing.

 

[Glump]

Thanks for the info EC.

It does seem more cosmetic than anything else. But since I have limited experience with reloading the .40 S&W I thought it prudent to ask. I have never had a chambering issue with this ammo in my 96 although I have only run 700 through it so far.

Come to think of it, this is my 4th Beretta (two 92's and 2 96's) over the years and I have never had a malfunction, ever. Guessing on the amount of shooting I have done I bet thats close to 40,000 rounds total.

 

[Gammon]

There is another solution. Before the EGW die was availble I removed the flare of at the base of a .40 resizing die. This completely removed the bulge, unfortunately the mouth of the die was too small to reliably accept fired cases when used in my 1050. I gave up on this approach because the only way it would work was as a separate step and the EGW die became available.

I later began shooting USPSA Production Division and found that the 9mm SIG I was using wouldn't accept some of my reloads due to bulges/belts. Eventually I secured a supply of once fired brass to replace the old abused stuff I had been using. Prior to this, I thought to try a "push through" die, only to be reminded that the 9mm is a tapered case an cannot be resized in this manner.

Undaunted, I removed the bulge in my old brass using a 9mm resizing die with the flare removed. It was an extra step, but I needed some brass I could rely on in matches. This die worked just fine and I had an inspiration. Why use good brass in matches where you are expected to leave it on the ground?

I keep the 9mm die in a Rock Chucker on my bench and resize some "match brass" every once in a while. I take some of the worst 9mm brass I own and turn it into "match brass". This stuff almost allways past the "drop test" in the case gauge and I have no qualms about leaving it on the range as it is basically just scrap.