Bad lot of bullets??

[MegaPlinker]

I was just loading up a batch of 9mm and had to open up a new lot of winchester fmj. When I started adjusting the seating depth the OAL was all over the place. (1.124-1.144") Looking closer I found that many of the bullets had a small "nipple" on the tip that increased the length by about .005. It looks like some copper dripped during manufacture. The bullets themselves varried from .556-.575" in length.
I finished the batch by seperating the bullets with and without nipples and adjusting the depth accordingly but it was a PITA.
Anyone else run into this kind of problem??

 

[Scrivener]

I had a box (2,000) of mismarked 9 mm Remingtons. I'd ordered 124 grain; the box said 124 grain - but they were all 115 grain.

Loaded quite a few before I caught it. Now I check the weights of a few bullets every time I get a new box.

 

[Finalygotabeltfed]

I don't think .005 is going to make a hill of beans difference in the accuracy, just seat them so they fit and function in your magazines.

I routinely seat 9mm FMJ a little shorter(more than .005) than some specs for reliable mag function and it hasn't degraded performance at all.

 

[kevin9]

...many of the bullets had a small "nipple" on the tip...

There's a joke here somewhere, but I just haven't had enough caffene yet this mnorning to come up with it

 

[TY43215]

There's a joke here somewhere, but I just haven't had enough caffene yet this mnorning to come up with it

OOH, OOH, OOH, I can do it> Small nipples are not always a bad thing depending on what you do with them. (Three cups so far)

 

[EddieCoyle]

I was just loading up a batch of 9mm and had to open up a new lot of winchester fmj. When I started adjusting the seating depth the OAL was all over the place. (1.24-1.44") Looking closer I found that many of the bullets had a small "nipple" on the tip that increased the length by about .005. It looks like some copper dripped during manufacture. The bullets themselves varried from .556-.575" in length.
I finished the batch by seperating the bullets with and without nipples and adjusting the depth accordingly but it was a PITA.
Anyone else run into this kind of problem??

Are the numbers in bold correct? There's 1/5th of an inch difference there. If that's really the case, you have a lot more to worry about than bullet nipples.

I'm going to assume that the numbers above are wrong because looking at my reloading manuals, the OAL range for 9x19 is 1.005" (for a 95 gr FMJ) up to 1.160" f(or a 130 gr FMJ).

Did your die set come with multiple seating stems? The better ones (Hornady, RCBS) do. If so, try a concave stem that will contact the bullet near the top but not on the very top. Make sure your shellholder is properly installed, and the seating die is clean.

If the difference is only +0.010" or so, go ahead and just shoot them.

 

[MegaPlinker]

Have you measured your nipples today?

Are the numbers in bold correct? There's 1/5th of an inch difference there. If that's really the case, you have a lot more to worry about than bullet nipples.

I'm going to assume that the numbers above are wrong because looking at my reloading manuals, the OAL range for 9x19 is 1.005" (for a 95 gr FMJ) up to 1.160" f(or a 130 gr FMJ).

Did your die set come with multiple seating stems? The better ones (Hornady, RCBS) do. If so, try a concave stem that will contact the bullet near the top but not on the very top. Make sure your shellholder is properly installed, and the seating die is clean.

If the difference is only +0.010" or so, go ahead and just shoot them.

The numbers in bold are roughly the range I was getting during setup. I suspect that I adjusted the die shorter for some of the longer bullets, which multiplied the problem when compared to the shorter bullets.

I don't think my seater die contacts the very tip if the bullet so I think this may be fouling up the measurement (With a caliper).

If its just an issue of +/- .005 I could just set them to a safe middle range and blast through them BUT, the wide range in bullet length (.556-.575) seams like a lot. Do you think this could cause a pressure issue?

 

[TonyD]

As Scrivener mentioned, weigh several bullets to make sure they are the same. I've found rifle bullets that had a few heavier ones mixed in.

If they're all the same weight, measure the bullets themselves to see what variances you have. Process of elimination.

 

[GTOShootr]

When I started adjusting the seating depth the OAL was all over the place. (1.24-1.44") Looking closer I found that many of the bullets had a small "nipple" on the tip that increased the length by about .005. It looks like some copper dripped during manufacture. The bullets themselves varried from .556-.575" in length.

I'm with Eddie. Those are really long OALs. This is 9x19, right? Is it being seated all the way? What OAL are you going for? I have loaded 9mm to 1.2" for a 1911 and at that length it seemed like there was very little of the bullet held in the case. I can't imagine what 1.44" would be like. 9mm for my Glock or Cz get an OAL of 1.05"-1.1", at those lengths a little nipple shouldn't matter.

 

[EddieCoyle]

The numbers in bold are roughly the range I was getting during setup. I suspect that I adjusted the die shorter for some of the longer bullets, which multiplied the problem when compared to the shorter bullets.

OK, let's review...

You stated that you're OALs measure from 1.24" to 1.44". Even at the shorter length, I doubt they'd fit into a magazine. 1.44" is as long as a .38 Special.

Are you sure you don't mean 1.124" to 1.144"?

EDIT: If you're talking about a 9mm Luger (9x19) then your numbers are wrong. The photo below shows a Winchester 115 gr FMJ sitting on top of a 9mm case. The bullet is not inserted, it's just resting on the case:

Sorry about the photo quality, but the measurement is 1.34". In order to achieve an OAL of 1.44", the bullet would have to be hovering 1/10th of an inch above the case.

 

[MegaPlinker]

OK, let's review...

You stated that you're OALs measure from 1.24" to 1.44". At that length, I doubt they'd even fit into a magazine. 1.44" is as long as a .38 Special.

Are you sure you don't mean 1.124" to 1.144"?

Thanks Eddie, thats what I meant.

 

[EddieCoyle]

Thanks Eddie, thats what I meant.

You'll be OK as long as you didn't load above maximum. It's a difference of only +0.010".