If you live fairly close, I can spot you 100 Win Sm pistol if you want to eliminate that as a failure.
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What did you do in the reloading room recently?
- Thread starter DW357
- Start date
If you live fairly close, I can spot you 100 Win Sm pistol if you want to eliminate that as a failure.
84ta406
NES Member
If you're in central MA, I have some other powders you can try out? No SPM primers or I'd offer up some H110.
I may have some 2400 at home if you want to give it a try. It's been open a while, but stored in my dehumidified cool basement (sounds like your conditions). I'll check when I get home. I live near Milford, MA.
xtry51
NES Member
Reminder on primers you can use CCI400 for both rifle and pistol as long as your running stock springs in your guns. I've been using them in 9mm for years in M&Ps and Glocks.
SJan
NES Member
Any signs of breech face erosion on the pistols?
xtry51
NES Member
Nope. But I don't keep brass that doesn't take some effort to put a primer in. In rifle or pistol, if the primer goes in easy like a $2 hooker, I trash it.
Send me an Email to the address on my business card that I gave you. There are a few non-Dillon parts with what I sold you but they are for the press. I also know that I had the manual, but couldn't find it when you contacted me . . . and I still can't find it, damn it . . . but if/when I do, it's yours.
EddieZoom
NES Member
Dillon Manuals:
Dillon Precision | The World's Finest Ammunition Reloading Equipment & Firearm Accessories
Dillon Precision is the premiere manufacturer of firearm ammunition reloading equipment in the USA. We sell reloaders, reloader accessories, firearm accessories and gear to retail and B2B customers.
www.dillonprecision.com
84ta406
NES Member
Will do, thank you.
I have em on my phone as well but man it sucks reading and setting this thing up on a 3x4 screen lolDillon Manuals:
Dillon Precision | The World's Finest Ammunition Reloading Equipment & Firearm Accessories
Dillon Precision is the premiere manufacturer of firearm ammunition reloading equipment in the USA. We sell reloaders, reloader accessories, firearm accessories and gear to retail and B2B customers.
Ok had time to investigate.
Picture showing condensation on outside of cartridge when I take them outside in the humidity from my storage room.
I pulled 10 bullets and got decent looking powder from all of the 10. All were 14 grains
All the crimps are equal. Pushed on them on the desk and they are solid and do not spin. Picture of my crimp
I checked the fired case (we did keep it in the ammo box. No split at all
These are all federal brass and Winchester primers. I've never had problems before with Winchester primers.
I am totally stumped.
Picture showing condensation on outside of cartridge when I take them outside in the humidity from my storage room.
I pulled 10 bullets and got decent looking powder from all of the 10. All were 14 grains
All the crimps are equal. Pushed on them on the desk and they are solid and do not spin. Picture of my crimp
I checked the fired case (we did keep it in the ammo box. No split at all
These are all federal brass and Winchester primers. I've never had problems before with Winchester primers.
I am totally stumped.
38ExtraSpecial
NES Member
Did you check the neck thickness of that piece of brass? Did you check the flash hole? There must be something out of spec
Spent primer looked fine. No junk stuck in the base of the inside of the case. All the powder ended up in the barrel behind the bullet.
I didn't check the thickness of the case. I'll check that and get back to you all.
I'm going to go ahead and shoot more if this batch to see if it happens again. I'm smart......if I get any light feeling shots I just stop. I need to figure this out.
Anyone else have condensation like that when they take ammo out of their cold basement? If so any issues with that ammo ever?
Damn you must have the basement fairly cold and dry. I run a dehumdifier in my basement so its roughly 50-55% humidity but temps in the 70s due to the heat from the dehumidifier. I never get condensation but that's obviously due to the basement temps not being much different than the outside.
I dunno. I just can't imagine that condensation would cause ignition issues.
pastera
NES Member
@whacko
Do you have a micrometer?
Check those bullets for undersize - you can't do this with calipers, they aren't accurate enough.
If those bullets are .356 or under you might not have any neck tension after going through the powder-thru die.
Try loading a small batch from the brass that gave you issues (the exact cases is possible) - do everything the same except skip the powder drop on the turret/progressive and drop by hand.
If you have no issues with those loads then the issue is over expansion in the powder die - most likely from undersized bullets and thin brass..
If it ends up undersized bullets and you have a good amount of them to use up, PM me and I'll make up a properly sized powder thru insert (assuming you are using Lee dies - I will need good dimensions off other brands).
Do you have a micrometer?
Check those bullets for undersize - you can't do this with calipers, they aren't accurate enough.
If those bullets are .356 or under you might not have any neck tension after going through the powder-thru die.
Try loading a small batch from the brass that gave you issues (the exact cases is possible) - do everything the same except skip the powder drop on the turret/progressive and drop by hand.
If you have no issues with those loads then the issue is over expansion in the powder die - most likely from undersized bullets and thin brass..
If it ends up undersized bullets and you have a good amount of them to use up, PM me and I'll make up a properly sized powder thru insert (assuming you are using Lee dies - I will need good dimensions off other brands).
Don't have a micrometer. Just calipers.
If the neck tension from a narrow bullet is my issue wouldn't I be able to push the bullet in or spin it? These are all tight. I had a bitch of a time pulling the bullets with pliers.
Is there anychance these bullets fell out of the brass while loading?
Have you removed the offending primer to see if it ignited?
Everything I see leads me to nad primers?
Only primers I have had problems with is
Federal Small Rifle and Nobel shotgun. Both I describe as very low flash . I tested them with a hammer and punch , would get a slight pop instead of a crack when ignited
Like I've said I checked the whole batch and the bullets are tight. I pressed them all hard on the desk and movement at all.
As far as checking the offending primer......I assume it went off.....what else would have pushed the bullet half way up the bore?
pastera
NES Member
Not always - I had very silimar problems with some Xtreme plated bulltets in Speer cases.
The bullets were slightly undersized (.3562-.3565) and the Speer brass was thinner than most of my other brass (38spl).
Exact same load in other cases or a 357 case worked fine - unfortunately I have 95% Speer brass.
Some rounds fired 'fine' ,others you could watch fly to the target, and just too many ended up in the barrel.
Those bullets took a decent amount of force to pull and wouldn't spin. Pulling with pliers isn't going to give you much of a feel for the amount of tension.
A slow powder with a light bullet requires a strong neck tension to get the pressure up before the bullet starts moving.
I have seen some condensation in the past. I don't pay much attention to it anymore. My basement is usually around 65F with humidity of ~50% (~47F dew point). So transitioning from the basement to these humid days will always yield condensation. I would think that if all components have been in your basement, once you load the ammo it should be fairly difficult for moisture to get by the press fit of the primer and the bullet. I have never had an issue with the ammo I load.
Did you also change the way you add the powder when you went to the turret press?
Does seating the bullet "feel" the same for resistance on the turret vs. the other press?
When you say that you never had a problem before, was it with all the same components?
Are the bullets from the same lot you've been loading when you didn't have problems? Same brass lot? Same primer type and lot?
Sorry for all the basic questions, but it is tough to diagnose someone else's problems without knowing all the specifics.
EddieZoom
NES Member
Lot's of Dillon folks here...if you get into a jam post some pics and I'm sure someone here has "been there, done that".
Shot 20 more rounds out of the same batch. Another one stuck in the barrel. The powder was in a ball behind the bullet and seemed slightly fused together.
It's gotta be bad powder or primers.
A buddy of mine that has reloads for decades took 10 of them. He is going to pull them and check the flash holes for me and use his micrometer on them and see if he can find anything off on the them.
I'm going to toss the last bit of this powder and switch from Winchester primers to cci and just start over. I'll just buy a new jug of 2400. I'm also going to toss the rest of these reloads out. All in all I'm going to toss about 200 rounds in the trash. Is what it is.
It's gotta be bad powder or primers.
A buddy of mine that has reloads for decades took 10 of them. He is going to pull them and check the flash holes for me and use his micrometer on them and see if he can find anything off on the them.
I'm going to toss the last bit of this powder and switch from Winchester primers to cci and just start over. I'll just buy a new jug of 2400. I'm also going to toss the rest of these reloads out. All in all I'm going to toss about 200 rounds in the trash. Is what it is.
Everything has been the same except the bottle of 2400. Always used Winchester primers too but obviously a new package on this batch. When I went to the turret press everything feels the same as the old single stage. Primers seat easy and I'm getting consistent crimps.
I think it's the powder or primers. I'm going to toss out the powder and buy cci primers and see where that takes me.
Was the 2400 new? Did you open it and break the seal etc?
Was a new jug yes. I meant none of it had been sitting around for a long time. The 2400 was a new sealed Jug I bought 6 months ago.
84ta406
NES Member
That should still be good powder, God knows I've had powder kicking around a long time. Was it ever left open? Does it have a green or blue hue to it? Maybe toss a bunch in the tumbler and shake up the powder a little?
pastera
NES Member
This started when you moved to the turret press - that's where you start looking.
If you single staged good ammo from the same components then the problem is with your press set-up.
Were you using an expander die when you single staged?
If so, how much belling?
If you didn't use the same components, do you have some left over components that worked well on your single stage? Try those on the turret.
Don't assume bad powder or other components just yet - you can, and should, pull down the suspect rounds but recover them
If you single staged good ammo from the same components then the problem is with your press set-up.
Were you using an expander die when you single staged?
If so, how much belling?
If you didn't use the same components, do you have some left over components that worked well on your single stage? Try those on the turret.
Don't assume bad powder or other components just yet - you can, and should, pull down the suspect rounds but recover them
I'm coming in late, but am I to understand that this load is a 125 grain JHP over 14.1 grains of 2400 in 357 magnum brass?
