Safely resizing 9mm

Grind so off the top of the shell holder, then the die can go down further. Watch with carbide it can break it it's hitting the shell holder.

CharliesHammer said:

I don't have the equipment to machine the shell plate down. If some one had the skill and equipment to mill the shellplate down, what would you recommend?

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Do you have angle grinder, or even a file or sand paper,

Welcome to THR

I use lee dies on my AP for 9mm. It sizes just fine. Lots of folk’s size 9mm without having to modify their shell plates.

If it were me, I think I would be looking at where the bulge comes from. Your gun or just range pickup. Deciding not to use bulged brass may be the right answer.

troy fairweather said:

Grind so off the top of the shell holder, then the die can go down further. Watch with carbide it can break it it's hitting the shell holder.

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In all the decades of reloading, I never had to resort to grinding top of shell holder or shell plate to properly resize brass. Even resizing 9mm Major brass known to be overly expanded. I adjust my dies so bottom of the resizing die barely "kisses" the top of shell holder/plate with no daylight showing.

For me, if resized 9mm brass with Lee sizer won't fully chamber in my factory and aftermarket barrels (KKM, Lone Wolf, Tactical Kinetics), I will attempt to resize the brass the second time but if brass still won't fully chamber and fall into the barrel freely with a "plonk", I will deem the brass overly stretched (think thinned case wall) and toss the brass for recycling.

And no, even when shooting USPSA with my Gen3 Glock 22s, I never needed to push-through resize my 40S&W brass as my Lee carbide sizer resized the brass to fit Lone Wolf barrels known to have tightest 40S&W chambers. Occasional few that didn't fully chamber in the Lone Wolf barrel still fully chambered in factory Glock barrels.

CharliesHammer said:

9mm ... been fighting the bulge at the base of my 9mm rounds

I'm currently using hornady carbide dies. I have researched undersized dies and just ordered a Full Length Lee resizing die

Please share your experiences so I don't have to make many mistakes.

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I use Dillon, RCBS, Hornady and Lee dies and found Lee carbide sizer rings tend to resize brass to smaller OD and further down the case base. And since Lee carbide sizer mouth is radiused, they don't leave sharp scrape marks on the brass. And Lee 9mm carbide sizer ring is tapered, which better resizes brass to "tapered" case profile of 9mm - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...lapsing-in-resizing-die.842078/#post-10936483




In comparison, here is picture of Lee resized brass showing smooth brass surface



And below picture better demonstrates "tapered" resized case

I too load on a Hornady LNL. I’ve not experienced the supposed bulge problem you describe and I’ve had a lot of mixed range brass from a lot of different guns. (1-2K rounds/month)
It’d be difficult to grind the 5 stations on a LNL shell plate to allow the die more access. Can you verify you’ve set up your Hornady dies correctly? I use RCBS, just because I already had them and they work just fine.
The other suggestion I have is are you sure it’s a bulge problem in your SA? Did you check the bulged case in a case gauge? My SA has the shortest leade of any of my 9s, and I have to load shorter COLs just for that. Have you done a working COL test for the round in question?

Don't grind anything yet! Assuming you've correctly ID'd the issue as a bulge (not a COAL or flare or seating issue):
- First, make sure the sizing die is bottoming hard against the shell plate.
- Second, buy a Lee sizing die and use that ilo the Hornady.
Hornady make pretty nice bullets and seating dies, but I've been disappointed with their sizing dies almost every time I've touched them.

Re Adjust your sizing dies. Spray a little case lube on your brass. There should be no need to grand, sand or mutilate anything.Nor a need to buy other dies.

I use the Bulge Buster die. Primarily on 9mm, 40mm Glock, and occasionally on 45ACP. Works great, although it does add a step to the process.

Good Luck

Dg

Will the sized cases drop in a case gauge? If so the problem is somewhere else.

If not then make sure everything is adjusted correctly.

I loaded a lot of 9mm on a Hornady LnL AP with no problem.

I now load 9mm on a Dillon 650, using mixed range brass, and have a pass/fail rate of about 0.2%

CharliesHammer said:

Even in the 1911's it does fully seat maybe 90% of the time. I have checked COL and am on spec

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"On spec" does not signify.
Will sized cases without bullet chamber freely in your "tightest" barrel?
If it will, then your bullet may be bumping the lands of a short throated chamber. Reduce OAL.

If it won't, then you either have a lot of oversize/bulged brass OR one of those "minimum match chambers" which is really undersize.
You can see if the Lee die will size them to fit. If so, great.

If it won't, then you can do "brass prep" in which cases are sized and inspected to find the ones that will fit your Springfield.
OR, you can consult a gunsmith really expert in 1911s and get the chamber reamed to SAAMI specification. My local guy cured a gun with one of those undersize "match" chambers that way. It shoots just as well and accepts all my ammo.

Has the OP determined the problem is with the sizing operation? I would suggest measuring the OD before and after sizing. Many (most) bulges in handloads occur during other operations, like crimping. I have loaded thousands of 9mm rounds and have used a couple different shell holders in two different presses with my standard (old) Lee dies. Never a bulge and after the loads (bullet, charge, OAL) were established, 99.9% passed the plunk test in 3, 9mm pistols. Good ammo is possible/probable with factory stock tools/equipment without the need to modify anything...

Not that I am a fanatic on "headstamps" but you might what to see if it is a certain brand of brass that doesn't fit you barrel/ I have a CZ from the custom shop and have no issues with any brass. But heck I use Lee dies.
You don't really need a case gauge. It may fit the gauge but if it doesn't fit the barrel then what good is it?? Yes, Glock barrels are more forgiving which is why they are so reliable, (not a Glock fan boy but they are what they are.

rskent said:

Deciding not to use bulged brass may be the right answer.

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Ditto. Doesn't resize first time toss it. I mean this isn't like .458SOCOM brass. This is some of the most inexpensive brass that can be had. $0.025ea for clean and polished. $0.02 for unpolished.

https://shop.thebrassexchange.com/9mm-Luger-Brass-1000-Pieces-9mm-1000.htm

alfsauve said:

Ditto. Doesn't resize first time toss it. I mean this isn't like .458SOCOM brass. This is some of the most inexpensive brass that can be had. $0.025ea for clean and polished. $0.02 for unpolished.

https://shop.thebrassexchange.com/9mm-Luger-Brass-1000-Pieces-9mm-1000.htm

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Or free for the pickup at my club ranges.

Walkalong said:

it needs to barely touch the shell holder while actually sizing a case.

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This ^^^ Make sure you set your die while actually sizing a case. Setting it up to tap the shellplate statically (not under sizing pressure) doesn't take it down far enough. Under normal use... that is to say, shells in all 5 stations (or however many you use in this circumstance...) check the die clearance to the shell plate... I'll bet you see a gap.

Taking some time to try plunking the sized brass in the chamber after resize. Adjust your sizer as needed to work. Measure a unfired factory round that fits and compare to your resized brass. Take note of the area of the web and base. Also if something is denting or mutilating the case head/extractor groove/web area it will not chamber either. Find the reason and you will be happier than just tossing the "bad" brass.

If the glocks have stock barrels that might be where the brass is getting expanded. They do not make a "bulge buster" kit for 9MM but you could get the rod they use for the 40 cal kit and use a 9MM FCD to make your own push through sizer I would think. Then just push them all through and be done with it. That is if your new Lee die does not cure your problem. I use a Lee die set for loading my 9MM with no problems.