9mm Resize Die

[Crazy Horse]

Good day everyone.

I have just upgraded on started reloading with a Hornady LNL AP.

I have been reloading for a few years now using the Lyman American 8 turret press. Really like it, but it can be rather slow.

Wanting to speed up my reloading, I opted for the Hornady LNL. I started with 45 ACP and after a setback (broke the pawls and the index wheel) I received parts under warranty from Hornady and installed them. In my defense, I didn't think I was forcing it.

I started back up again, but wanted to try a new brand of dies since the Lee resize Die (deprimer didn't fully deprime the case) is what caused the hang up.

I purchased a set of Hornady 45 acp Custom Grade Dies and a set of RCBS dies for 9mm.

I got everything setup to load 9mm. I loaded 97 cartridges successfully. The issue I kept encountering was that the resize die seemed really tight and it was a bit hard on some cases when pressing down on the handle. I was careful and didn't experience any such issues on any other die in the process. I checked the timing to ensure the case was directly over the resize hole, but it was really tight.

When I switched to 45 acp, it was definitely much smoother. No hang ups, and when pulling the handle, it was quite a bit smoother.

My question, is it more difficult because of the smaller caliber or are RCBS dies tighter? I will be trying the Lee resize die to see if it is just the RCBS die. I have had very good results with Lee dies on my turret press, but the deprimer is not the best. I have learned that it is easier using deprimers that have threads and a nut for adjustment. The Hornady Die set for the 45 acp worked really well, but I hate to purchase another die only to find out it won't get any smoother because of the smaller caliber.

TIA

 

[Walkalong]

9MM cases take more effort to size, so that might be some of it.

 

[9mmepiphany]

I've used 9mm resizing dies from Lee Undersized, RCBS, Hornady, and Redding...it isn't the die.

The reason it requires more force to resize 9mm is the tapered case and, to a lesser degree, variations in case thickness.

The solution is quite simple, lube your cases before resizing...your shoulders will thank you later

 

[Ruger 15151]

As mentioned previously, the tapered is likely what is making the difference. A little Hornady One Shot works wonders and makes sizing smooth as butter. It doesn't goop your dies up and you don't have to remove it from your finished loads like you do with lanolin-based lube.

 

[Englishmn]

Spray some one shot on a tub of 9mm. You will think the brass is bad it will size so easily.

 

[ATLDave]

As others have noted, 9mm para cases are a little tougher to size than most truly straight-walled cases would be.

I'd also add that a new die and new brass can make for a sticky combo. If you're getting your brass squeaky clean (or using new brass), there's no film of carbon to act as a kind of lubricant. Lube a few cases to get a little bit of a film on the carbide portion of the die, or run some lightly-tumbled, but still non-shiny brass through it. I think of it like seasoning a cast iron skillet.

 

[MikeInOr]

I always lube my 9mm cases before reloading them. For my Dillon 650xl I have station 1 setup with an RCBS .223 Lube / deprimming die which works perfectly for 9mm brass (doesn't get the neck of .223 brass so it is worthless for .223). I have also used One Shot case lube and very, very, very sparingly used the lanolin based Dillon lube. All work well and although 9mm can be resized without lube in a carbide resizing die I find everything is MUCH smoother with a bit of lube on the cases. I believe it is customary to drench the cases with WAY too much lube and make a huge mess the first time you lube 9mm cases... then figure out what sparingly means (this is the way I did it!)

The die in station 1 with the black retaining nut and a black rubber right above it is the .223 lube die setup in my 9mm head. Station 2 is the resizing die... it looks like it is a Hornady die in this picture.

Station 1: Lube, decapping
Station 2: Resize
Station 3: Powder charge, bell
Station 4: Powder check
Station 5: seat, crimp.

I started back up again, but wanted to try a new brand of dies since the Lee resize Die (deprimer didn't fully deprime the case) is what caused the hang up.

OP, you mentioned you have problems with the Lee die not fully decapping the 9mm brass causing the index plate to jamb. Some times the decapping pin will push the spent primer out of the case but the spent primer will get stuck on the pin and get pulled back into the primer pocket. Some times blunting the end of the primer decapping pin will help with this issue.

 

[lordpaxman]

I run an RCBS carbide 9mm resize die in my LNL and yes it’s more difficult than .45 in the same press. Since “..seemed really tight..” is subjective, I can’t say if mine is exactly the same. If your size die sizes the 9 correctly, that is you have good neck tension and it’ll chamber when finished, you can probably rule out a die issue.
I also opted for an inline fabrication ergo roller handle. It made for an excellent upgrade to the press, and, to me, reduced shoulder fatigue.
And like others, I use a quick shot of Hornady one shot case lube (make sure it’s the case lube). Since I started to wet tumble with SS media, the cases are so clean they are difficult to size. The only issue now is I think that leads to a bit more smoke on dark stages than I’d like to see. It’s an acceptable compromise for me.

 

[Walkalong]

I used to consider sizing a few hundred 9MM cases good exercise for my throwing shoulder, but now I use a touch of lube every few cases. Getting old.........

 

[Typetwelve]

Funny, I don't lube 9mm. I used a Dillon die on a 550 and I don't consider the pressing effort to be all that bad.

Now...44 magnum or 223...that's another story, I lube those for sure. I've never tried a really long case like a 45-70 or 444 Marlin, I bet those really suck, even lubed.

 

[Kaldor]

Like a bunch of other guys say, use a little OneShot on your cases. Makes your life alot easier. Die brand really wont matter. One suggestion I might make is using a Lyman M-die in place of the Hornady or RCBS expander die though. Works much better, requires less flare, smoother, easier to set bullets, and less crimp required.

 

[murf]

or get a steel die (if you have to lube anyway). the steel die has the taper built into the die.

murf

 

[Crazy Horse]

As mentioned previously, the tapered is likely what is making the difference. A little Hornady One Shot works wonders and makes sizing smooth as butter. It doesn't goop your dies up and you don't have to remove it from your finished loads like you do with lanolin-based lube.

So it's not like the goop used for rifle cases? Do you spray them in bulk ~10 at a time or each one as you seat it? So long as you don't have to clean each finished cartridge its good. Having to clean them after completion would slow things down, I would think. TIA

 

[Crazy Horse]

Like a bunch of other guys say, use a little OneShot on your cases. Makes your life alot easier. Die brand really wont matter. One suggestion I might make is using a Lyman M-die in place of the Hornady or RCBS expander die though. Works much better, requires less flare, smoother, easier to set bullets, and less crimp required.

I purchased an expander from Alpha Dynamics for the 9mm. Took the advice on this forum and the die works really well on my 45 acp reloading.

 

[Walkalong]

Now...44 magnum or 223...that's another story, I lube those for sure

I don't lube .44 Mag, it's easier than 9MM.

or get a steel die (if you have to lube anyway). the steel die has the taper built into the die.

My old Lee carbide sizer does as well, the other two I have do not. I do not know if Lee still does that, but my old one has a long tapered carbide insert.

 

[Texas10mm]

So it's not like the goop used for rifle cases? Do you spray them in bulk ~10 at a time or each one as you seat it? So long as you don't have to clean each finished cartridge its good. Having to clean them after completion would slow things down, I would think. TIA

I take a quart of brass in a bucket. Hit it with the One Shot for a couple of seconds then swirl the brass in the bucket. Then I dump that in the case collator and start pulling the handle on the big blue slot machine.

9mm goes through my 650 so easy it's not funny. I use Dillon dies for handgun cartridges, 9mm sizes quite a bit easier than .45 ACP.

 

[Blue68f100]

I use the Hornady TiNi sizing dies for handguns. This coating is very slick and reduces the force required to size. I also give my brass hopper a shot of OneShot to give the brass a light coating of lube.

 

[Crazy Horse]

I know "tough" or "difficult" is very subjective,however, because I had only done a turret press, I didn't think it was difficult when I broke the pawls and index wheel on the Hornady. Now I'm super conscious if it starts to get hard. Additionally, because each pull has something happening in 4 of the 5 stations (resize/deprime prime, expande/charge, seat/crimp it does tend to require more force than the turret press for each pull.

Pawls are supposed to have give (break before damaging the index wheel), but in my situation, the index wheel broke as well. Maybe it wasn't as strong when it was cast, I am just extra careful to keep it from happening again. Which slows me down a bit. 100 rounds per hour of 9mm isn't too bad for a beginner, maybe I'll get faster as I gain experience with the press, but compared to the 45 acp, I am slower with 9mm reloading. with 45 acp I got 100 rounds completed in 30-45 minutes, even with checking weights, COAL, and overall completed bullet inspection.

Thanks for all the helpful recommendations.

I'll definitely look into the Hornady One Shot lube.

 

[Crazy Horse]

I take a quart of brass in a bucket. Hit it with the One Shot for a couple of seconds then swirl the brass in the bucket. Then I dump that in the case collator and start pulling the handle on the big blue slot machine.

9mm goes through my 650 so easy it's not funny. I use Dillon dies for handgun cartridges, 9mm sizes quite a bit easier than .45 ACP.

So the lube doesn't cause issues with powder? Or is it such a small amount that none of the lube gets inside the case when you swirl the brass in the bucket?

TIA

 

[Crazy Horse]

I always lube my 9mm cases before reloading them. For my Dillon 650xl I have station 1 setup with an RCBS .223 Lube / deprimming die which works perfectly for 9mm brass (doesn't get the neck of .223 brass so it is worthless for .223). I have also used One Shot case lube and very, very, very sparingly used the lanolin based Dillon lube. All work well and although 9mm can be resized without lube in a carbide resizing die I find everything is MUCH smoother with a bit of lube on the cases. I believe it is customary to drench the cases with WAY too much lube and make a huge mess the first time you lube 9mm cases... then figure out what sparingly means (this is the way I did it!)

The die in station 1 with the black retaining nut and a black rubber right above it is the .223 lube die setup in my 9mm head. Station 2 is the resizing die... it looks like it is a Hornady die in this picture.

Station 1: Lube, decapping
Station 2: Resize
Station 3: Powder charge, bell
Station 4: Powder check
Station 5: seat, crimp.



OP, you mentioned you have problems with the Lee die not fully decapping the 9mm brass causing the index plate to jamb. Some times the decapping pin will push the spent primer out of the case but the spent primer will get stuck on the pin and get pulled back into the primer pocket. Some times blunting the end of the primer decapping pin will help with this issue.

Thx. having threads and a lock nut on the deprimer seems to work much better vs the Lee depriming die. Especially if a primer should get stuck during depriming. I'll look at blunting the decapping pin.

 

[Texas10mm]

So the lube doesn't cause issues with powder? Or is it such a small amount that none of the lube gets inside the case when you swirl the brass in the bucket?

TIA

One Shot is a wax. It has on effect on powder. I actually want some of the lube inside the cases. It helps prevent them from sticking on the Dillon powder funnel.

 

[lordpaxman]

Thx. having threads and a lock nut on the deprimer seems to work much better vs the Lee depriming die. Especially if a primer should get stuck during depriming. I'll look at blunting the decapping pin.

That and make sure it’s actually pushing the spent primer completely out of the primer socket. There’s quite a long decapping pin so crank it down a ways.

One Shot is a wax. It has on effect on powder. I actually want some of the lube inside the cases. It helps prevent them from sticking on the Dillon powder funnel.

. The label says it has “no” effect on powder, which is what I suspect you meant. It may not change the characteristics of the powder, but it will still burn like any hydrocarbon and produce some amount of smoke.
It sprays wet, but dries dry ?!? I don’t bother lining up cases nice and neat, I just have a flat box that gets about a quart of cases, a quick 2 second spray, shake, and let dry. I do have carbide dies but it makes things a bit easier. And if you do Nickle plated, wow, it’s effortless.

 

[Average Joe]

9mm have tapered cases, I lube them, they go through with much less effort.

 

[sparkyv]

I load for 10 different calibers, and reloading 9mm is my least favorite. I never expend any extra energy on 9mm including lubing them. I just power through and move on to activities I enjoy.

 

[DukeConnor]

I load 9mm on a dillon sdb with carbide dies and have never use a drop of lube.