9mm rounds not plunking

[Walkalong]

The decap/resizing die was set too high

Bingo, good job.

 

[jmorris]

LOL, I read every post waiting, then wanted to shout it out. As a “start at the beginning” guy, I was going to ask if a sized case plunked before seeing a bullet…

 

[Walkalong]

As a “start at the beginning” guy, I was going to ask if a sized case plunked before seeing a bullet…

When I have issues with cases fitting a case gauge or plunking, it's too fat near the base.

I do not gauge loaded 9MM rounds, but I do gauge every sized 9MM case before reloading it, as I have posted about here numerous times.

 

[nettlle]

I do not gauge loaded 9MM rounds, but I do gauge every sized 9MM case before reloading it, as I have posted about here numerous times.
View attachment 1047827

This is the best of all advice.

 

[Walkalong]

I started doing that after I bought an EMP with a SAMMI minimum chamber, and that was after SA fixed it by touching it up with a reamer, it was even tighter before that.

My occasional fat 9MM reloads that had been cheerfully working in my other couple of 9MM handguns and my 9MM AR locked it up tight. Turned out to be cases to fat near the base, so I started gauging all of my sized 9MM brass, and scrapping those that failed. That's been some time ago now, but I blissfully and ignorantly loaded fat 9MM cases before that.

 

[jmorris]

That's been some time ago now, but I blissfully and ignorantly loaded fat 9MM cases before that.

I think that is the case with everyone that just “plunks”.

 

[film495]

I set the sizing die with a feeler gauge, standard automotive, to whatever the thinnest gap is .002 .. and have used a thin piece of notebook paper to the same effect. I want it to drag, but not grab, so I can pull it out relatively easily, but it will not slide back in. Basically, that is touching - but, the press is smooth the whole stroke and cam over, and no binding spot when it touches, it is smooth the whole time and feels better.

 

[tightgroup tiger]

Can someone explain how adding taper crimp was allowing his loaded rounds to clear his case gage as he said earlier? How could that be a problem with the base?
I obviously understand what Walkalong is saying about the base of the case, but the OP didn't resize the case to make it fit the gage, he said he added more taper crimp which indicates all the flare wasn't removed.
I think he may have fixed more than one problem here.
I agree with case gages and use them religiously as part of my process. I use Wilson and Lyman gages.

 

[rfwobbly]

The decap/resizing die was set too high. About the thickness of the paper clip retainer at the first station too high. Rookie mistake. When you mentioned the bulge at the base that's where the case was hanging up both in the barrel and the case gauge. I realized I was fixing the wrong end of the reload.

► Here's the correct way to set "straight wall" pistol dies.... You want to "size" as much of the case as possible, but you do not want to fracture the incredibly fragile carbide insert by forcing the die it into the Shell Plate. With no case in the press, run the die down until it touches a piece of printer paper, and lock it there. On a Dillon this setting will slightly raise the Tool Head at the top of the stroke, but the paper clearance it will never allow the die to bottom out on the Shell Plate.

When I set up the 550 I checked for plunking and all was good. It seems, even with the incorrect setting on the resizing die, some of these would plunk and some not. Haven't figured that part out yet. Although I have never owned a case gauge until I started having 9mm plunking problems I think the money for the case gauge was well spent.

► Yes, the first half of auto-pistol cartridge "plunking" evolves getting the case all the way into the chamber. That is a Sizing Die setting. But the other half of cartridge "plunking" evolves getting the bullet into the chamber without burring it in the rifling. This is a Seating Die setting.

► Notice that the cartridge gauge has no rifling, so the only way to check these clearances is to use the barrel as your cartridge gauge. The correct auto-pistol OAL should be short enough to keep the bullet out of the rifling, but at the same time be long enough to feed correctly. You can easily check the "short enough" part of this with a "plunk and spin test". A cartridge should: 1. fall all the way into the chamber using only its own weight. 2. Spin freely as it head spaces. And 3. fall back out using only its own weight. (No shaking, pounding, or hammering with the hands to "help".)

► Note here also that the auto-pistol rifling begins in each gun maker's barrel at a location that is totally unique (like no other, individual, discrete) to that brand and model gun. So it is very likely that your PCR chamber is very generous, whereas your 1911 chamber may have much tighter tolerances. To further complicate matters, each bullet ogive shape is also unique. (You discovered this when the Gold Dot would plunk but the plated bullet would not.) So every time you order a new-to-you bullet brand, type or shape, you must go through this exercise all over again.

The bullet-to-barrel fit determines a lot of what we do in auto-pistol reloading.

These are much better quality rounds now.

Very glad things are looking better for you. Shoot safely, my friend.

 

[Zendude]

Can someone explain how adding taper crimp was allowing his loaded rounds to clear his case gage as he said earlier? How could that be a problem with the base?
I obviously understand what Walkalong is saying about the base of the case, but the OP didn't resize the case to make it fit the gage, he said he added more taper crimp which indicates all the flare wasn't removed.
I think he may have fixed more than one problem here.
I agree with case gages and use them religiously as part of my process. I use Wilson and Lyman gages.

My guess is that the case near the mouth was still the part that was hanging up on the case gauge. Since 9mm is a tapered cartridge, running the sizing die too high will not bring any part of the case into spec.

 

[nettlle]

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, by 1/16"-3/32".
A couple of things I learned. Even if you reload, plunk, and shoot hundreds of rounds through one gun doesn't mean those settings will work in another gun. Incorrect settings caught up with me on my second 9mm. A 9mm Dan Wesson Vigil Commander. What worked in my PCR's didn't work in my Vigil. It locked the Vigil up. I also learned that the tolerances on the bottom of the reload (Walkalong) are every bit as important as the dimensions at the top. When I started reloading for the Dan Wesson Vigil I checked a few loaded rounds and they plunked in the barrel. I only loaded about 150. I went back through these 150 and some will plunk in the Dan Wesson and some won't. Haven't figured that part out yet. None of these (150) survived the Wilson case gauge. Those that plunked when I first started reloading for the Vigil to get me in trouble later on.

And I will have to confess that in the past I have said there is not a need for a case gauge. I have about 120 rounds that I am going to pull the bullets and start over. Could have been worse. Case gauges are now a very important part of my reloading process. I will still plunk them but if they don't pass the case gauge I'm going to start over checking my die settings.

 

[jmorris]

Can someone explain how adding taper crimp was allowing his loaded rounds to clear his case gage as he said earlier? How could that be a problem with the base?
I obviously understand what Walkalong is saying about the base of the case, but the OP didn't resize the case to make it fit the gage, he said he added more taper crimp which indicates all the flare wasn't removed.
I think he may have fixed more than one problem here.
I agree with case gages and use them religiously as part of my process. I use Wilson and Lyman gages.

I don’t know but can speculate. There are rounds that can go into a case gauge bullet first AND go in rim first and clear but fail, as a whole. This also seems to be most common on rounds that have a taper.

I have seen cases where “taper crimp” and FCD’s have been used as a “post load sizing” operation for combinations that would not work with out the final operation. Then again, I have also seen combinations that would have been fine before given a “good strong” crimp, that ruined the rounds. The only way to know one from the other is to have all the information on the details.