Flattened primers: a really bad sign?
- Thread starter aridan
- Start date
I couldn't keep my OAL above 1.090 because of deviation - basically, it was all over the place. I could feel the rifling was hit whenever the OAL was over 1.095 or so.1) As far as flattened primers - those look fine for Federal primers - they are the softest;
2) OAL can be as per loading manual for the bullet you use or shorter, depending on if you hit rifling or not. I just loaded some Berry's 124gr and OAL is1.1111" - funny, huh? But they work and I'm gonna stick with it.
3) I remember you had some seating-crimping issues with 9mm loads, is it still somewhat there? I'd recommend sorting by headstamp for various reasons, in your case you can prolly eliminate bad brass.
When I started loading .40S&W I discovered the extra seating stem - the flat one, so it would seat from the bullet tip. Lo and behold, I had the same flat seating stem in my 9mm set - I just didn't know about it.
I think I will try it & see if the OAL variance becomes more manageable. I should have sorted by headstamp from the get-go...
LOL, that's exactly the setup I have: Hornady seating die followed by a Lee FCD. I didn't know it solves bulging problems when used as intended.
I used a Lee FCD to remove the bulge in .40S&W brass by using it as a full-length resizing fie: I pushed the brass all the way through it. I still don't know what causes the OAL variance though. I don't have this problem in .40S&W, the OAL is within 0.004.I see... Yes the 9mm is plated RN, the .40S&W is flat-tip - maybe that's why the OAL is easier to control in .40.... Thanks for the tip.
