noob finally set up, quick 9mm OAL question

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eg23

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Ok! So I'm super excited! Finally got my Lee Turret press set and ready to go, I think.

I loaded up some "dummy rounds"(no primer,no powder). My OAL is 1.135 and in the Lee book it says 1.169. Should I adjust my seating die to get closer to the 1.169 before I start dumping primers and powder.

Thanks
Eric
 
Well, some of that recommended length has to do with smooth feeding. Loads that are over or under-size can give problems. If your dummy rounds feed OK, there's no reason to worry about that once you get primers and powder involved.

Putting that aside, a small case like a 9 x 19mm can experience a very rapid increase in pressure with a bullet being seated further and further in; it reduces the inside volume. So in that sense, yes, you theoretically should observe book OAL.

However, that doesn't account for the length of bullet you are using and you didn't mention which one you are using. 9mm bullets are commonly available from 90gr to 147gr and the length of each one is, all other things being equal, going to vary. In other words, even if you maintain a given OAL, various bullets will be seated to different depths, giving different inside volumes.

Bottom line is, given the variability of seating depths inherent in differing bullet weights, 34/1,000" isn't going to make any appreciable difference.
 
i forgot to mention I'm using the Winchester bulk 124gr FMJ.
I put them in the mag of my Glock and they seem to feed fine. I even took the barrel out and drop one in. It seemed to seat just fine. Measuring some factory 147gr Winchester FMJ's they seem to be seated deeper and have a shorter OAL.

thanks for the input so far.

I guess I need to load some up and test fire?
 
I must have the reloading version of Buck fever!!! Once I wrote it done and went back to the books I think I got it figured out.

The 1.169 is max OAL in the manual the min OAL is 1.150!!! I think I should be ok now after reading things over again. Because my OAL is 1.135, i need to lenghten it. If this is wrong to think please let me know.

Sorry for my confusion. Like I said earlier I'm a little excited about this new hobby and I just need to slow down a bit.

thanks for the responses and patients.
 
Last edited:
eg23 said:
I must have the reloading version of Buck fever!!! Once I wrote it done and went back to the books I think I got it figured out.

The 1.169 is max OAL in the manual the min OAL is 1.150!!! I think I should be ok now after reading things over again. Because my OAL is 1.135, i need to lenghten it. If this is wrong to think please let me know.

Sorry for my confusion. Like I said earlier I'm a little excited about this new hobby and I just need to slow down a bit.

thanks for the responses and patients.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't go less then the stated MIN OAL... seating the boolit deeper then min oal is going to bring pressures up and may cause damage.
 
the saga continues...when I sent my seating depth at 1.150 like stated in the Lee manual the bullets fall out when I cycle them threw my Glock.

Am I doing something wrong with my seating die? I installed it like it said, screw it in till it touches the shell holder, than back it off 3 turns. I adjust the seating depth with the adjustment screw. AM I missing something here?
 
OK - the 9 x 19mm headspaces on the case mouth, the very front of the cartridge, so you don't want to overcrimp.

Generally speaking, there are three steps WRT working the brass during reloading (not counting decapping, priming, etc). The first, using the sizing die, compresses the case back down to spec. The second bells the mouth just a bit, just enough to insert the bullet without causing the case to crumple. (I've found that the bullet is pretty solid when inserted, even though the mouth is still belled.) The third swages the bell out and adds a bit more 'hold'.

Sounds to me like you probably didn't completely size the brass. I would suggest that you run them through the sizing die again. Before you do that, raise the ram and screw the sizing die down all the way, until it touches the shell holder. Lower the ram and give the sizing die one-quarter more turn downward. Lock it down and process your brass.

If that doesn't work, it's likely the crimp. You're going to see real arguments about what constitutes a proper crimp for a 9mm and to my mind three-quarters of it is mere semantics. The phrase is 'taper crimp', which essentially leaves the case straight instead of compressed in at the very mouth. Keep lowering the die until you get the desired result (empirical testing, ie).
 
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