problems with 9mm handloads

[OEM]

I agree with the posters who refer to the OAL being too long. The CZ requires a MUCH shorter cartridge than other pistols. I remember loading for my SR9, and then using the same specs, loading for my CZ. Here's what you do: Make a couple of dummy rounds of varying lengths. Remove your barrel from your gun and push these bullets into the barrel. Push until the cartridge can no longer go anymore. Try this with about 4 or 5 of your dummy rounds. Measure and voila...well not yet! Actually, measure the rounds until one particular measurement keeps popping up. Now to be safe, and ensure all bullets chamber and don't get stuck, subtract about 0.015 from that measurement and THAT's your OAL.

What you've done is basically push the bullet INTO the cartridge. So you'eve effectively measured that particular bullet for your particular barrel chamber. If you change bullets, you need to do this again.

In my case, I was using bullets cast from my buddy's Lee mould. These created a certain type of bullet with a certain ogive. On the SR9, it was fine to seat the bullet quite far out. But on my CZ, I had to seat them really deep due the particular ogive of the Lee Truncated Cone boolit.

As other posters have said, start with min and work up your load. And BE CAREFUL!! 9 mm is a tricky cartridge to load. The charge is so small, and the pressures build so quickly with very small increments. But I'm sure you knew that already right?

 

[mlehtovaara]

Thanks guys I will go back to the bench and figure this out thanks for all the ideas never had a problem like this reloading

LoL

Not ideas my friend.

CZ's short chamber/throat is a well known topic around here. When the Shadows first became popular this topic would come up once a week. LOL

Like I said, most bullets seated at 1.10 inches should work just fine.

Taking your barrel out of the gun and testing the rounds in it will tell you right away if they will chamber.

Have fun.

 

[stevebc]

My Shadow likes an OAL of 1.087.

 

[kayaker1]

OAL depends on bullet shape of course. My CZ is happy at 1.125" with 124gr berrys RN which is quite a tapered ogive. As others have said, do a fit test in the barrel when developing a load.

 

[tjhaile]

Fit your OAL to the chamber. It doesn't matter what the actual number is, as long as the rounds drop freely into and out of the chamber.

 

[Chuckbuster]

Take your barrel out of your gun, and try to drop rounds in and out of the chamber.

They should fit without much if any pressure.

You will find your rounds do not drop in far enough because the bullet is hitting the rifling too soon, causing what you are experiencing.

Putting your rear sight in the edge of the table and putting some weight on the grip will usually get the slide open in the future.

Ask me how I know.......

Ha ha! Probably the same way I know!

 

[kohen]

my oal of my bullets i made are 1.11 factory bullet oal is1.150 but my brass is to thick to drop in barrel all the way some how i bulged the brass so would crimp do that or not sizing enough???

 

[OEM]

my oal of my bullets i made are 1.11 factory bullet oal is1.150 but my brass is to thick to drop in barrel all the way some how i bulged the brass so would crimp do that or not sizing enough???

My OAL is 1.030 using the truncated cone boolits. I've yet to reload commercial bullets. Are you using the exact same bullet as factory? Have you pulled one to confirm? I may have missed it...what bullet are you using? Like I said, I don't load commercial bullets, only cast, so I can't help you there, but I'm sure others here have done so.

Bulging brass is a bad sign Throw it away. There's something wrong with your process if you're bulging it. Its probably happening when you're crimping it, but instead of crimping, you're pushing the brass down. Can you tell us how you arrived at the crimp? Are you using a crimping die, or using the seating die to crimp?

Whatever it is, I would pull all the bullets you've done so far and start again. Like I said earlier, 9 mm is tricky, and can be dangerous. Be very careful and do things very slowly. When I first started, I would take every single reloaded cartridge and drop it into my barrel to make sure of perfect fit. Every single one. Do you know anyone in your area who reloads 9 mm?

 

[Canuck44]

Miethetovaara nailed the problem. To determine the max. OAL for any bullet/pistol combination do the following:

1. Remove barrel from gun
2. Drop a bullet into the chamber
3. Using a veneer caliper measure from the base of the bullet to the hood of the barrel where the case would lie flush.
4. Measure the length of the bullet
5. Add the two measurements and subtract 2- 3 thousanths. This will allow for loading press and bullet variances.
6. Assemble one round at that OAL and check to see if the cartridge will load in a magazine.
7. Drop an assembled cartridge in the barrel (with the barrel out of the gun) and check to see if the cartridge is seated properly.
8. At the range check for 100% feeding.

You now have the max, OAL for that bulllet in that gun. As others have pointed out bullets come with varying olgives and the shape of the olgive will determine max length of cartridge any gun will chamber. With pistols the max length can also be constrained by the magazines for the gun. Simply put if the cartridge won't load in the gun's magazine the cartridges aren't going to be much use to you.

Take Care


Bob

 

[kohen]

the type of bullet im using is a hornady xtp 115gn it is my oal it is now set at 1.062 with that hornady bullet it looked like the brass was hitting but it was just oal i,m suprized factory ammo works in that gunits oal is way longer thanks for all the help

 

[kohen]

one other thing should i get factory crimp i have lee dies right now but no factory crimp

 

[f55]

my oal of my bullets i made are 1.11 factory bullet oal is1.150 but my brass is to thick to drop in barrel all the way some how i bulged the brass so would crimp do that or not sizing enough???

To much crimp.

 

[Canuck44]

one other thing should i get factory crimp i have lee dies right now but no factory crimp

No. The Lee FCD for handgun cartridges is a waste of money IMHO. Use your regular crimping die and set it so it just removes the belling you applied earlier. The 9MM round is held in by case fricton not by a roll crimp.

Take Care

Bob

 

[grumpyold]

I use Lee dies with factory crimp on all my handgun ammo, and IMHO they work great. Seat your bullets to OAL and then crimp with the Lee die. It makes no difference if you trim or separate new brass to one length, perfect crimp every time.