Full length resizing

[bbbean]

I am starting to reload .40 S&W and have been told, advised, warned that I need to full length resize.  I have never done this on other calibers and need advice.

I was having problems with Glock bulged brass hanging up in my Schueman barreled 2011 using the standard Dillon sizing die. I switched to the Lee U-die, and the problem went away - the U-die is .001 smaller than a standard .40 die, and is enough to eliminate the Glock bulge on MOST brass. There's a lot of discussions about this over at brianenos.com.   

[Sundance]

I use the Redding push through die on all my 40 S&W cases.  I use range brass in addition to my own.  Glock is the worst offender but others after multiple loadings can cause problems.  Used to check them with a chamber gauge and would find a few that would not fit the chamber gauge.  Shooting an aftermarket barrel in my Glock, tight chamber.  After starting with the Redding die I haven't had any problems.  Also, instead of the catch bottle attachment they suggest, I fitted a cardboard cylinder (popular brand of potato chips) over the die and directed the brass into a bucket on the floor.  Cheaper solution and a reason to buy chips.

[Hazcat]

Well mine came the length it is and I have never had the need nor been asked to have any resizing.  Never got it stuck in the chamber and it fires every time.  Though I will allow that it takes longer to pull the trigger now that it's a bit older, in slow fire mode I am rarely required to take second shots but, if I have to with reloading taking a little longer I fall back to hand weapons.

[alfsauve]

....having problems with Glock bulged brass............   

Ah ha.   See the term "full length resizing" is what's normally done to straight wall brass every time.   But it really isn't "FULL" full length.  The very bottom of the base next to the rim can't enter a normal die which is slightly beveled anyway.  But this has never been a problem since the "web" area is pretty stiff and usually never needs attention.  Never that is until "the Glock"  and all of a sudden it has become a problem. 

Redding has a push through true, FULL, full-length resizing die.  It is discussed/reviewed in the August 2010 issue of Handloader.

[billt]

http://egw-guns.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=40&products_id=40

These undersize Carbide resizing dies work well for cases that have been through a Glock. They are avaliable in 9 MM, .40 S&W, and .45 ACP.  Bill T.

[Sponsor]

[ellis4538]

I have a Udie and it works really well...EXCEPT...even if I use case lube and polish the h..l out of the powder funnel in my Dillon die cases still stick on the downstroke and this slooooows things down too much.  I would probably go with the Reading PushThru die if I had it to do over again (and still might!).

FWIW

Richard

[billt]

I would probably go with the Reading PushThru die if I had it to do over again (and still might!). Richard

I don't believe you can use a "Push Through" Die in 9 MM because it is a tapered case?? Do you know for sure if Redding sells them?  Bill T.

[alfsauve]

I only found the .40S&W die on their web page.


Billt brings up a good point.  Speer manual shows that both the 9mm and the .45acp have rims slightly bigger than their base.   The .40 being the only one were the rim and web are the same size.   And while all are spec with some taper the 9mm has the most severe.     

I think for the 9mm you need a special push/push die as opposed to a push through.  No shell holder, you push the shell in until it's completely engulfed by the die then a pusher down from the top to get it out.

[billt]

I think for the 9mm you need a special push/push die as opposed to a push through.  No shell holder, you push the shell in until it's completely engulfed by the die then a pusher down from the top to get it out.

http://casepro100.com/

There is this tool which rolls the case through a progressively smaller set of flat, hardened steel dies. It resizes the entire case and also resizes the rim along with the extractor groove. It totally reshapes the entire case back to factory minimum dimensions. It's big drawback is it's high cost.

You reach a point with these elaborate reloading tools where the cure is worse than the disease from a cost standpoint. Especially when you consider the cost of bulk 9 MM brass. The problem with that is the whole thing becomes a big Catch 22 because the cheap, bulk 9 MM brass you buy is going to be bulged, simply because the odds of it being fired through a Glock are quite high. Everyone and their brother shoots one. So you wind up right back at square one.

About the only solution if you want truly reliable reloads in 9 MM is to eat the cost, buy the tool, and hope to amortize it's cost through enough shooting. Unless you compete in IDPA on a regular basis that can be quite difficult. It all depends on the quality you wish to attain in your reloading, and how much you're willing to spend to do it. The thing is reloads that don't work reliabily are as worthless as a car that won't start. You wind up either having to fix the problem regardless of the cost, or just give up.  Bill T.

[billt]

For whatever it's worth, this is going to be my solution to this whole dilemma. I have all of the dies and tools to reload 9 MM. I'm not doing it yet for 2 reasons. One is I haven't accumulated enough brass yet, and the other is I can buy Federal 9 MM FMJ ammo for $9.95 a box at Wal-Mart.

While I cannot reload 9 MM that cheap, I'm realistic enough to accept the fact that price isn't going to last. As long as it does I will continue to buy as much of it as I can. Then, when the price escalates to the point of it no longer being cost effective enough to purchase, I will bite the bullet and purchase whatever equipment I require to make 100% reliable reloads.

I've done enough reloading to understand the only way it can be done cost effectively is to purchase everything in bulk. Powder, primers, bullets, etc. Right now I have about 8,000 rounds of factory 9 MM ammunition I've purchased over the last year and a half. I'll continue to purchase it because thus far it has been cost effective to do so. Another factor I must consider is I'm going to retire in just 4 years. While I have enough put away, I'll still be required to live on a fixed income. This means I've got to watch my spending, especially on hobbies like shooting. My "master plan" is to accumulate as much ammunition and components as possible by then so I'll be able to shoot when I want without having to be concerned about ammo prices, which will no doubt be considerably higher by then.

The nice thing about buying good, quality reloading tools is you only have to buy them once. So with all of that said I'll most likely get something on the order of the Case Pro 100 simply because I haven't seen another tool in it's class that solves the problems of improperly sized cases as well as it does. I'm always on the lookout for these kind of problem solving tools because I can't stand problems with reloaded ammunition. Retirement is supposed to bring happy times along with it. A bunch of crappy ammo that won't chamber doesn't fit into that category.   Bill T.