testtest

1st fired (new) S&B and then 1st time reloaded

Old_Me

Old_Me

Ronin
ok, back in October of '22, on the 13th then on the 16th, when i first started to reload, i reloaded first fired S&B brass, as well as some other named brass, that could have been new or floor sweepings.

in any event, 45 ACP, 4.0 gr. Bullseye (starting charge) , Federal primers, 230gr LRN.

both my presses have lights, and I DO check each and every powder charge since i load 1 cartridge at a time..

i also check the first 10 powder drops, then when they are at the desired charge, i go and do a box of 50

wash, rinse, repeat, for the next 50 rounds, so my habit(s) is/are the same.

so i am shooting have a great time, then as you know, ejected brass goes everywhere..

i hear a "clink"...and you experienced reloaders know that "clink" and even (i am sure) mentioned it a time or two.

so i go to sweep up my brass, and low and behold a cracked shell...

then i shoot some more, and yet another..."clink"...

so...2 cracked brass casings out of 100 taken to the range today...again, S&B NEW 1st fired, 1st time reloaded.....

now....yes...not only did i check every single brass case BEFORE the spent primer is pushed out, but i also wipe clean the cartridges, BEFORE i plunk them in my Lyman gauge....then i put them in the white ammo boxes...

so ALL shell casings get checked several times....

i know some of you, maybe all of you reloaders have experienced this.....

what say you on these 2 cracked casings..??

just happenstance..?

maybe defective milling at the factory..??

to be honest, these 2 shot like all the others, no discernable difference in sounds in firing that i could notice, given that i am also wearing electronic ear protection....

i still have like 1850 rounds of 45 ACP yet to fire off.......

gun used was a Dan Wesson PM 45.

and just to be clear......i have shot several other boxes of reloaded before these 2 boxes...........no issues.

thanks in advance

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i have had a few...more than 50 i bet that have cracked, after firing, this has been on range harvested brass of which could have been fired more than once, as well as on once fired brass. I know this was once fired as I am the person that fired the factory round and then picked up the brass to reload.

its a weird science IMO why would a once fired split? why would an unknown brass never split, but then one does?
does the powder change over time ,???

i an ADHD when it comes to looking at the brass, and verifying the powder is right. my dillion really makes that easy and i have never found the powder charge changing over 100 or 200 or 300 loaded rounds, even when the level of powder in the powder dispenser is at 1/4 or below.
i thought maybe the neck opening stage at the powder drop on the dillion was stretching the brass to much
so i run a very mild enlargement. the bullet just sits in the case and then goes right in

i have also had a few cases POP on the de-priming stage on the dillion, this stage straightens the case and resizes it, before the next stage that opens up the top for the bullet.

one thing i really watch, is the de-priming. if primer falls out with little effort, i toss the case.
 
Maybe not an optimum batch of brass. Why? Because your load is at the bottom of the load chart, the brass is new and you used a quality firearm.
I have many headstamps, but buy new Starline when I need to. I've purchased once fired .38 online and buckets of brass from lost brass matches. I don't worry too much about a split case, but it pains me to find I primed a split case. Now and then I miss that.
Take note of what the others do and in the end, see if the results are acceptable for you.
 
reading this i am reminded of an indoor range i once used
they would not allow harvesting of your own brass or any on the floor.....but they sold bags of brass in the lobby that came from the range floor. you really had no idea of its number of firings or reloaded info.
they cleaned the pee out of it and it looked brand new. i bought 100 from them one time as i was building up my 45 acp brass. sadly they closed a few years back

at the range i take a rake and clear out the ground around our area to make finding my brass easier. my head-stamps are either sharpy colored black or red to make it easier to find my stuff. but we pick up all the 9 ad 45 we find and then inspect and clean at home. i also arrive the afternoon after police training and pick up their 9mm brass. they leave lots to be harvested.
i have picked up lots of brass that gets tossed on the spot, for dents, splits, etc finding more and more 45 with small primers vice large primers, which dont work well in the dillion 45 plate, unless you stop and load the small primer feeder, so i toss them

we also run what i would call soft loads, (almost min powder) for range work. probably had ten reloads on lots of 45 brass as well.
 
powerboatr said:
reading this i am reminded of an indoor range i once used
they would not allow harvesting of your own brass or any on the floor.....but they sold bags of brass in the lobby that came from the range floor. you really had no idea of its number of firings or reloaded info.
they cleaned the pee out of it and it looked brand new. i bought 100 from them one time as i was building up my 45 acp brass. sadly they closed a few years back

at the range i take a rake and clear out the ground around our area to make finding my brass easier. my head-stamps are either sharpy colored black or red to make it easier to find my stuff. but we pick up all the 9 ad 45 we find and then inspect and clean at home. i also arrive the afternoon after police training and pick up their 9mm brass. they leave lots to be harvested.
i have picked up lots of brass that gets tossed on the spot, for dents, splits, etc finding more and more 45 with small primers vice large primers, which dont work well in the dillion 45 plate, unless you stop and load the small primer feeder, so i toss them

we also run what i would call soft loads, (almost min powder) for range work. probably had ten reloads on lots of 45 brass as well.
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actually, i had "thought" about coloring the base myself, to make sure it IS my brass, and of known quality.

i am always the first one at the range when i go, and i select the farthest port, at the end, so no one can step on my brass, and damage it.

many times, the floor is swept very clean, sometimes, they guys just wanna go home after thier shift, and leave it a mess.

also too, when i arrive, i give my section a "quick sweep", and push floor brass past the firing line.

as for flaring my brass, no matter the caliber, there is just the tiniest of a flare for the bullet to barely sit into.

of course, in the very beginning, i "over flared".....but i learnt quickly to make minimal flaring.
 
youngolddude said:
Maybe not an optimum batch of brass. Why? Because your load is at the bottom of the load chart, the brass is new and you used a quality firearm.
I have many headstamps, but buy new Starline when I need to. I've purchased once fired .38 online and buckets of brass from lost brass matches. I don't worry too much about a split case, but it pains me to find I primed a split case. Now and then I miss that.
Take note of what the others do and in the end, see if the results are acceptable for you.
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i do indeed have brand new Starline as well, right now, all 45 ACP....i have "some" in the mix now, somewhere in stock ready to shoot.

i bought it due to the supply of Federal 45 ACP, that has SPP's, and i wish not to reload those over LPP's.

i am "lucky" that the S&B, and Fiocchi, Winchester, Remington i had bought the past few months, are all LPP's, pumping up my supply

as for "bottom of the load chart", i am slowly bumping up that charge, i just do not wish to go to the max.

as i had mentioned, i did fully check each and every case, as i am about to put it into the Dillon, making sure for instance, that an errant SPP didn't slip by me. (as well as for cracks). quite simple to do on a progessive...heck even my Lee, which is a turret, i only load 1 round at a time...
 
Going off other post there are some possibilities? If flared a bit much (untrimmed brass) you might not know it until it's fired...... the stress has started and then cracked under pressure? As posted before, you don't know if it's been reloaded before and how many times? As posted before, it could've been bad brass? No telling how many DON'T trim pistol brass, but at least check length. Now if you seat and crimp in the same die there will be a problem with brass that IS to long. Say it's crimped enough to get pasted the headspace (mouth is where it's headspaced) and now you fire it. Extra pressure on the mouth that could've caused the issue? If it's short (depending on how short) there usually isn't an issue?
 
yes coloring the base helps us alot, our range is OUTSIDE with grass and lots of old brass. so i rake it first to liberate the old stuff back about 6 feet.
my one 1911 tosses brass out the side and back. the other tosses it right over my head and the xd tosses it exactly every time the last place you look.

as far as trimming pistol brass, ...i have never done this. On the 1st inspection prior to cleaning, they get a good once over, then again after cleaning and once more prior to de priming. i have tons of brass, so any that scream issues...they get tossed
 
TEXASforLIFE said:
Going off other post there are some possibilities? If flared a bit much (untrimmed brass) you might not know it until it's fired...... the stress has started and then cracked under pressure? As posted before, you don't know if it's been reloaded before and how many times? As posted before, it could've been bad brass? No telling how many DON'T trim pistol brass, but at least check length. Now if you seat and crimp in the same die there will be a problem with brass that IS to long. Say it's crimped enough to get pasted the headspace (mouth is where it's headspaced) and now you fire it. Extra pressure on the mouth that could've caused the issue? If it's short (depending on how short) there usually isn't an issue?
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separate seat and crimp dies. (all dies for both presses, are Lee carbide)

trimming pistol brass, i have been thru that in the past, and if i recall, the consensus was, many just do not do it.

i'll recheck the crimping. but if i recall, very little crimp, and the round would not plunk test.

thanks
 
last stage crimping on my rounds are snug, but not too tight...but not past specs. my dillion is adjusted to squeeze them just right and stay as prescribed by the load book.

when i first started i went back and forth on the crimp pressure and seat depth and it took many rounds to get that factory feel. its not an absolute for sure. like many, i suspect we all lean on the conservative side to gain most life from the brass, yet not drop a bullet out on the ground..
my 1967 1911 is very sensitive to overall length and will jam if not in the sweet spot and will jam if you use wad cutters.

the ronin...is less finicky. the xd 45...i think it would cycle any round fed in.
the other day i had to remove a bullet from a built up 45 acp round i was testing to make sure it seated like i wanted.
i destroyed the bullet getting it out. so the crimp got pushed back a bit.. i use built up tool heads so i dont have to reset every time i change calibers.

my xd 9 and bersa are also...shoot any round .. i have never had them refuse to load into battery or jam on ejection


this a great discussion thread thanks
 
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On revolvers I don't mind using the seat/crimp die in 1 stage, but like more control on semi's. When you load 50ae you'll find out. Many have stated they DON'T trim pistol brass at all. Nothing wrong until something is wrong. If brass meets specs, then no need trimming IF all can get crimped correctly (taper or roll). If what you're doing works for you, then there's NO debate!
 
powerboatr said:
last stage crimping on my rounds are snug, but not too tight...but not past specs. my dillion is adjusted to squeeze them just right and stay as prescribed by the load book.

when i first started i went back and forth on the crimp pressure and seat depth and it took many rounds to get that factory feel. its not an absolute for sure. like many, i suspect we all lean on the conservative side to gain most life from the brass, yet not drop a bullet out on the ground..
my 1967 1911 is very sensitive to overall length and will jam if not in the sweet spot and will jam if you use wad cutters.

the ronin...is less finicky. the xd 45...i think it would cycle any round fed in.
the other day i had to remove a bullet from a built up 45 acp round i was testing to make sure it seated like i wanted.
i destroyed the bullet getting it out. so the crimp got pushed back a bit.. i use built up tool heads so i dont have to reset every time i change calibers.

my xd 9 and bersa are also...shoot any round .. i have never had them refuse to load into battery or jam on ejection


this a great discussion thread thanks
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yeah, i have a CZ 97B, and that thing will refuse to shoot anything but RN...i had tried semi wad cutters, and NOPE, not gonna happen.

i cannot recall which 1911 gave me an issue, but one did..so end result was ALL bullets for 45 ACP will be and are RN.

yeah, i will most certainly re-try that 45 ACP crimping die again......God knows i have "some time" to spare the next few days
 
My engineering brother would do a series of technical tests and put in all in a spreadsheet over a period of months. Me, I don't overthink it, just do the things that have worked over the decades. I also use Lee dies with the exception of my Dillon Square Deals that use proprietary dies. Most are the 4 die sets, but I do have a couple of 3 die sets
 
youngolddude said:
My engineering brother would do a series of technical tests and put in all in a spreadsheet over a period of months. Me, I don't overthink it, just do the things that have worked over the decades. I also use Lee dies with the exception of my Dillon Square Deals that use proprietary dies. Most are the 4 die sets, but I do have a couple of 3 die sets
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yeah, i went with the 4 die sets as well.

is it important to have the Lee "undersized" resizing die.??

the gunsmith i met at my club, used to reload. he said that if i were to sweep up "Glock brass"?, that brass has a slight bulge near the base and it will not chamber...he said the "undersizing die" reshapes it a "wee bit" smaller to like "normal" 9mm brass
 
Old_Me said:
yeah, i went with the 4 die sets as well.

is it important to have the Lee "undersized" resizing die.??

the gunsmith i met at my club, used to reload. he said that if i were to sweep up "Glock brass"?, that brass has a slight bulge near the base and it will not chamber...he said the "undersizing die" reshapes it a "wee bit" smaller to like "normal" 9mm brass
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I've reloaded Glock brass from my Glock's without any issues. Some were reshot in a Glock and some in other firearms. I never saw a "moon" on yhe brass.
 
TEXASforLIFE said:
I've reloaded Glock brass from my Glock's without any issues. Some were reshot in a Glock and some in other firearms. I never saw a "moon" on yhe brass.
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i tried looking up "Glock brass", as if it was made by Glock, you know like Sig ammo is..??

the only thing i could find was information on the G-18, which we normal people cannot own.....that "might shoot" a particular brass made for that particular gun, and thus called..."Glock brass".

i just read an article where the writer claims, the Glock chamber is "looser" than other gun barrels...maybe this is what the gunsmith meant, when he said "Glock brass"..?? as it fires, the case expands more so than an ordinary 9mm barrel..??

"
4) Be Aware Of What The GLOCK Chamber Really Is

I stressed out and wrung my hands about this for some time, but I have come to this conclusion. GLOCK barrel chambers are looser, consequently give less support for bullet casings. This may or may not be a factor in a bullet actually blowing up."
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Reloading for the GLOCK Barrel

Reloading rounds for the GLOCK barrel is controversial and wrought with misinformation. For what it's worth, this is some reality about the infamous barrel issues with reloads.
www.christiangunowner.com

otherwise, i too have reloaded brass shot out of my Glocks, with no discernable issues with the press dies.
 
I will add when you taper crimp 9mm or .45 acp, you don’t need to go hog wild on the crimp, when I reloaded and taper crimped, the way I tested it was to measure the OAL, then put the round against my bench and lean and push on the round, then measure again, it the length got shorter, I would add a little more crimp till I could do the push test and nothing moved, this was just how I did it back then.
 
Annihilator said:
I will add when you taper crimp 9mm or .45 acp, you don’t need to go hog wild on the crimp, when I reloaded and taper crimped, the way I tested it was to measure the OAL, then put the round against my bench and lean and push on the round, then measure again, it the length got shorter, I would add a little more crimp till I could do the push test and nothing moved, this was just how I did it back then.
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yes, thanks

the issue i was having with the 45 ACP, was that the tiniest crimp, the cartridge would not chamber, nor plunk in the gauge.

so i slowly adjusted the crimp, till the round just plunked

i never heard of your way...a long time reloader here, told me to test your crimping. try pulling the bullet, and if it takes at least 4 to 5 blows of the puller tool, it's a good crimp....any less, not good, any more really not good....

if i recall, i got mine at about 4 to 5 strikes of the puller tool.
 
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