case sizing for S&W 40 and 9mm

stev32k

stev32k

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I'm just getting into reloading again after many years and will be reloading 40 S&W and 9mm. My knowledge is dated so I'm doing a lot or research before spending any money.

One question I have concerns resizing of the brass. I've read that 40 S&W and 9 mm casings tend to bulge near the bottom. My question is do I need a separate sizing die or will the decapping die do an adequate job?
 
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"Case bulge" is mostly dependent upon how well the chambers of your pistols are supported. Also how generous the chambers are. Glocks are notorious for bulging cases, especially in .40. How hot your loads are can also affect case expansion in the web/head area.

Someone is selling a pass through die that will iron out case bulge in .40 cases. Since I don't have anything in .40, I have no idea exactly what that does to your brass life.

Assuming reasonable loads and other than Glocks, you shouldn't need any special dies. With Glocks, it'll probably depend on your individual situation.
 
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I will be reloading previously fired cases and a good bit of it will be from glocks. The pass though sizing die I've seen is made by Redding. Don't know if anyone else makes one.
 
I bought a bag of 2000 .40 S&W cases and I have had the problem of bulged cases; which when reloaded will not chamber in my 4014/4053. It is frustrating. Since it is mixed range brass I have no idea what kind of firearm the cases were fired from. I elected to measure each case instead of buying a pass thru die. All the oversized cases were sold as scrap.
I agree totally with the other 2 replies.
 
I buy range brass in 9mm and from primer strikes, a certain amount is fired in Glocks (Yetch!). I haven't needed anything but a standard sizing die to handle resizing. There have been a very few that don't pass a case gauge after sizing, but not enough to be an issue. Depending upon how the round/case fits the gauge, I have a Browning HP that eats almost anything.

A case gauge is a wonderous tool and very good investment.
 
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I load a lot of "range trash brass" in 9mm and .40S&W, using RCBS, Lee, and Dillon dies.

My personal experience is that the 9mm are taken care of by the normal sizing die with rare exception, but the "smiley" bulges at the heads of .40S&W are not. I was getting over 20% failure to pass the .40S&W gauge test after loading until I started sizing any pickup .40S&W brass with a push through die. You can either buy the special die or take the guts out of a Lee FCD for a push through.

Any brass that I have already shot in one of my guns does not need the push through treatment, but you never know what pickup brass has been through, especially from a USPSA match.
 
Lee makes a push through die adaptor set up that is used in conjunction with the factory crimp die. I bypassed the adaptor kit purchase and turned a stud to fit the head on a single stage press that I use for the 50BMG. Remove the crimp ring and top adjuster from the die and push the cases that need attention through the carbide ring, and your in business. works on 357SIG also..
 
Worked in a commercial reloading company, we used a "roller" to ensure cases are round - 380, 9mm, 40, 45 and 38/357. The machine is out of most reloaders budget, but we used to offer rolling customers brass for a small fee. If there is a commercial shop nearby, check if they will roll your brass. I've never had an issue with rolled brass not passing a case gauge or cycling through a gun.
 
I have had great success with my Dillon Dies for my 550B. Even with rounds that have been fired in a Glock.
Randy
 
Almost all I reload is range brass, 9mm & .45 ACPS, and I've never had any issues with either using RCBS or Lee resizing dies in my 3rd gens or Glocks.

Can't speak for the .40 S&W but I'd think the Lee FC die would remove it.
 
I use the Lee push-thru die set-up and can really tell when "glock" 40's go thru the die. I also use it for my .357sig brass. I think it is the only way to make sure your brass is properly sized. I use a single stage press for the "bulge buster" and then a progressive press to reload.
 
growr said:
I have had great success with my Dillon Dies for my 550B. Even with rounds that have been fired in a Glock.
Randy
Click to expand...

Same for me. I have reloaded several thousand rds of 9mm the majority have been fired through LE issued Glocks. I found maybe 3 or 4 rds with OBVIOUS issues.

I can't add much on the .40 issue but again with Dillon dies on my 550B and shooting my reloads in a SIG All Around...zero issues with 2K loaded so far.
 
40 S&W Brass

I had problems with range brass quite often.
So, I bought Redding push through device, it worked well for awhile but started to scratch cases.
I had not realized at first but it is tool steel not carbide. I understand they now have a carbide version too.
But, I have switched to Lee device, like most things Lee it works great and is less expensive and since it uses FCD for any caliber you want they are all carbide so no scratching.
 
stev32k said:
My question is do I need a separate sizing die or will the decapping die do an adequate job?
Click to expand...

A single purpose sizing die will resize.

A single purpose decapping die will decap.

A combination sizing & decapping die (for example Lee), will do both in one pass.

So it depends on the dies you own. For example, I pass all my range pickups through a Lee Universal decapping die before I put them in the ultrasonic. After that, I have to run each case caliber through it's respective sizing die.
 
I load 40 S&W Glock fired brass from a police range using a normal set of Lee carbide dies. As a matter of policy I scrap brass from high pressure cartridges such as 9mm and 40 S&W after 4 reloads.
Have not experienced any issue but I do not shoot a Glock in 40 S&W. My 40's are 1911's, Sig 229 Sport, CZ-40B and two S&W revolvers.
 
dont need to worry about 9mm brass as much as 40sw brass.
I used lee sizing die for both and it worked fine for removing the bulge from 40sw brass. 9mm brass takes extreme amount of pressure to bulge
most 9mm brass will withstand +p pressure and beyond without bulging.
 
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