9mm Headspacing Problem with HCL

[alleninvegas]

I recently bought 500 9mm 125grain .356 TCFP bullets from stateline bullets.
However, when I seat the bullets up to the cannelure I can't get the round to seat all the way in the chamber. Its almost like these are meant for a 38 special. If you look at the picture, it seems like the lead part above the cannelure is getting caught in the chamber or possibly on the rifling?

Has anyone else ran into this problem? Is there any solution? Would throating one of my barrels fix the issue?

(I'm fairly new to reloading HCL...I've never had this issue with fmj or jhp's)

 

[dmy]

Throat in your barrel shouldn't have anything to do with plunking bullets. Throating may help feeding once you pass the plunk tests. It might help if you identify your gun or barrel, OAL, check the actual diameter, and check your crimp. The bullets look similar to two Missouri Bullet Company projectiles I use which are 124 and 147 grain. Seating to the cannelure gives me an OAL of about 1.113".

 

[DeplorabusUnum]

Always check simple things first. My number one cause for rounds that fail the plunk test is failure to completely remove the case flare with the crimp die. Try screwing your crimp die down another 1/8th of a turn and see if it gets any better. If it does, keep going a little bit at a time until the round goes plunk in the chamber. If you find it's taking excessive pressure to raise the ram, stop. It's probably something else.

 

[Maurice H]

Not a cannelure. Called a crimp groove - for a roll crimp (revolver rnds). Red is the lube groove.

It's not necessary to use the groove and instead apply a taper crimp (at whatever seat depth is appropriate to gun(s) for 9mm rnds.

Disregard groove and seat to accommodate function (feed and chambering). Likely a seating depth and/or taper crimp ('de-bell') adjustment is needed. Banish the throating notion. That's a pretty drastic measure at this stage.

 

[Nevada Ed]

With just the guns barrel..................
does a sized 9mm empty case go all the way into the barrel and stop at the chamber...........
and is the back of the case at the proper setting ?

If all is ok, your bullet OAL or the case flare and lack of crimp, might be the problem for the "No Plunk" load.
With .356 dia. you should not have problems , even with mixed brass.

Keep on testing until you get it right.............................

Then you can add a primer and powder.... Right ?? !!

 

[gwpercle]

Do you see the Crimp Groove on your bullets ... they are there for revolver loading . Not only are you correct about them being for 38 special ...but they may be .357" .
But not all is lost . The 9mm doesn't need a crimp groove ... Most modern 9mm Luger pistols have little or no throat so loading a little larger bullet sometimes runs into the rifiling and doesn't fully seat .
Option #1. Seat the bullets deep enough so they easily chamber and taper crimp as normal ... it may cover the crimp groove but that's fine , you want the groove covered . I regularly seat revolver bullets just past the crimp groove and taper crimp ...solves the OAL problem and if the bullet is .357" it solves that problem .
Option #2. Have you barrel throated for the longer bullet .

So far adjusting the seating depth has worked for me ... and by seating the bullet above the crimp groove it gives the mouth / taper crimp a solid place to crimp onto .
Gary

 

[elpac3]

I did have some issues with the TC style bullets in my 9mm PCC. Loads run fine in the pistol, chambered fine in the PCC but once chambered did not want to eject a fully loaded round.

Examining the bullet there were signs of rifling marks on the side of the bullet before the taper. To get the TC bullets to run in the PCC I had to seat the bullet to the shoulder of the cone which caused a short OAL.

Out of concerns for pressure I Switched to RN for the PCC and it runs great.

 

[scattershot]

A lot of 9mm pistols have an abrupt leade into the rifling, causing lead bullet rounds to not seat completely in the chamber. Decrease you OAL by a few thousandths and use a taper crimp, just enough to remove the flare.
That should solve your problem. Good luck!

 

[glenwolde]

Most bullet casters are selling some "revolver" bullets sized for autos, and vice-versa. Not a problem in and of itself. They tend to do it if the bullet profile is appropriate. It gives them more offerings per caliber.

Just ignore the crimp groove. Try seating one until it chambers and see where the OAL ends up. Lead bullets are a tad bigger than jacketed so they can be different than jacketed bullets.

Throating the barrel might help but that's not the solution you should go to first. See if you can get them to work as is. I'd also point out that the thickness of 9mm brass can vary widely. If you're using thick brass with the fatter lead bullets it can sometimes be a problem if your chamber is also on the tight side.

 

[littleriver1]

I had the same problem once with some falcon 115 coated 9 mm bullets marked .356. I asked if they could be resized and was told it would mess up the coating. The difference in size was so small, I bought the Lee sizing die and it did the job. The cost of the die ran the cost of reloading them up (double) but I couldn't stand to see a box of 500 bullets just sitting there. Besides I like to learn things. If you are doing the crimp right and they still don't fit then think about it. Don't over crimp them.

 

[AlHunt]

I would not drop a hundred bucks throating a barrel to accommodate a particular bullet.

I'd use a small saw, dremel, something to cut a slot across both sides of a case mouth, flare it just enough to start a bullet and then push it into the chamber until the case mouth seats. At that point, the bullet will be touching the lands. Gently push it out from the muzzle end and you'll know exactly your very maximum OAL with that bullet. Seat them a little deeper and start your load development over again.

Zoom in on the attached first pic and you'll see a 45acp round I just did this with on the right hand side. That bullet touches the lands at 1.222. I seated to 1.210 and it works like butter.

Maurice in the post above explains it exactly.

ETA: The example above is 1.222" in one particular gun. In a different gun, it would very likely be a different measurement.

ETA2: Adding a second pic (on the right with the chambered round) showing the problem with case gauges. Here are 3 of 5 identical test rounds I made up today. On the left, it won't case gauge. Center, it plunks just fine. On the right is just an example. The gun spits a steady stream of bullets and brass with these rounds. (That's a max spec case gauge, by the way, and the barrel is practically new)

 

[Hasbeen1945]

I bought some Sierra 125 grain bullets. If I understand this correctly they are made for a 38 Super. The 124 grain bullets are for the 9mm. The 125 grain had a different shape. Also designed for higher velocities.

 

[dla]

I recently bought 500 9mm 125grain .356 TCFP bullets from stateline bullets.
However, when I seat the bullets up to the cannelure I can't get the round to seat all the way in the chamber. Its almost like these are meant for a 38 special. If you look at the picture, it seems like the lead part above the cannelure is getting caught in the chamber or possibly on the rifling?

Has anyone else ran into this problem? Is there any solution? Would throating one of my barrels fix the issue?

(I'm fairly new to reloading HCL...I've never had this issue with fmj or jhp's)

The solution, as mentioned by others, is to seat them deeper. I would seat them till there is about 1/32" of shoulder showing and then apply a normal taper crimp. Do a plunk test and listen for the sound of brass hitting steel (click vs clunk).

Don't get hung up on the diameter difference.

I like the Truncated Cone profile and next time consider ordering bullets from someone who makes them specifically for 9mm (Missouri Bullet Company is a good one).

 

[243winxb]

Shorter COL will fix it. Even if bullet diameter is on the large size.

 

[noylj]

What's HCL?
Regarding bullets--that is a crimp groove, not a cannelure, made for roll crimping for use in revolvers. All bullets and guns have their own range of COL where they will feed and chamber. Make up two inert dummy rounds and find the COL that works for those bullets in your gun and record that COL.
I usually load to max COL that works 100%, as that has been for me anyway the most accurate COL

 

[STORMINORMAN]

H(ard)C(ast)L(ead)...

 

[DWalt]

I normally use the Missouri Bullet Co 124 grain truncated cone lead bullet (.356) for 9mm. I have one 9mm barrel in which the chamber throat will not allow the case mouth to be on the crimping groove. I must seat the bullet a little deeper to get complete chambering with seating on the case mouth.

 

[2152hq]

Take one of the loaded rounds that won't chamber all the way and run it a short way back into the FL sizer die.
Far enough to iron out any bulge in the brass from the bullet perhaps and any flare left over,,that's all.
Then see if it plunks..

 

[STORMINORMAN]

I normally use the Missouri Bullet Co 124 grain truncated cone lead bullet (.356) for 9mm. I have one 9mm barrel in which the chamber throat will not allow the case mouth to be on the crimping groove. I must seat the bullet a little deeper to get complete chambering with seating on the case mouth.

I've loaded quite a few of those coated: don't really think that's a crimping groove, probably there for lube...?

I load them at about 1.130" as I recall. Nary a crimp problem with a LEE FCD. I think they shoot great!

Cheers!

 

[Nevada Ed]

The only real canellure on a 9mm bullet, that I remember was the
Speer 125 Gr. soft point that was listed in the old Speer #8 manual
and it did call out for a crimp on this bullet !!

I might be wrong but 98% of todays 9mm loads only call for a tapered crimp
instead of the full "Roll crimp" used in the old days............
to help in the headspacing in all the different chambers put out in pistols, now.