Failure to chamber consistantly in .40 S&W

[mcr6775]

Does anyone have input as to why cast bullet loads do not chamber consistantly in a .40 S&W?
I am loading 170gr TC cast bullets, seated with the bearing surface/cone base flush with the case mouth.
I use a Lee Factory Crimp die in the last station, and have even made a bullet sizing die to produce bullets of .400" diameter.
Powder is 5.0 gr. WSF with WSP primers.
Thanks for any help.

 

[RidgwayCO]

What are these being shot out of?

 

[44forever]

Could you be a bit more specific on the problem? Is the round entering the chamber but failing to fully seat? Or is it failing to feed?

 

[mcr6775]

I am shooting a Sigma, and an XD-40. Both will chamber most of the time, but fail to go completely into battery more than a few times (slide hangs out past rear of frame by approximately 1/16"). Pushing the slide forward will finish the lockup. Both guns were worse with bullets sized to .401".
Function is better after sizing bullets to .400" and running thru Lee Factory Crimp, but cartrudges still fail to fully chamber enough to be a real pain during shooting sessions at the range.
I wonder if the chambers and throats on these new designs are set up to work more with jacketed bullets as opposed to cast.

 

[Mike SC Hunter]

I run the 170 gr. lee TC cast in my 2 40's and a 10. I use a taper crimp die and have never a had a problem such as yours. My guns are an old 4006 a 229 and a 1006. I would suggest ditching the lee crimp die. It appears that it is increasing the OD of your casing somehow. I only use the lee crimp die on .223 and I'm getting away from it. It sometimes will cause .223 rounds shoulder to swell when applying the crimp causing difficult chambering in myAR's.

 

[Calaveras Slim]

I am shooting a Sigma, and an XD-40. Both will chamber most of the time, but fail to go completely into battery more than a few times (slide hangs out past rear of frame by approximately 1/16"). Pushing the slide forward will finish the lockup. Both guns were worse with bullets sized to .401".
Function is better after sizing bullets to .400" and running thru Lee Factory Crimp, but cartrudges still fail to fully chamber enough to be a real pain during shooting sessions at the range.
I wonder if the chambers and throats on these new designs are set up to work more with jacketed bullets as opposed to cast.

You may be right about the jacketed bullets but I strongly suspect that your don't have the Lee FCD set right. It does not sound like you have the crimp set down enuf and the lip of the case is catching.


OR

If these are reasonably new guns, they may not be completly broken in yet. I had a pair of CZs that did the same as yours until I had put about 200 rounds thru each before the cast bullets would work properly.

 

[Rule3]

Can you post a picture of the bullet and/or loaded round? Really helps sometimes

What is your OAL? Not sure what you mean by TC. Truncated nose??

 

[OKFC05]

I'll go out on a limb here and suggest it could have nothing to do with your choice of bullets.
Two other possibilities:
1. You are overcrimping and crushing the case down, causing it to expand the only place it can: below the die, or you are not crimping at all.
2. You have picked up some "Glocked" .40 cal cases that are expanded near the case head where no regular sizing die can reach. The cure is driving the empty case all the way through a special sizing die.

 

[44forever]

You might take a close look at the next loaded round that doesn't fully chamber. If the case mouth is not sufficiently belled you can end up with some lead in front of the case mouth on the loaded round. Also check the case to see if there are any rubbed spots that might indicate where the hang up is.

 

[Bib]

Another suggestion is to take your gun apart and try dropping the loaded rounds into the bare barrel....that will sometimes give you an indication of what's causing the hangup......

 

[growr]

Using a Dillon or Wilson case gauge will also help diagnose what your REAL problem seems to. It is very easy to over-crimp and then have a slightly bulged case. A way to check this is to have with either a case gauge or your barrel out of the gun and drop a round that has NOT been crimped first and the check it with one that HAS been crimped. That will help isolate the crimping issue. I have been using just barely enough to hold the bullet firmly and nothing more.
The other problem for some dies as has already been mentioned is Glock fired brass. My Dillon dies rarely have a problem with this but it DOES show up on occasion. The pass through die is the only die that I know of that will correctly address this issue.
Hope something here helps you out.
Randy

 

[Amici]

I would suggest ditching the lee crimp die. It appears that it is increasing the OD of your casing somehow.

I don't see HOW that could happen. I use the LFCD on my .38 Super, .40 and .45 ACP and have never noticed it INCREASING case size. IF - again, IF - the die is properly set, almost the entire case is sized.

I only use the lee crimp die on .223 and I'm getting away from it. It sometimes will cause .223 rounds shoulder to swell when applying the crimp causing difficult chambering in myAR's.

TOTALLY different die using a totally different method of crimping. I use the Lee die on my .223 and .30-'06 cartridges, but it is set to j-u-s-t touch the case mouth to remove any flaring. I have not noticed any shoulder issues yet.

 

[Amici]

The pass through die is the only die that I know of that will correctly address this issue.

Well, there IS the roller sizer. It will de-Glock brass and is quite slick. Also quite expensive.

You need to be HIGH volume to make it cost-effective, which is why you generally see them only at commercial reloaders.

 

[Engineer1911]

You need a Lee CARBIDE Taper Crimp Die. That Lee die solves all the Glocked brass problems in 9 mm, 40 S&W, and 45 ACP. Adjust the die so it just touches the shell holder or shell plate when you taper crimp the brass. The crimp adjustment is on the top stem of the die.

I crimp a loaded round until I just see a shiny band on the case mouth of 9 mm and 40's. I crimp 45 acp to a mouth diameter of .469" . In the last 2 weeks I've fired 500 rounds in 3 calibers without a failure to feed or failure for the slide to close. I love Glock shooters -- they never want their brass. How much brass is enough? 4 gallons, 5 gallons, 6 gallons in each caliber? Clean plastic milk jugs work great for brass storeage. So much brass and so few primers.

 

[bnewc75]

might be as simple

be sure your gun and loads are clean...........

 

[Snapping Twig]

I had a Kimber that did that with a cast TC. I eventually sold it, but I got it to function pretty well by seating the bullet deep enough to keep the ogive from hanging up on the tight chamber.

 

[LTC]

I have not been reloading long but, do you case gauge every case after de-prime and re-size? I do this on a single stage press vs. using my RL550B. I also re-gauge after the round is loaded and crimped. I use range brass and just throw away the brass if it doesn't gauge properly before reloading. I have more issues with .40 than 9mm or .45acp.

LTC

 

[David Sinko]

The key to loading .40 S&W is the U Die which is made by Lee and sold by EGW. This will properly resize all brass (including "Glocked") and ensure proper bullet pull (neck tension). This sizing die is far more important than the Lee Factory Crimp Die. You need to make sure that your bullets are not setting back during feeding. This could result in dangerously high pressures and could absorb some momentum of the closing slide, causing the rounds to not fully chamber.

Push your loaded rounds into the side of your loading bench. The bullets must NOT slip deeper into the case. If it does, no amount of heavy crimp will fix it and you'll need the U Die. You want to apply enough crimp only to facilitate smooth chambering and prevent any flair that might also cause extraction problems when the case is brought out over the top round in the magazine.

My RCBS carbide sizer would not effectively size .40 brass but the U Die immediately solved all of my .40 problems.

Dave Sinko

 

[sar4937]

Redding makes a Grx die that you push the brass through. http://www.redding-reloading.com/pages/grxpushthru.html