Lee on "Glock'ed" cases...?

[Maximumbob54]

Glock Cases - Support Center

That's an interesting thing to say since they sell a bulge buster kit of their own. I bought the Redding G-Rx die and have used it on every .40SW range pick up case I have ever reloaded. Not a single case head failure...

Still I think they make a good point.

 

[NKJ nut]

They also sell case trimmers for handgun calibers even though they don't recommend trimming handgun brass. In Mr. Lee's book he explains why they sell them. Basically it is because people want them. That's what you do in business; you sell stuff people want.

But yes, ironing out the bulge in a case will do nothing whatsoever to restore it's strength. I have found that many times the case will actually fail sooner if the bulge is taken out. I am not a .40 cal. shooter but this has been the case in other calibers that I load for. I see no reason why it would be different with this caliber.

 

[Rule3]

Their statement only applies (per Lee) if it is used again in a unsupported barrel. I shoot a lot of 40 SW but they are in supported barrels. I have yet to see a severely bulged case as some of the pictures on the net show, I have seen some with a slight swell but nothing major. I suppose if you keep shooting them in a factory Glock or BHP 40 at max loads a problem may occur.

 

[Maximumbob54]

Both are good points that I hadn't considered from what I read. Thanks.

 

[Rule3]

I have picked through my 40 brass and found cases known to be shot from Glocks, there is a slight deformation on them but after sizing and the dreaded LFCD;) They are just fine. Shoot them in a Sig or CZ and they are fire formed and no problemo.

 

[jepp2]

There is a huge difference between Glocked brass and brass fired out of battery. The Glock has a very generous chamber and thus the bulge above the thickened portion.

Glocked brass:



OOB brass - not due to unsupported

 

[brucev]

I've fired about 3,000 rounds of .40 S&W through a Glock 22. The ammunition fired has been produced by Winchester, Federal, Remington and Wolf. I've collected most every casing as I've got plans to reload the brass. I have not found any brass from that 22 that has ever exhibited any sort of "bulge." The 22 is a box-stock G-22RTF. I do not dispute the statements of others whose experience has been different. I am simply describing what has been my experience.

 

[Forrest r]

This is one of those debates that have been going on for years. A decade ago it was the 9mm's that were deformed & don't use them if you see the dreaded slotted fp hit on the primer instead of a round strike.

I believe it has to do more with the Glock/Tupperware hater crowd than anything else.

And no I don't own any Glocks/Tupperware guns, only steel & stainless steel. But I don't knock anyone who does use them. If it isn’t the Glocks ruining the cases, it's the bad Wolf/Tula primers.

 

[Rule3]

I have found brass as show in jepp2's first picture.

If I ever found brass like the second pic it would go in the recycle bucket!

 

[Maximumbob54]

Those look like they were out of battery or something of that type of error. What the heck gun would do that???

 

[NKJ nut]

Those look like they were out of battery or something of that type of error. What the heck gun would do that???

Several of them and not just one brand of gun or caliber; with over pressure ammo. Those rds or almost to the point of rupturing and blowing out the mag. at the very least.

Anyone who is shooting a gun and observes cases bulged to that degree needs to stop shooting and assess, otherwise there is a catastrophic failure coming.

Brass wont continue to look like that without one blowing out.

 

[Mack]

Those look like out of battery to me, that bulge looks like it is all the way around the case. With an unsupported chamber you are only talking about the bottom of the chamber. A dirty barrel not allowing full chambering or not properly resized brass and a gun that allows firing out of battery might do this. I do agree that whatever caused this it is very dangerous to keep shooting.

 

[m657]

I never cared for 40s, and had a G23 for well over a decade that hadn't been fired more than a few magazines full.

Started using it, had to reload for it....found odd cases where they had just enough to barely see a tiny bulge.

Even FL sizing in Dillon dies, I got into a bucket of "once fired" range brass that had high %age of cases that just wouldn't quite chamber.

Took a lengthy 6 months to find the problem and answer (Lee FCD) which solved the problem.

Some of these cases I've reloaded WAY more than 'once'...and I've never had a blow out. Only have 1 auto pistol that uses the caliber, as I don't care for it in general.

On the other hand, I know of a 610 revolver that LOVES the little creatures.

I still don't like the caliber....but the 610 also has an appetite for 10mm......hehheh heh........

 

[blujax01]

I've been scrounging buckets of range brass for a couple of years and have never seen anything approaching that kind of bulge. Gotta agree with NKJ nut - if I eject brass in that condition, I'm packing up and going home to the bench.

 

[Innovative]

I've seen lots of Glocked brass, but I've never seen anything as bad as those pictures shown. Those fired cases (in the lower picture) are way beyond reloading again. It's a miracle that those rounds didn't blown up the gun when fired. That gun definitely fired out of battery.

This is common with Glocked brass, and after a Glocked case is reloaded, it doesn't matter what gun fires it.

The Glock is a great handgun. Just be sure your handloads are resized correctly - without any trace of a bulge. The Glock bulge is usually very slight (as in the top picture). The problem comes when a bulged round prevents full battery lockup - and then is fired.