Setting OAL for bulk pistol rounds

[VERT]

Looking for some others experience. I am loading 9mm and 45acp for range fodder. Obviously range pickup brass is mixed head stamp and this leads to some variation in finished cartridge length. How are the rest of you managing this? Do you find one brand of case to be a bit more consistent or average in length? I have been sorting out the Winchester brass to set the press and for the most part my loads stay within 0.01". But if somebody has better advice that would be great.

I did start in sorting a pile of 9mm range brass by head stamp. Yeah that is a little more effort then I care to go through. I got frustrated win I noticed the FC marked stuff did not even look the same. Different sources I assume. Win marked looked pretty consistent and RP looked good as well. I have a bunch of Federal no FC 45 brass that looks consistent.

 

[jglevyjr]

I've loaded lots of 9mm range brass without regard to headstamp, 124 grain RN plated bullets with Titegroup. No problems. Just discard the brass that is obviously damaged.

 

[17 squirrel]

Looking for some others experience. I am loading 9mm and 45acp for range fodder. Obviously range pickup brass is mixed head stamp and this leads to some variation in finished cartridge length. How are the rest of you managing this? Do you find one brand of case to be a bit more consistent or average in length? I have been sorting out the Winchester brass to set the press and for the most part my loads stay within 0.01". But if somebody has better advice that would be great.

I did start in sorting a pile of 9mm range brass by head stamp. Yeah that is a little more effort then I care to go through. I got frustrated win I noticed the FC marked stuff did not even look the same. Different sources I assume. Win marked looked pretty consistent and RP looked good as well. I have a bunch of Federal no FC 45 brass that looks consistent.

Your brass OAL has no bearing on the cartridge's OAL.
The OAL is set with your bullet seater die.
The only thing that is different with brass that's different lenghts is how much of the bullet will be seated in the brass case.

 

[red_zr24x4]

Your brass OAL has no bearing on the cartridge's OAL.
The OAL is set with your bullet seater die.
The only thing that is different with brass that's different lenghts is how much of the bullet will be seated in the brass case.

And crimp

 

[bulletsmith]

I've loaded lots of 9mm range brass without regard to headstamp, 124 grain RN plated bullets with Titegroup. No problems. Just discard the brass that is obviously damaged.

This is a pic of a couple thousand 9mm. Not only do I not know what head stamp they are, I have no idea how many times they have been loaded. I have not purchased new 9mm in many years, some of that brass is surely in this pic. It's been so long since I had on not chamber that I will say it doesn't happen.
For general use plinking, unless you are having trouble with rounds not chambering due to case length, I don't see the need for such heroic measures.

Minimum case flair and just enough crimp to take the bell out of the case can make these things last for a very long time. Collecting a few thousand rounds also helps I guess. Imagine the time you will save.

 

[VERT]

Case wall thickness and crimp might be the culprit for variation in length. I can tell you with certainty that different brass loads to different finished lengths. All of it runs just fine though. My main question is what brass do people find to be most consistent for setting up the press.

 

[red_zr24x4]

Vert,
I think what everyone is getting at is - pick a case, set up your dies, and load away.
I've got a 5 gallon bucket of 9mm. I grab one and set up the die, soon to change because I'm upgrading the 450 to a 500 so a one time set up, and start loading away. I'll randomly drop one in a few of my 9mm barrels to check proper seating/fit.
The only brass I make sure is consistent is rifle brass

 

[17 squirrel]

And crimp

Case wall thickness and crimp might be the culprit for variation in length. I can tell you with certainty that different brass loads to different finished lengths. All of it runs just fine though. My main question is what brass do people find to be most consistent for setting up the press.

The only Crimp you can use in 9mm and 45 acp other than using a seater die to eliminate the flair would be a Taper Crimp.

 

[17 squirrel]

Case wall thickness and crimp might be the culprit for variation in length. I can tell you with certainty that different brass loads to different finished lengths. All of it runs just fine though. My main question is what brass do people find to be most consistent for setting up the press.

In over 40 years of reloading when I am reloading any autoloading pistol cartridge I just pick a random case and set my machine up.
If you are truly concerned about case lenght I would suggest that you buy new brass in the caliber you want and use that. It will all be the same lenght and if it stretchs at all it all will stretch around the same.
But I believe you are concerned about nothing.

 

[U.S. Patriot]

I don't concern myself with headstamp. The variation also comes from every bullet not being the same length. The die seats on the ogive, not the tip of the bullet. Grab ten bullets and measure them.

 

[rvb]

mixed brass for 9mm is all I use. I load to 1.150" max (147gr jhp). I usually see no more than +/- 0.002" variation in oal.
said another way, I set my oal to 1.148". vast majority are in the 1.147-1.149" range. occasionally a 1.146 or 1.150".

something sucks in your setup or bullets if you are seeing 0.010" or more variation.

headstamp shouldn't matter for oal as far as I can tell... most variation comes from bullet consistency in ogive. (advantage to loading jhps as they seat off the actual tip.)

for setting crimp I use a piece of Win brass. usually seems about middle of the road for case thickness.

I get single-digit std-dev on the chrono.

I'd have to go check my notes on .45... I don't load as much of it to recall the #s off the top of my head.

-rvb

 

[bwframe]

Looking for some others experience. I am loading 9mm and 45acp for range fodder. Obviously range pickup brass is mixed head stamp and this leads to some variation in finished cartridge length. How are the rest of you managing this? Do you find one brand of case to be a bit more consistent or average in length? I have been sorting out the Winchester brass to set the press and for the most part my loads stay within 0.01". But if somebody has better advice that would be great.

I did start in sorting a pile of 9mm range brass by head stamp. Yeah that is a little more effort then I care to go through. I got frustrated win I noticed the FC marked stuff did not even look the same. Different sources I assume. Win marked looked pretty consistent and RP looked good as well. I have a bunch of Federal no FC 45 brass that looks consistent.

With 45acp, I load whatever brass found to 1.25. I place the loaded cartridges into an MTM box for inspection, checking 5 with calipers. Eye level inspection sees all primers fully seated and noticeable long or short for further checking, if necessary. Anything +/- .005 goes to a "for practice only" marked box. It's rare that the practice rounds don't run fine.

 

[VERT]

for setting crimp I use a piece of Win brass. usually seems about middle of the road for case thickness.


-rvb

Thank you for sharing. This was my question.

Yeah I have more variation with the 9mm. My 45acp are very consistent. I am loading the HiTek coated lead bullets which does show some small variability in length.

 

[romack991]

Thank you for sharing. This was my question.

Yeah I have more variation with the 9mm. My 45acp are very consistent. I am loading the HiTek coated lead bullets which does show some small variability in length.

Weird. I assume you are seating off the bullet radius. I wonder if they have slightly different cavities or profiles which is causing the variation. Coated lead by itself shouldn't cause the issue. I have seen lead bullets out of the same bulk box with slightly different profiles due to different molds/cavities.

I run SNS coated through my 1050 and get ±.001 in OAL. Using my 650 was always ±.002.

 

[17 squirrel]

What 9mm bullets are you using ?
Are you using the correct seater for that bullet ?
I'm trying to understand what you have less variance loading bullets with a tumbled on coating verses a much smaller bullet.

 

[VERT]

What 9mm bullets are you using ?
Are you using the correct seater for that bullet ?
I'm trying to understand what you have less variance loading bullets with a tumbled on coating verses a much smaller bullet.

Bayou Bullets

Think So. LRN and RN seater.

If I load using Win brass the OAL is +- .002. If I load Remington +-.002 but slightly different then the Win. You get the drift.

 

[17 squirrel]

Me, I would not be concerned about + - .002 with coated cast lead pistol bullets. I really wouldn't be concerned at all.
Your OAL loading cast lead coated bullets will be a constantly changing measurement. With what coating and lead shavings are left in the seater die it will change your OAL. Sometimes the lube and small lead shavings will stay in the seater die and sometimes it will stick with the bullet and leave a clean seater stem and die. When its clean you will have longer OAL and some lube on the seater stem your OAL will be shorter.
This is one of the times when the Dillon pistol dies shine, to clean the seater die you just pull a Jesus clip and the seater stem drops out. You clean it and slide it back in and push the clip back in place. The adjustments don't change.

 

[bulletsmith]

Me, I would not be concerned about + - .002 with coated cast lead pistol bullets. I really wouldn't be concerned at all.
Your OAL loading cast lead coated bullets will be a constantly changing measurement. With what coating and lead shavings are left in the seater die it will change your OAL. Sometimes the lube and small lead shavings will stay in the seater die and sometimes it will stick with the bullet and leave a clean seater stem and die. When its clean you will have longer OAL and some lube on the seater stem your OAL will be shorter.
This is one of the times when the Dillon pistol dies shine, to clean the seater die you just pull a Jesus clip and the seater stem drops out. You clean it and slide it back in and push the clip back in place. The adjustments don't change.

Anything like the Jesus nut on a helicopter?

 

[17 squirrel]

Anything like the Jesus nut on a helicopter?

Kinna sorta, one threads on and the other snaps on but,
The loss of either could easily be considered a catastrophic failure.

 

[rvb]

Bayou Bullets

Think So. LRN and RN seater.

If I load using Win brass the OAL is +- .002. If I load Remington +-.002 but slightly different then the Win. You get the drift.

you may be worrying about nothing. 0.002 isn't bad.
more importantly, what's the chrono telling you?

-rvb