Steyr Hahn reloading

embermage · Apr 19, 2015

Not sure whether or not I should put this in reloading or C&R, but since it deals with a C&R pistol load, figured I would start here.

So have a mismatched pistol (Chilean frame, Romanian slide), seems little stiff to rack the slide, but then it could just be how the gun is.

Tried 4 loads so far in the pistol, all of them using 9MM Steyr brass from starline and Lee .38 Super die set.

1. HS6: 5.9 GR, 115 FMJ 9MM (Round fires, at 25 feet, it drops roughly 12-16 inches and does not eject)
2. HS6: 6.0/6.1, 115 FMJ (round fires, drop is roughly 8 inches, does not eject)
3. HS6: 6.2, 115 FMJ, (round fires, maybe 2-3 inches of drop which could be me at this point, slide partially comes back maybe 1/2 inch exposing the brass, no ejection)
4. HS6: 6.3, 115 FMJ (Round fires, brass is tipped up and caught as the slide comes back forward.) Had one round actually eject at the end of testing, however, I do not think the slide came all the way back as it should have locked open.
I tested 5 rounds per load, single loading each one.
Next test will be 6.5 and 6.7 gr HS6. I would have thought those loads should have cycled the action however. Seen loads up to 7.2 gr of HS6, but going up slowly (I do not have a chronograph.)
One thing I noted while loading, I had to run each and every round back through the sizing die after seating the bullet or they would not chamber. (tried 1.28, 1.29, 1.30, 1.31 OAL and still had to do this, I made dummy rounds, brass and bullet for testing purposes). As I do not have a factory crimp die for 38 Super or 9MM Steyr, this was the compromise to start working.
Anyone have ideas or suggestions? (BTW, I only have HS6 and Lil'Gun to test with.)

toolness1 · Apr 19, 2015

Will a freshly sized case chamber fine? Do the "plunk" test, see if it falls right in and back out.

Are you putting a bell on the case to seat the bullet, and could you be flaring it too much?

If neither of these, take a loaded dummy round and paint the whole bullet itself with a sharpie marker. Let it dry, then (by hand) try to chamber it and pull it out. See if there are obvious contact points on the bullet where it is hitting the rifling in the barrel and preventing it from chambering fully.

I've had to go real short on OAL in certain pistols because of the bullet shape vs. the specific barrel, due to the fact that the round couldn't chamber because the bullet was contacting the rifling.

You can go real short on OAL, just keep in mind that you're increasing the pressure by decreasing the volume inside the case. Adjust loads accordingly and watch for pressure signs.

Hope that helps!

Edit: Since the rounds are working fine after sizing the entire loaded round a second time, I am now guessing it's not the bullet or OAL.

Try painting the case, not the bullet with the sharpie. Try to find out where it's binding.

I had to do what you are doing with my 7.62x25 Tokarev reloads. They would NOT chamber correctly no matter what I did, unless I ran the loaded rounds back through the sizing die.

I finally figured out that my sizing die wasn't sizing them properly, and had to pre-size all my cases with a 9mm Luger or .38 Super sizing die, then size with the Tokarev die, then everything worked perfect.

Mine was a Lee die, and I'm not the only one who has had this problem with the Lee die set and 7.62x25. Lee is in denial on the matter, but that's a whole different subject.

Good luck!

embermage · Apr 20, 2015

That was some interesting information as I am reloading 7.62X25 as well

toolness1 · Apr 20, 2015

embermage said:
That was some interesting information as I am reloading 7.62X25 as well

THere's a loooooong thread in the reloading section that I started back when I was trying to figure this all out, with detailed measurements of my cases and everything. If you need any more info....

It seems some people get lucky and their Lee dies are fine. But mine simply will not work in any of my Tokarev clones unless I run them through the separate sizer (two Polish, two Yugo, and a Romanian)

My dad has the same problem with his Lee dies, and I've read of others online with the same issue. It was good to know I wasn't going crazy, because I tried everything and could not for the life of me figure out what was wrong. I had people telling me I set up the sizing die wrong and all this....but how many ways are there to set up a sizing die

The Cz52s seem to have a more generous chamber and they run fine in mine without the extra sizing step.

somd_mustangs · Apr 20, 2015

The slide action on these is typically pretty smooth.
If it's binding or has a "catch" in the travel, something is not right.

Since it's a mismatch it may not be properly fitted.
Look for burrs, dings, etc on the barrel lugs and the recesses for them inside of slide and frame, looking for bright wear marks and all that good stuff.

The recoil spring isn't that terribly strong so it's maybe a warning sign if it's not ejecting and/or locking the slide back with lighter loads.

I'd eliminate the gun itself as the issue before proceeding.
But that's just me, I can be an anal retentive weenie sometimes.

Steyr Hahn reloading

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