Dillon 550 and coated bullets problems

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  • jimbobborg

    Oddball caliber fan
    Aug 2, 2010
    17,112
    Northern Virginia
    I'm reloading 9mm using polymer, 147 gr bullets. I'm using a Wilson case gauge to check. I'm getting about a 20% fail rate after initial loading. After I run the failures through a separate Lee FCD, I'm at a 10% failure rate. What am I doing wrong?
     

    Aventus

    Banned
    BANNED!!!
    Sep 5, 2016
    778
    I'm reloading 9mm using polymer, 147 gr bullets. I'm using a Wilson case gauge to check. I'm getting about a 20% fail rate after initial loading. After I run the failures through a separate Lee FCD, I'm at a 10% failure rate. What am I doing wrong?

    Process of elimination, check some resized, unprimed, unloaded cases in the gauge. If the cases won't go into the gauge, then you’re resizing is the problem. If they are fine, you could be bulging the case with the bullet or your crimp isn’t enough for the flare.

    It's also important to have the bullet strait when you press it in place. If it's off, even slightly, the bulge can happen.

    You should see the base of the 9mm bullet outline on the outside of the case. It should be uniform all the way around. If you only see one side, the die is likely off. Loosen the die lock rings, put cases in all 4 stations, and pull the handle down and tighten all die lock rings. This ensures the dies are straight in the toolhead so bullet seats strait.

    Hope this helps,
     

    PowPow

    Where's the beef?
    Nov 22, 2012
    4,712
    Howard County
    The case gauge will tell you they are in spec, for sure. But, your rounds might still be fine to shoot. If you plan to shoot them through a specific gun, take the barrel out of that and use it to check the rounds. The chamber dimensions in a barrel will vary as the tools that cut them age. So, you may very well have no issue. If you don't know what the round should look like when you drop it in, go get yourself a factory load, hold the barrel chamber side up, and drop it in. Take note of what it looks like. Next, grab some of your loads and do the same thing. If they look like the factory rounds, you're at least safe headspace-wise. It's no guarantee you still may not have issues, e.g. with feed and such, but they should be safe to shoot as long as your load data, powder charge, and primers are good.

    If they don't "plunk" your barrel correctly, then you do still have some work to do.
     

    pop-gunner

    Ultimate Member
    May 8, 2008
    2,270
    What size bullets are you shooting?
    I'm using Blue Bullets sized at .355
    BBI sizes at .356 so I can see where their 147gr seated deeply may cause a slight bulge in the case.
    What's your OAL?
     

    jimbobborg

    Oddball caliber fan
    Aug 2, 2010
    17,112
    Northern Virginia
    I'm using Badman Bullets https://www.badmanbullets.com/OnlineStore/products.php?cat=9mm+147+Grain+FP+Polymer+Coated. Sized .356. 1.15" OAL. I used a case gauge so the rounds would fit in all of my competition 9mms. If I crimp tighter on the Dillon, I'll get ammunition where the bullet will jam in the lands. My pistols I'm using are a CZ Shadow 2, RIA double stack 1911, and an STI DVC 3-Gun. If it fits in the gauge, it's fine for all three. If it's meh, it jams in the CZ and STI. If it's"I need a hammer" I just take it apart and start over. But it's really annoying loading up 500 rounds and and finding 50 need extra attention or dismemberment.
     

    deerassassin22

    Active Member
    Apr 12, 2016
    700
    Littlestown, PA
    CZ with 147 i have to load them short to fit mine with 147 also i only run a EGW U-die in all my pistols and i get 99percent. I only crimp enought to temove the bell inuse the sharpie method to check.
     

    GolfR

    Ultimate Member
    Oct 20, 2016
    1,324
    Columbia MD
    What dies are you using?

    Make sure your sizing die is all the way down to the shell holder. Only a 1/4 turn or so backed off after touching.

    Are you getting a sharp circular rim near the base of the case that is preventing the bullet from going into the case gauge or is the binding up near the seated bullet?

    Are you flaring the case mouth with the powder die enough to make sure you aren’t shaving the coating off when the bullet is seated? You might see crescent shaped lead pieces or pieces of coating on the shell plate?

    What do you mean the bullet will jam in the lands? Are you saying that the action is hard to close? If you are running a .356 bullet at that long of a OAL, It very well may come in contact with the rifling or max out the chamber. This shouldn’t be a killer unless the action doesn’t close. It might make it hard to eject rounds.
     

    jimbobborg

    Oddball caliber fan
    Aug 2, 2010
    17,112
    Northern Virginia
    What dies are you using?

    Dillon

    Make sure your sizing die is all the way down to the shell holder. Only a 1/4 turn or so backed off after touching.

    Doing that.

    Are you getting a sharp circular rim near the base of the case that is preventing the bullet from going into the case gauge or is the binding up near the seated bullet?

    The bullet bulge is causing the binding.

    Are you flaring the case mouth with the powder die enough to make sure you aren’t shaving the coating off when the bullet is seated? You might see crescent shaped lead pieces or pieces of coating on the shell plate?

    Yes, and I'm not seeing any pieces on the shell plate.

    What do you mean the bullet will jam in the lands? Are you saying that the action is hard to close? If you are running a .356 bullet at that long of a OAL, It very well may come in contact with the rifling or max out the chamber. This shouldn’t be a killer unless the action doesn’t close. It might make it hard to eject rounds.

    The bullet jams in the lands in my CZ. While most people wouldn't notice, when I'm shooting a USPSA match, I may be done with a stage and have to unload. I've had bullets stuck in the chamber after I cleared the CZ and the Ruger PC9.
     
    Last edited:

    John from MD

    American Patriot
    MDS Supporter
    May 12, 2005
    22,729
    Socialist State of Maryland
    Jim,

    The problem is probably the inconsistency of the PC on the bullets. I make my own PC bullets and I size them through a Lee push through die. If I don't do this, some bullets will bulge the case, even though they go through a Lee Factory Crimp die on the Dillon 550. This will cause problems in my S&W M&P and my Kahr P9 as the chambers are both tight.

    I suggest you get a Lee .356 size die and size them before loading or switch to another brand that might be more consistent.
     

    Pinecone

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Feb 4, 2013
    28,175
    I'm using Badman Bullets https://www.badmanbullets.com/OnlineStore/products.php?cat=9mm+147+Grain+FP+Polymer+Coated. Sized .356. 1.15" OAL. I used a case gauge so the rounds would fit in all of my competition 9mms. If I crimp tighter on the Dillon, I'll get ammunition where the bullet will jam in the lands. My pistols I'm using are a CZ Shadow 2, RIA double stack 1911, and an STI DVC 3-Gun. If it fits in the gauge, it's fine for all three. If it's meh, it jams in the CZ and STI. If it's"I need a hammer" I just take it apart and start over. But it's really annoying loading up 500 rounds and and finding 50 need extra attention or dismemberment.

    Huh?

    It sounds like you are loading the rounds long then. Increasing the crimp should not affect the bullet touching the lands.

    Now, too much crimping can bulge the case, causing issues.
     

    jimbobborg

    Oddball caliber fan
    Aug 2, 2010
    17,112
    Northern Virginia
    Huh?

    It sounds like you are loading the rounds long then. Increasing the crimp should not affect the bullet touching the lands.

    Now, too much crimping can bulge the case, causing issues.

    9mm headspaces on the case mouth. If I crimp too much the cartridge will go in too far.
     

    PowPow

    Where's the beef?
    Nov 22, 2012
    4,712
    Howard County
    Range pick up brass.

    Just curious. Did you happen to notice any particular make(s) of brass showing up in your problem pile more than others?

    I like John's suggestion. It doesn't hurt to run the PC'd bullets through a sizer before you load them. Lee makes a .356 kit that you can get for ~$25.
     

    jimbobborg

    Oddball caliber fan
    Aug 2, 2010
    17,112
    Northern Virginia
    Just curious. Did you happen to notice any particular make(s) of brass showing up in your problem pile more than others?

    I like John's suggestion. It doesn't hurt to run the PC'd bullets through a sizer before you load them. Lee makes a .356 kit that you can get for ~$25.

    I did look at the brass for brands and they're all different.

    And you'd think they'd resize after coating the bullets :sad20:. I'm trying to get around 1000 rounds a week but this is killing my speed. After dinking around with the bad rounds, it's taking an hour per 100. The only reason I'm sticking with these bullets is I'm using less powder per round of Titegroup. I may have to go with another bullet maker, just hoping there was an easy fix.
     

    Pinecone

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Feb 4, 2013
    28,175
    9mm headspaces on the case mouth. If I crimp too much the cartridge will go in too far.

    But it should not jam the round into the rifling. There is nothing pushing it in that far.

    And the extractor should prevent it from going that far also.

    And finally, 9mm is actually a tapered case, not truly straight walled. :D

    That said, you should only crimp enough to remove the flair.
     

    jimbobborg

    Oddball caliber fan
    Aug 2, 2010
    17,112
    Northern Virginia
    I finally broke down and bought a separate 9mm resizing die and got it yesterday. I pulled the decapping pin assembly and ran the oversized ammunition through the resizing die. Now they fit the case gauge. Testing some today.
     

    Magnumite

    Ultimate Member
    Dec 17, 2007
    6,561
    Harford County, Maryland
    I do that when reloading 7mm TCU and 223/5.56....just a little bump. Also had to do it with 45 ACP when I got a batch of .452” bullets. Normal cast bullet diameter but I found out the bullet maker had mixed them up with .454” bullets. I used the Lee FCD die to size them down until the bullet sizer I order arrived.
     

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