[emt1581]

I was at my barber's shop the other day and while in the chair we got to talking about reloading. He's been doing it for years. Even gave me some of his old molds.

Anyways, I told him that I was really having a hard time reloading .45acp. I said that the reloaded rounds will drop into and out of the barrel just fine, but when the slide slams shut it becomes stuck shut and is very hard to get open.

He asked about sizing the bullet, sizing the shell, etc. Then he asked if the shells used to reload were previously fired in a Glock. I said I knew some were but had no clue since all the shells got mixed together.

He said that due to Glock's open breech or unsupported chamber or something like that....that the Glock screws up the rear end of the shell (not the rim but the rear of the cavity).

Is any of what he said true? Is there anything special I can do to make such shells reloadable? Once de-primed is there any way to tell a dammaged case prior to reloading it?

Thanks!

-Emt1581

[bno762]

Stop right there and do not load that brass.....

Send it to me and I'll dispose of it for you.

[DEADLYACCURATE]

Originally Posted by bno762

Stop right there and do not load that brass.....

Send it to me and I'll dispose of it for you.

This ^^^ pretty much says if you resize the case it should be fine. Or at least thats what I do and haven't died yet.


BTW it is more of an issue in higher pressures casings like .40, but in .45 it isn't as bad.

[frankmako]

make sure your resizing die is run all the way down where it get as much of the case as it can. then make sure you don't have the bullet seat to long. i reload 45 acp, 40 s&w and 9mm for my glocks. i reuse the brass over and over with no problems.

[decibels5]

no problems here. just thoroughly inspect all of your cases.

[DustyDawg48]

I haven't shot a single round of factory ammo through my G21. I've had a ton of original factory brass shot through my 1911 to range pick-ups and after resizing I've had no issues whatsoever.

[ilgunguygt]

Sounds like you are jamming bullets into the rifling.

ETA: or not crimping enough.

[srd]

I agree that either the sizing die isnt adjusted properly or the bullet seating isnt deep enough. No problems with my Colt or Glock. The spent brass has never been seperated and always put into the same range bag for reloading.

[mteagle1]

Anyways, I told him that I was really having a hard time reloading .45acp. I said that the reloaded rounds will drop into and out of the barrel just fine, but when the slide slams shut it becomes stuck shut and is very hard to get open.


Sounds like the cases are not being resized enough to hold the bullet. You will hear different opinions as to whether the bullet is retained by case tension or a crimp. I know that it is possible to change accuracy by how much crimp is used, been there done that. Since I started shooting a revolver I have used an undersized Lee resize die and a factory crimp die and I have never had a bullet move in the chamber.

[jaybirdjtt]

You hear all kinds of weird things about Glocks from people who don't own them or have never shot them. No problems with either the 9mm or 45 ACP and I don't sort my brass. I do full length resize them and then run a few rounds of reloaded ammo through the chamber before I get too far along in the process just to make sure they cycle. Plus every 100 rds I'll cycle a few through again. Easier to be sure at home than at the range. Plus I just like playing with guns.

[Firecop203]

Get yourself a case sizing gauge and check your rounds after you load them. If they don't pass, pull them and start over.

[n2extrm]

This sounds like you are too long or have a problem with the bullet profile. I would get a case gauge and check your setup make sure your seating die is adjusted properly. What bullet are you loading? if you can't get a case gauge I would try a dummy round seated a bit deeper and see if it chambers and extracts. .45 acp is not noted for weakening or stretching the case. .40 is aleged to, but i don't have any first hand experience with 40.

[emt1581]

Originally Posted by Firecop203

Get yourself a case sizing gauge and check your rounds after you load them. If they don't pass, pull them and start over.

He said the same thing. I guess I can spare $13

Thanks!

-Emt1581

[wavetrain75]

Hope his haircuts are better than his reloading advice.

Actually inspecting your cases is good advice regardless of what they were shot out of. But I do know someone who has cases that have been through his Glock 30 ten or more times without a problem.

[norton]

Originally Posted by emt1581

I was at my barber's shop the other day and while in the chair we got to talking about reloading. He's been doing it for years. Even gave me some of his old molds.

Anyways, I told him that I was really having a hard time reloading .45acp. I said that the reloaded rounds will drop into and out of the barrel just fine, but when the slide slams shut it becomes stuck shut and is very hard to get open.

He asked about sizing the bullet, sizing the shell, etc. Then he asked if the shells used to reload were previously fired in a Glock. I said I knew some were but had no clue since all the shells got mixed together.

He said that due to Glock's open breech or unsupported chamber or something like that....that the Glock screws up the rear end of the shell (not the rim but the rear of the cavity).

Is any of what he said true? Is there anything special I can do to make such shells reloadable? Once de-primed is there any way to tell a dammaged case prior to reloading it?

Thanks!

-Emt1581

I have shot thousands of reloaded .45ACP through my Glock 21. My suggestion would be are you checking for overall length? Just use a good reloading manual for spec's and you should be ok. It does seem to help if I separate by cases by brand, then set my dies to the proper OAL, loading the same brand of case.

[DustyDawg48]

FWIW, I reload all types of brass. I'm about to make a switch to 200 grain FMJ so I'll have a bit of work but my current round is 230 g with a COAL of 1.265" and I have had zero issues from my 21 or my 1911.

[oldsoldier]

Use your barrel as a case gauge. Pull the barrel from the gun. Drop your reloads in the chamber. Do they drop all the way in? Are they flush or just slightly shorter than the end of the chamber? If so they should be okay. If not then your OAL may be too long. Do not seat the bullets shorter than necessary as you may not get good solid hits on the primers. Also try dropping in a resized case without the bullet, primer, etc. Just the case. Fit the chamber okay? I have over 6K rds of reloads through my G30SF with zero problems. I use the same brass in my XDs, M&Ps, 1911s, and Glocks.

[dudel]

Originally Posted by oldsoldier

Do not seat the bullets shorter than necessary as you may not get good solid hits on the primers.

Won't matter on 45acp as it headspaces on the casemouth.

Only way you won't get good primer hits (case related) with 45acp is if the case is too short (or the primer is not fully seated). On a 45, you can get weak primer hits for a number of other reasons not round related.

Same with 9mm or any other round that headspaces on the case mouth.

On these rounds, you don't want to seat the projectiles short due to higher pressure spikes; not primer hits.

Don

[trainbrainmike]

Originally Posted by oldsoldier

Use your barrel as a case gauge. Pull the barrel from the gun. Drop your reloads in the chamber. Do they drop all the way in? Are they flush or just slightly shorter than the end of the chamber? If so they should be okay. If not then your OAL may be too long. Do not seat the bullets shorter than necessary as you may not get good solid hits on the primers. Also try dropping in a resized case without the bullet, primer, etc. Just the case. Fit the chamber okay? I have over 6K rds of reloads through my G30SF with zero problems. I use the same brass in my XDs, M&Ps, 1911s, and Glocks.

I agree exactly, and this is also the way I do it. If I have a doubt about any measurement, I use a factory NEW round as a guide, then measure for any reload I have questions about.

[whitey4311]

I think the guy is speaking of the case bulge but regardless of caliber if you are getting bulges you are way too hot in your charge. None of my 45 brass from my 21sf with stock barrel is bulged and I reload it until it splits or gets lost. Perhaps 40cal may take less times of being reused but I only reload 45acp so no concern to me.

[vtbluegrass]

When I first started reloading 45 it was also the first time I used lead instead of FMJ or copper washed bullets. I had a similar issue with my XD and after some thinking and trial and error I figured out I wasn't expanding my cases enough causing a lot of bullet run-out to the extent of affecting headspacing.

[MSgt Dotson]

Originally Posted by emt1581

Anyways, I told him that I was really having a hard time reloading .45acp. I said that the reloaded rounds will drop into and out of the barrel just fine, but when the slide slams shut it becomes stuck shut and is very hard to get open.

I've reloaded ammo for my GLock 21, reusing it's brass 10-20 times.....

As for the rounds being hard to extract, you might want to check for sufficicient resizing, correct diameter of bullets (.451-.4515"), and, post bell removal/crimp, ensure these bullets cant be pushed further into the case buy testing them via finger/hand-pressure against a hard desktop surface or floor. etc...

What bullets are you using? (Plated bullets can be problematic getting sufficient case tension with some even slightly oversize resizing dies..)

WHat is your post crimp measurement across the case mouth? (.4705-.471" is about ideal...)

You should NOT be able to push the bullets further into the case by hand pressure!!! IF they do, it will bulge the case further down, effectively wedging the expsnaded case into the chamber...

[emt1581]

Originally Posted by MSgt Dotson

I've reloaded ammo for my GLock 21, reusing it's brass 10-20 times.....

As for the rounds being hard to extract, you might want to check for sufficicient resizing, correct diameter of bullets (.451-.4515"), and, post bell removal/crimp, ensure these bullets cant be pushed further into the case buy testing them via finger/hand-pressure against a hard desktop surface or floor. etc...

What bullets are you using? (Plated bullets can be problematic getting sufficient case tension with some even slightly oversize resizing dies..)

WHat is your post crimp measurement across the case mouth? (.4705-.471" is about ideal...)

You should NOT be able to push the bullets further into the case by hand pressure!!! IF they do, it will bulge the case further down, effectively wedging the expsnaded case into the chamber...

I'm using 230gr. LRN that are lubed/sized to .452.

I'll have to get back to you on the case mouth size.


Thanks!

-Emt1581

[G36_Me]

you can reload the brass. best thing to do is get a reloading buddy to check out how your dies are set up. You probably need a minor adjustment to the dies in your reloading process. PM me if you want to talk directly.

[emt1581]

Originally Posted by G36_Me

you can reload the brass. best thing to do is get a reloading buddy to check out how your dies are set up. You probably need a minor adjustment to the dies in your reloading process. PM me if you want to talk directly.

I'm thinking of doing that.

Thanks!

-Emt1581