9mm reloads look funny

[jmccracken1214]

Factory ammo doesn’t seem to have this curve on the brass, around the base of the bullet, like the brass is hugging it awfully tight. Why is this? Loaded on Dillon 550.

they shoot fine and accurate, just curious what causes this

 

[Charlie]

It is hugging it real tight. It looks fine to me.

 

[Reagan98]

Mine look very similar too. I load coated and lead bullets in 9mm. All on a SDB and they shoot fine. Just my .02's.

 

[DRFury]

‘cause we load ‘em tighter than factory.
Mine look the same too on a Lee press.

 

[Trevillian]

I presume I'm always doing it wrong....

But my 9mm reloads always seem to have that look. I know 9mm has a weird bit of taper.

Yet all of my reloads function, fire and eject as they should. But it's always bothered me as the cases look exactly like that.

 

[Get Off My Lawn]

What dies are you using? I've a set of Lee carbines that do the same thing to 44mag, and the brass splits.

 

[jjwestbrook]

Yeah in reloads its normal. As long as they case gauge or pass the plunk test its nothing to be concerned about. The heavier the bullet to more noticeable it is. 147s really look weird

 

[Desolo]

Its "coke bottled"! Alot of Lee Dies do it, and its normal as long as it "plunk" tests ok, or gauges correctly.


I remember freaking out a little when I first saw it in my 10mm reloads

 

[BowWow]

9mm has a tapered case, thats what they look like after reloading.

 

[Catfish]

A slight hourglass shape is normal. Your crimp looks heavy though - back that off a hair. You don't want any visible deformation of the brass at the mouth.

 

[McDirkale]

9mm cases are wider at the bottom and taper ..made that way.

 

[georgel]

You're using the female fitted dies. Switch to straight or regular cut dies for men.

 

[Coltdefender1911]

A slight hourglass shape is normal. Your crimp looks heavy though - back that off a hair. You don't want any visible deformation of the brass at the mouth.

That’s what I was looking at. Crimp looked a lil heavy to me also.

 

[Toprudder]

That is an artifact of sizing with a sizing die that has a carbide ring at the bottom. Basically, the 9mm case spec is tapered, but the sizing ring sizes one size all the way down. Most 9mm cases also have a tapered wall thickness, and when you seat a bullet, the base of the bullet pushes the lower and thicker wall out, giving it a coke-bottle effect (for those that are old enough to remember the classic Coke bottle shape).

If you absolutely want to make 9mm ammo that looks like factory ammo, then you will need to get a steel sizing die that has the proper taper profile, and use lube to size. I suspect there may also be full-length carbide dies (probably what the factory brass is made with).