Home Forums Reloading Handgun Reloading reloading 9mm?

If you're shooting a match, sort brass, if not just load and shoot. Yes I've experienced notable differences in various brass, but haven't seen an issue with function and reasonable accuracy for my uses.

If you're relying on pressure on the handle, then yes, it's you, and you did not adjust the die properly. Also, sort out the 9x18 brass, that might help.

More than likely due to different brass thickness and length. Not really a big deal for plinking loads.
As others have stated, if its is for a match or self defense load you should sort brass.

When I bell the case mouths I adjust the die to bell the amount I want with a full stroke of the ram. Different brands and even lots in the same brand can have different case wall thickness and case length which can affect the amount the mouth is belled.

Thank you, gentlemen! I thought perhaps it was due to difference cases wall thickness and case length. I'll be more careful with my die adjustment as well as use my case length gauge to check the brass. Didn't think I'd need to trim 9mm. It wasn't a problem with my 45acp brass, only sorting small primer from large primer in them. Definitely a learning process with the 9mm.

You don't. Just set the die correctly at full stroke of the ram instead of going by feel. You don't need a case length gauge either, just sort out the .380 and Makarov (9x18) brass.

Loading 9mm isn't any harder than loading .45 ACP and there shouldn't be that much of a learning process if you're already doing .45 correctly; don't let all the advice make it seem more complicated than it really is. Most everything said here would apply to .45 as well.

The only problem I've had with 9mm is the seating die stem on my dillon seater isn't friendly with the nose profile of the Lee 120 gr tc bullet. So the bullets often seat crooked and bulge the case which results in ammo not chambering. Other than that, the basics are the same as the 45 acp.

Why in the world does anyone buy once-fired 9mm brass? The stuff is common as dandelions and houseflys around here. Go anywhere people shoot, and it's all over the place. All I've ever used, and I've never seen a "Glocked" 9mm case (plenty of .40's though), and I haven't had accuracy problems. I usually load Ranier plated bullets, and still can load for significantly cheaper than any I can buy.

+1 on the Lee factory crimp die.

I never sort 9mm brass except for my carry gun & I've never trimmed a 9mm case in over 50 years, who would do that! When I'm teaching a class I show everyone how to use a case gauge but I also show them how to use their barrel in case someone doesn't want to spend a few bucks on a gauge.
Dick

Please give yourself a break or two. It is not hard to load mixed brass although you will have a few belled to much and some with less than optimum case tension (different from crimp tension) because of differences in case thickness of some domestic brass compared to European brass. So what, just set them aside and go back to loading (even if you don't catch the problem until the bullet is seated. It won't be to much of a problem when you get several hundred loaded to take the few rejects and examine for repeat problems if you even have enough to worry about.

Mike_kerr, Thank you for your helpful feedback. Yes, I probably needed to take a break. I was also processing LC 5.56 military brass along with my mixed headstamp 9mm. The LC 5.56 military brass still had crimped primers and I had broken my decapping pin which was very frustrating so had switch to my 9mm brass while await a new decapping pin from RCBS.

Compound this with some of my 9mm also having berdan primers as well as crimped primers also cause decapping pin problems for even more frustration. Surprisingly, Lee's replacement decapping pin was much longer than what was in the original die set. Once I set it up, the resizing/decapping die has worked fantastically. That was why I was wondering if perhaps I got a bad set of dies from Lee?


Apparently I did not do a good job with my RCBS swagger as I didn't remove the crimp from the brass. I just discarded to save me aggravation and time. Fortunately, both cartridge has cheap once fired brass.

Reason for buying once fired 9mm brass is because I've only shot/have 45acp brass. Most ranges frown upon you picking up other shooters brass as they like to salvage the brass for themselves. Either to sell back to reloaders or for sell for salvage. I'm sure sell to vendors who process it and re-sell it back to customers.


Chalk it up as learning curve/experience.

I find after swaging the primer pocket on the RCBS die that cutting a small chamfer with a deburring tool makes it much easier to seat primers.

A deburring tool is what I use for crimped primer pockets too, no swaging necessary. I use an L.E. Wilson case deburring tool, it seems to work a bit better for primer pockets than my lathe/mill deburring tools.

Leomort - just something to watch out for on that 5.56 brass: crimped primer pockets don't break decapping pins, but Berdan primed brass can. Make sure to check them. If you broke a pin, chances are it was from a berdan primed piece of brass in the mix; where there's one there may be more.

Never sort just load and shoot. I do taper crimp all as it seems to help consistency all the way around.

It is possible to break a decapping pin with a swaged primer, BTDT. Some primers are swaged in so well they will not come out, and if there is no give in your depriming stem you will break it. Rare, but can happen.

When dealing with crimped primers I recommend a 10 pack of decapping pins

Swaged, or corroded? Not the same thing. I've been loading over 1K rounds per month of 9mm alone using old range pickup, and have yet to find one swaged in so hard that it'll break a decapping pin or refuse to come out. It's common to find some that are corroded in place, but even then the face of the primer comes out without breaking the pin.
YMMV of course.

Dunno, I couldn't get the primer out so the case got binned. If i have it happen again I'll take a pick. Don't recall the headstamp, but man those primers did not want to come out!

I had similar experience as 458Lott on with some of my 5.56brass. I broke my decapping pin twice on the 5.56, both times it wasn't LC but some markings/stamp I did not recognize. Perhaps foreign military brass? I've learned to go slowly when reszing/depriming. Also look at the headstamp, too! If it doesn't have headstamp I recognize such as LC, TAA, etc. I'm extremely cautious when depriming.

The RCBS swagger I have is the free standing one with ram-rod style. I think I did not have it set up properly despite watching youtube videos.


With regards to the 9mm, I quickly learn about berdan primer pockets. The lee resizing/depriming die had a decapping pin way too short. When encounter crimped primer pocket, it push the decapping pin back up into the tie causing it too be too short to deprime remaining pieces of brass. Biggest issue now, it my flaring die. The issue it probably me, not setting it up properly. Fortunately, 9mm brass is cheap enough to make mistakes

Thank you all the feedback! This newbie handloader greatly appreciates your help!

when getting primers out, i found the lee universal decapping die works pretty good. I have used it on a bunch of 30.06 crimped primer milsurp. I only broke a pin once, and lee replaced it.

The odd headstamps you don't recognize are likely to be Berdan primed; that's what I was trying to point out above. Sure, it's harder to see into a .223 case, but it's worth looking.