Home Forums Reloading Handgun Reloading New Hellcat does not digest my reloads well

Took my new Hellcat 9mm to the range. I like it so far. It has a lot more felt recoil than my HK vp9 because it is much smaller and lighter. I shot mostly to the left of the bullseye but in a good group at 7 yards. I hear that is not unusual for folks learning to shoot a subcompact.

But this pistol doesnt care for my reloads that the HK handles well. It seems like the chamber is very tight. One in 10 or so stick after being fired and dont eject. Two out of 50 didnt chamber. I will go back with micrometers and see what the real demenional differences are and get it worked out.

If you have run into this before and have any ideas I`d love to hear them. Might save me some time and effort.

But so far i like the new gun! So i will pass on offers to take this lemon off my hands...but thanks ;^)

I’d bet that the bullet isn’t seated deal enough.
I have a couple Colt 1911’s that eat anything. Then when I bought a Ruger Commander years ago it would only feed about 1/2 of my reloads. The bullet wasn’t seated deal enough.
So now I make sure all my reloads chamber in the Ruger before mass loading.

I like to use a case gauge to check to see if ammo is within SAAMI spec. If you don't have one, at least pull the barrel out of the gun and do a "plunk" test with the loads in your barrel. You also could do a comparison by trying the same rounds in your HK barrel.

Also, have you chronographed the loads? If the loads are weak, your new gun may be too tight and/or highly sprung at present.

I hope you get it figured out and that it all works out for you.

I began my 9mm shooting and handloading with a couple Beretta 92s that would chamber anything and shoot it all very well. After that, a few other handguns and some carbines, and I had to recognize that some guns have tighter chambers and shorter throats. On one gun, I had the throat cut deeper so I could chamber a bunch of stuff I already had loaded.

Try the plunk test with various handloads in the Hellcat. You can even use a sharpie to figure out where the sticking is happening (if it is).

This Lee Factory crimp die made me a believer


https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1011209519?pid=557190

Like others have mentioned more than likely a short throat!

OP, what is your cartridge OAL and what bullet shape and grains are you using? I have not seen anything written about the Hellcat that suggests that it is short throated, unlike the situation with the earliest Gen 5 Glock 19s to hit the market.

Like Cheyenne said in his first post, get a C.O.L. gauge.

My gauge is the chamber of the gun for which the ammo is made. Does a loaded round "thunk" when dropped into the chamber, is the case head just below flush with the barrel hood, does the loaded round fall free when you turn the barrel over? Good to go.

Thanks of all the great input.

My reloads are not too long. 1.045 average and all have an OD of .375 at the shank of the bullet but grow to as much as .387 near the base. At the same location that factory ammo is .380 OD. Probably just need to take it down and set it up from scratch again.

I haven't used my 9 mm dies for a few years because ammo was so cheap. I assumed they would be good to go since they live in their own tools head. I should have been more careful.

I have salvaged some sticky reloads with a Lee Factory Crimp Die. Besides crimping, it also sizes the base of the cartridge case. The problem with my reloads was a sizing die on a progressive press that somehow had backed off a bit and was no longer in contact with the shellplate, leaving a slight bulge on the base of each case and causing chambering problems in one of my 9mm's. Rather than try to break down several hundred problem reloads, or having to pitch them, a $15.00 Lee Factory Crimp die solved the problem. I could see the difference when using a Wilson Case Gauge. Rounds that would not easily drop into the gauge before going into the crimp die plunked right in after using it.

Thanks, I think that must be what happened. I ordered Lee Factory Crimp Die.

I also ordered the Wilson Case Gage as it seems like a good investment AND my package from Powder Valley (8 lbs jug of CFE Pistol) just arrived. I am going to be busy for a while.

Whatever happened with this? Was it a gun problem or an ammo problem?

Definitely not a gun problem!

My reloading setup had some issues.

nut shell version... I hadn't reloaded 9 mm for years due it being so cheap. (remember that?)

So I just stuck the tool head on my turret press and started cranking out reloads again assuming they would be fine. Bad assumption. Tore it apart and put it all back together and am making better ammo again.
Also bought the Wilson gauge and factory crimp die to see if I can save some of the "out of spec" rounds.

Got a little careless. Should have know better.

Thanks for the update. I prefer an ammo problem to a gun problem. I've had my share of ammo gaffes, so you are not alone.