I made up some light shooting "mouse fart" loads for steel matches, and I love them. Very soft shooters and quick target re-acquisition. Good stuff.
I am using 9mm cases, but the bullet is a 100gr .380 plated bullet from Xtreme. They measure .355 diameter, and shoot really well.
Load Data (use at your own risk):
Cases: Mixed
Primer: CCI 500
Powder: 4.3 gr. HP-38
Bullet: Xtreme 100gr plated .380
Avg. Velocity: 1,060 fps
Power Factor: 104-106
Most of the rounds have fired fine, and I really love them. The problem is that I have seen 4 bullets (out of a 250 round batch) come free of the case (opposite of setback?). Two of these in the gun, and two when loading or unloading the mag. The powder spills everywhere, and is a mess and a hazard when in the gun.
I thought about re-crimping, but the crimp (especially with plated bullets) is to remove the flare and not to hold the bullet. I use a Lee FCD set with a very light crimp.
All cases are sized through a Redding Competition Carbide Sizing die.
I see no pattern as to the type of case with the issue. (2 = WIN, 1 = Fed, 1= Rem)
One thought was that the flare might have been too aggressive, so I have backed that off a bit for my other 9mm rounds, but have not made any more of the mouse farts since adjusting that die.
What other issues should I be considering? I though about maybe measuring a bullet before loading, then run it through the press, pull the bullet and re-measure to see if I am compressing or crimping the bullet too much.
Thanks in advance for any suggestions.
I am using 9mm cases, but the bullet is a 100gr .380 plated bullet from Xtreme. They measure .355 diameter, and shoot really well.
Load Data (use at your own risk):
Cases: Mixed
Primer: CCI 500
Powder: 4.3 gr. HP-38
Bullet: Xtreme 100gr plated .380
Avg. Velocity: 1,060 fps
Power Factor: 104-106
Most of the rounds have fired fine, and I really love them. The problem is that I have seen 4 bullets (out of a 250 round batch) come free of the case (opposite of setback?). Two of these in the gun, and two when loading or unloading the mag. The powder spills everywhere, and is a mess and a hazard when in the gun.
I thought about re-crimping, but the crimp (especially with plated bullets) is to remove the flare and not to hold the bullet. I use a Lee FCD set with a very light crimp.
All cases are sized through a Redding Competition Carbide Sizing die.
I see no pattern as to the type of case with the issue. (2 = WIN, 1 = Fed, 1= Rem)
One thought was that the flare might have been too aggressive, so I have backed that off a bit for my other 9mm rounds, but have not made any more of the mouse farts since adjusting that die.
What other issues should I be considering? I though about maybe measuring a bullet before loading, then run it through the press, pull the bullet and re-measure to see if I am compressing or crimping the bullet too much.
Thanks in advance for any suggestions.