Lee Loader

Hello all. New here today. I have a question regarding 115g rnl reloading. I have been reloading with a Lee Pro 1000 for 20+ years. I mainly shot my 9mm reloads out of a Baretta 92 or a Sig 226. I recently purchased a Springfield XD Model 2. My rnl reloads fail to go completely into battery. If I pull out the barrel and drop one in it is about 1/16” from seating flush. I have checked and re-checked everything with my dial calipers. Am I missing something or is the XD just a picky eater? By the way,115g fmj reloads are just fine. Any ideas?

are your reloads length within saami spec? Just curious is all I am not expert on this just first thought I had. What are your specs.? I know lots of lead rounds I shoot in my 357 the bullet is longer and in some cases it has gotten in my way of function.

Thanks for replying. Yes, they are within spec. I have even shortened them up quite a bit with no better result. I can run a case through the process, leave out the bullet, and the case seats in the barrel fine so it’s not a case sizing issue. I’m wondering if I should try a bullet sizer.

my first question is .... what is your component bullet's diameter

second question ... are you closing the loaded round case mouth with a crimp die?

Unless your XD barrel is out of spec or there's a re-loading issue, I can't think of anything else ... especially with 115 gr bullets ....

jd

I had the same issue with my M&P9. My cast TL 356-124 were slightly oversize and bulging the cases just enough to prevent them from fully chambering. The cause was I had polished the mold and this was enough to make the casts that much bigger. I had several hundred cast that I then ran through the Lee .356 sizer and the sized bullets chambered without issue.

Could be not enough throat for the ogive of that particular bullet. My nines are a Browning Hi Power a Star StartFire and a Sig P938. Fortunately they all agree on loads and the bullets that I use.

Make smoke,

Ohio3Wheels wrote:Could be not enough throat for the ogive of that particular bullet.

That's a real possibility. Over the years, I have had
to touch several 45ACP tubes with a throating
reamer. Some just a touch, some a bunch.
All the problem s were with round ball.
Different profile bullet & things were fine???
Good luck & keep us posted..

Fredxdm wrote: I can run a case through the process, leave out the bullet, and the case seats in the barrel fine so it’s not a case sizing issue.

Here is the problem. The assumption is the case doesn't change diameter when the bullet is seated but that usually is not the case. Aside from changing bullet design, the easiest solution to me is a FCD as suggested above.

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In that the FMJs are fine, and the issue is with the RNL (Round Nose Lead) bullets, I suspect it is as others have mentioned, either or both:

• Ogvie to step contact
• A slight case "buckling" from an over-diameter bullet

With a clean bullet nose, what markings are made to the lead if you release the slide to chamber the cartridge from the magazine? If it is a step ring or rifling lands, you would need to reduce the COAL by the measured length between the case mouth and marks. Reducing the COAL will increase the cartridge's pressure so if these are not starting loads you will need to make some kind of a reduction.

You did not mention the listed and actual diameter of the bullets. If the case mouth flare is not enough, the bullet can bulge the case during seating as another poster suggested. The Powder through Expander die has one die rotation worth of adjustment. Normally it is turned in to shell holder/plate contact and then back out one turn for SAAMI spec bullets. In the case of the 9mm Luger, the spec is a .3555" bullet. I shoot cast bullets exclusively, 25 through 45 Auto, all over SAAMI spec diameter. What I've found, through experience is that the PTE Die setup requires a quarter turn back to the shell plate for every .001" the bullet is over diameter. In other words, for an adequate flare that won't bulge the case during bullet seating, a bullet that is .002" over diameter would need the PTED one-half turn off the shell plate. If you are using the Lee Bullet Seating Die and it is adjusted correctly, 3 turns off shell plate contact, it will remove the case mouth flare.

I'm a believer in the Carbide Factory Crimp Die and the Bulge Buster, the 9mm Luger requires the use of a 9mm Makarov Carbide Factory Crimp Die body. Unsupported chamber or not, cases take a beating from repetitive use, especially the 9mm Luger because it is a high-pressure cartridge.

Thanks for all of the info. The container the bullets came in don’t list a diameter. It just says 9mm 115gr 500 count. I will check a few with calipers.