[todd51]

Some of the Old Guys shoot Glock 19's (Yea I have been known to do that too) so when I pick up the brass and bring it home to reload some will be out of a Glock. Most is out of one S&W or another but it is those from the Glocks that brings my question. If I see it before I load it I toss it but most of the time it doesn't show up until I run the completed cartridge through the Lee FCD. If I didn't use the FCD I probably wouldn't notice any thing. Finished cartridges whether run through the FCD or not feed and chamber fine. My question is about safety. Should I fire these or disassemble saving the primer and bullet and toss the brass? The rim you see in the photo looks worse than it is. Factory specs call for a case diameter .200 from case head of .391. I am measuring .388-.389 at that point. Above the visible edge that causes my concern I am measuring .386-.387. These are basically the same measurements I get from a new unfired Winchester case. My normal reload for this brass is 4.2grs. HP-38 behind a 124gr. Winchester or Remington FMJ. What are you thoughts other than toss the Glock ?

 

[jack404]

Todd

i hate "iffy" guns , if you have to make such great changes to your reloading as to vary the case beyond spec's , the issue aint the ammo ...

while its in spec , ok , but as soon as its beyond that or theres too much malformation of the case , stop

seen too many blow to have that happen to a forum member and one who gives such great range reports too!

stay safe eh

 

[312shooter]

I do not load bulged brass until it is debulged. Running them through a LFCD is fine, they are back to correct tolerances, BUT to what extent was the brass compromised to force them back. These are the type of casings that fail and damage firearms and the shooter.

 

[76Highboy]

Todd, I had the same question the other day. I have been reloading about 1500 rounds of brass that has only been fired through my SpringfieldXD and my 1911, so I feel safe about that. However, I am going to try and get some rabbit hunting in in November and I don't want to lose my primo brass so I have been collecting once fired brass. This once fired brass is what I will hunt with that way if I lose it in the brush I am at no bog loss. After all it is free. But this leaves me in the same situation as you. The Glock brass does have a square formation on the primer so I know when I have it. From what I see the brass looks and measures top notch. Because it measures out good and because I am loading for relatively low velocities I am not too worried about a failure. The pressure that comes from the 45 auto is low so IMO the possibility of having a failure is close to none.

I have not begun reloading these yet am am curious to what others have to say about it. Getting hurt is not worth it. I might keep saving the Glock ammo and eventually sell it off at a gun show or trade it for some 41mag or 45 colt.

Also, I would not mind having a Glock. They would make a great paper weight.

 

[graehaven]

There's a member here who reloads for his Glock all the time. I don't recall who it is though. But, he'd be a good resource to ask. Anyone know who it is?

 

[norahc]

I reload for all of my Glocks except 10mm (just haven't gotten around to it yet), but I'm by no means an expert or the member you're looking for.

I've seen the same thing on my brass, and have never had an issue with it. Granted, my loads are not hot loads.

 

[todd51]

OK, I have gone through about 2000 already loaded rounds and found about 200 that show this line. I have set them aside and am now going through a 1000 fired cases that have been deprimed and sized. None of them show the line till I put them through the Lee Factory Crimp Die and if they were from a Glock the line shows up. I will toss all the empty or loaded brass that shows the line, no problem. But am I making a problem where one doesn't exist? If I didn't use the Lee FDC I would not recognize a problem even exits.

I can recognize the fired rounds that came from one of the fellow's Glocks by the unique imprint on the fired primer a Glock makes so in the future I will just toss them and eliminate this situation in the future.

Can't shake the feeling I am making a problem where one doesn't exit. But for the cost of a little loaded ammo or fired brass so be it. I sure don't want a Kaboom.

 

[76Highboy]

I am not seeing the line you are talking about.

 

[todd51]

Maybe this will demonstrate my concern better. Both of these cases were fired through one of my friends Glock 19 Gen 3. They are both Blazer Brass cases. The one on the left has been run through my RCBS carbide sizing die. The one on the right has been through the RCBS carbide sizing die and then through the Lee Factory Crimp Die. This is for demonstration purpose only as normally the FCD is the last stage performed on a completed reload.

 

[norahc]

Maybe this will demonstrate my concern better. Both of these cases were fired through one of my friends Glock 19 Gen 3. They are both Blazer Brass cases. The one on the left has been run through my RCBS carbide sizing die. The one on the right has been through the RCBS carbide sizing die and then through the Lee Factory Crimp Die. This is for demonstration purpose only as normally the FCD is the last stage performed on a completed reload.

What's the overall case length on each casing? Looking at that picture, the RCBS is longer than the one that has gone through the factory crimp die.

 

[todd51]

norahc, I have no idea on overall case length. They are both once fired Blazer Brass cases. I don't check OCL on my taper crimped pistol rounds as it has no bearing to the reloading process. I made no attempt to align those two cases.

 

[norahc]

The reason I asked is that I'd be worried about exceeding the OAL of the cartridge.

 

[CCHolderinMaine]

Todd, I had the same question the other day. I have been reloading about 1500 rounds of brass that has only been fired through my SpringfieldXD and my 1911, so I feel safe about that. However, I am going to try and get some rabbit hunting in in November and I don't want to lose my primo brass so I have been collecting once fired brass. This once fired brass is what I will hunt with that way if I lose it in the brush I am at no bog loss. After all it is free. But this leaves me in the same situation as you. The Glock brass does have a square formation on the primer so I know when I have it. From what I see the brass looks and measures top notch. Because it measures out good and because I am loading for relatively low velocities I am not too worried about a failure. The pressure that comes from the 45 auto is low so IMO the possibility of having a failure is close to none.

I have not begun reloading these yet am am curious to what others have to say about it. Getting hurt is not worth it. I might keep saving the Glock ammo and eventually sell it off at a gun show or trade it for some 41mag or 45 colt.

Also, I would not mind having a Glock. They would make a great paper weight.

Well, Glocks are plastic, thus light, so not really so good for paperweights either...

 

[garydude]

Another option, aside from breaking them down, is to fire them in a revolver chambered for 9mm. You have one of those in your collection?

 

[todd51]

Good idea Gary. I don't have one but maybe one of my friends does. I am not looking forward to all that hammer time breaking them down. I have already probably fired around 50 of them through my M&P9 before I discovered what was going on. Nothing out of line about those that were fired but I am still just going to get rid of them and not load any more brass coming out of someone's Glock. Just not that much money involved and too many questions about safety. And who would want to hurt something this pretty

 

[RAJBCPA]

...buy a push-through sizing die....the Lee die instructions says you can push through loaded ammo, but I'm not sure that is a great idea.

Lee and Redding both make push through sizing dies for fixing bulged 40mm brass.

 

[312shooter]

...buy a push-through sizing die....the Lee die instructions says you can push through loaded ammo, but I'm not sure that is a great idea.

Lee and Redding both make push through sizing dies for fixing bulged 40mm brass.

+1 or simply diassemble the LFCD and push the casing through backward, debulges perfectly without purchasing an additional die...

 

[garydude]

I don't think Mr. Todd is having chambering issues. I think this is more of a concern to the structural integrity of the cases in question.
As I read it Todd already fired off about 50 of these rounds, and could likely fire them all off but he's concerned that the remaining cases could rupture. Kindly correct me if I am mistaken.

As another consideration (Mr. Todd) you could break one down, grab a dremmel or hacksaw and cut a case in half lengthwise and see if you notice anything amiss. I've done this on several rifle rounds to appease some worries.

 

[todd51]

You are right Gary. I'm taking Jack's and other's advice and have segregated all the cartridges and brass in question and will just dispose it. I try to be utterly cautious regarding safety with my reloading. I have only recently begun using the Lee Factory Crimp Die and this issue would not have come to light if I was not using it now. A completed reloaded round that was not run through the Lee FCD measures with in specs and doesn't show any abnormality. But when that completed reload (one that was originally fired in a Glock) is run through the FCD that is when this .001" line/edge shows up exposing the fact that the Glock fired round was expanded more than others.

The various "bulge buster" dies are not available for the 9mm because of it's tapered case. I don't think, as Jack points out, that I would be comfortable using them if it takes that much manipulation of the case to get it back into specs.

There are not that many Glocks fired at the range. It is just in the last month that some friends and classmates have been there with their Glocks that several of these cases got into the mix. Most 9mm at the range are S&W, Sig, and Ruger and none of them presents this problem. So from now on Glock fired brass goes in the salvage bin.

Yes I have fired about 50 of these in a S&W and a Ruger before I discovered the situation and there was no problem but I won't do that again. But I can't help but wonder what if they were fired again in the looser chamber of a Glock.

Thanks to all for the input.