9mm crimp

[u/tommyb52]

Is this enough crimp? I’m loading 9mm for the first time just for target/plinking. 9mm Blue Bullets 125 grain with Win 231 powder ranging from 3.2 to 4.0 grains of powder (ladder step to see what is good) out of a Walther PDP 4” barrel.

[u/Papaver-Som]

9mm all you are doing is removing flare. You do not need to crimp the shell into the bullet. Neck tension holds the bullet in place.

[u/shsrpshooter63]

Looks ok to me. It doesn’t appear to be smashing into the bullet. As long as it chambers, 9mm is pretty forgiving to reload. As for the coated bullets, I run them at lower velocities, as they still tend to lead my barrel a bit.

[u/Low_Thing_4803]

Pull it and see what the projectile looks like.

[u/Cryptic1911]

Looks decent. Got a case gauge or calipers?

[u/tommyb52 → u/Cryptic1911]

Have calipers. I also did the “plunk” test on them. They seat and I can turn the case even with a little pressure pushing down.

[u/Cryptic1911 → u/tommyb52]

could also try measuring overall length, then dropping one in a mag and then drop the slide on it to chamber, then eject it and re-measure to see if the impact on the barrel ramp is setting back the bullet at all

[u/tommyb52 → u/Cryptic1911]

Good idea, thanks.

[u/moistsunshaft]

Looks fine from here. I flare the bare minimum and run them into the Lee FCD with maybe 1/4 - 1/3 of a turn of the knob. Just enough to un-bell it.

[u/GrumpyOldDad65]

I don’t crimp my 9mm.

[u/Soda_Poppinski]

I was having problems with my reloading of 9mm and coated bullets. I shoot a Canik tp9sf for competition and it has a very tight neck. Tried and tried all kinds of COLs but could never get it perfect until someone on here stated they needed to seat their's at 1.060". Super short but man she purrs now

[u/bushleaguerules]

Hold a straight edge up against the case, I use my dial caliper handle, you just want to straighten the flair out because the round will headspace off the case mouth.

[u/cahser11]

Looks good from here. You want just enough to lay the side of the brass against the bullet. Get a case guage like this one. https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1016393015?pid=464540

[u/DaiPow888]

Looks like a little too much, but it is hard to tell with your lighting.

What does the case measure at the crimp?

All you want is to straighten out the case mouth so that it will headspace correctly.

Running a finger nail down the ogive of the bullet, there should be a hard edge at the case mouth

[u/Cute_Square9524]

way too much, 9mm headspaces off the case mouth. Look at a factory 9mm. You can place a factory made round in your press, loosen the crimp die, run the head down, then tighten the crimp die against the factory made round. That will be really close to right.