Hello all,
I just started reloading 9MM for target rounds. Shoot my first ten rounds today too see how i did. After picking up 9 of the ten casings (could not find the tenth one) I noticed that all of them had a flat side at the bell of the shell. Also there is a little blacking on the outer part of the casing. If you have any ideas of what I my be doing wrong please let me know

I have an idea that i need to reset my seating/crimping die for a tighter crimp, but would like to make sure.

Here is the load data i used:

Hornady 9mm 115 gr FMJ RN .355"
Blazer Casing
Alliant Powder BE-86 6.1 grains
CCI 500 Primer
OAL 1.111

Thanks

sounds like the blacking might be a bit of an underload. unless you are reloading aluminum cases. the flat spot was likely caused during ejection. and DO NOT crimp 9mm with the seating die. that die provides a roll crimp and the 9mm headspaces on the case mouth. you need a taper crimp die

As butch said a little leakage and ejection damage.

I actually don't crimp my 9mm at all. The case is tapered. I use a carbide sizer that makes it straight. So it will hold the bullet plenty tight. I bell the mouth the minimum I can get away with and still start the bullet. Then set my seater to just eliminate the bell. Plenty to headspace against and the bullet isn't going anywhere.

No real issues. A little gas leakage is common and causes the blackening. The flat is from ejection from your gun.

If you are using any brand name set of dies it is almost certain that the 9mm seater is also a taper crimp die

Keep shooting. You have no problem. As stated, do not crimp an auto pistol cartridge; just make the bell go back straight. Even taper crimps are not needed 99% of the time; if your expander plug is the right size; here is a test; try to push a bullet into the case whilst grabbing the head and pushing against a piece of wood. If you can't push it in, it is good. If you can, you need a smaller expander plug and you can polish those yourself.

By the bell of the case, do you mean the case mouth? This happens usually during case ejection. Does no damage.
As stated, soot on the case exterior almost always means pressure was too low to expand case to seal the bore. Not an issue.
Not an insult, but from the number of times there two questions are asked, don't manuals cover this any more?

I mean the bell after you expand the mouth for your bullet to go into smoothly; it will be very slight.
Manuals don't cover this because it is not a problem that needs addressing.

Sorry, but I am still confused.
So, the "bell of the case" means the case mouth flare, which was removed when you crimped—or are you saying you didn't crimp the cases to remove the flare? If the cases still had some slight case mouth flare, then the pressure of case expansion during firing would have "removed/flattened" the slight remaining flare.
And, what is "not a problem that needs addressing?" From my reading, I thought that was one of your questions/concerns?
Manuals used to show examples of case dings from hitting the frame during ejection or bouncing on the ground with notes not to worry, so wondered if they don't any more.
I know they seem to have eliminated all talk about case expansion (and only talk about case mouth flare) and no longer cover determining the "proper" COL for a given gun—and only seem to now tell you to blindly use the COL they call out.

When we talk abut the mouth and bell it is simply belling the mouth of the case outward to make it easier to lip the base of the bullet into the case. Like a funnel. Then setting the seating die just deep enough to remove the bell and return the case walls to straight.

OAL for a pistol is not normally critical for accuracy. The OAL is critical for pressure. if a powder charge is designed for a certain OAL and you shorten the oal you can increase your pressure to a dangerous level.

Case mouth damage on auto pistol still happens. Why they left it out of new manuals I have no clue.

You want to remove the case mouth flare "bell" because it might affect feeding and chambering. If it doesn't in your pistol, then you don't have to remove it, as it will become straight when you fire it, as you said. What you do not want to do is crimp the case mouth into the bullet; the case needs a flat mouth to seat into the chamber.

Always amazed how the 9mm brass can disappear. I seldom get it all back after shooting.

I think 9mm brass wanders on its own. No matter how hard I try I leave without some of mine and with someone else's.

quote:

Originally posted by ramrod340:
I think 9mm brass wanders on its own. No matter how hard I try I leave without some of mine and with someone else's.

Mine tend to mate with .40SW and then scoot off downrange.

Somewhere there is a crap load of single socks and missing brass. They have to go to the same place.

A taper crimp does NOT crimp the case into the bullet; a roll crimp does that. A taper crimp merely exerts even pressure around the mouth of the case but does not turn the edge of the brass inward. A slight taper crimp for the 9mm Luger cartridge is fine.

Just anted to say Thanks to all of you for the great info. After shooting a 100 rounds everything is looking good. Thanks again for the help and the info