Bear with me: A "Glocked" brass question

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SavageMOA

New member
I know this has been covered time and time again, but I have a fairly simple question.

I want to reload a bunch of once fired .40S&W brass I bought. I have noticed some very slight bulges I attribute to being fired out of Glocks. Assuming they will all chamber after being re-sized, how much weakening of the case is done from this bulge forming?

I plan to shoot these reloads in USPSA matches and would hate to have a case fail during a match.

So, again, how much is the case weakened from this bulge forming?
 
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Dingoboyx

New member
I wouldn't risk reloading

40 S&W or 10mm for a Glock with Glock barrel, if the cases have the Glock smiley face "bulge", espscially not for competition or SD. The likelyhood of it going KABOOM is too great. The obvious reason is that the barrels in these models have a large area of unsupported case 'thus, the bulge'..... and when you FLS the cases and reload them, if the 'once was bulged' spot lands in the unsupported part of the breach again, it is already week there & the case could rupture (ie: KABOOM) and as Dash's brother found out, the magazine ends up splatting itsself on the ground at your feet :eek:

Either, buy a better supporting AM barrel, (or get a 9mm barrel to plink with) and only use good quality factory ammo in competition, SD, HD....

& if you do reload for 40, make sure you keep your loads under control (don't go atomic) and don't go too heavy in the projectile, heavy projectile = more inertia = more likely to rupture case......

IMO, just shoot good factory ammo..... what you will save in cost of ammo, you may well be spending heaps more on new gun, medical bills.... etc :eek::D
 
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jgcoastie

New member
When I still had a factory Glock barrel in my G22 (.40S&W) and my G20SF (10mm) I had the same problem with the 'bulge'. Your best and safest bet is to toss them out. I don't care how much money you'll save by using it, it's not worth risking your gun, hands, arms, face, life. And God-forbid you injure someone who is nearby in the event that you do have a case failure. Buy an aftermarket barrel if you're going to reload for your Glock. It's just not worth the risk man...
 
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SavageMOA

New member
It's worth noting that I will be shooting these reloads out of a M&P40 which DOES have a fully supported chamber.
 
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Dingoboyx

New member
Load 'em up then

That changes the equasion.... however, I would be looking for brass without the smiley face (sad brass?) :D especially if you want to load them over and over.... no sense starting off with some already "stressed' brass if you dont have to :D
 
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drail

Moderator
First thing you should consider is an aftermarket barrel (especially if you plan to shoot competition). It will be more accurate, allow you to shoot a wider range of ammo and be easier on your brass. You do not want a case to fail in one of these guns whether competing or otherwise.
 
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SavageMOA

New member
I'm shooting these reloads out of a M&P40. It has a fully supported chamber. No aftermarket bbl will support the case any more than the factory bbl will.
 
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Alleykat

Moderator
I won't load .40s. Very little latitude for error. Ill-conceived and poorly-designed, in my humble opinion. :)
 
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rjrivero

New member
Redding G-Rx

Redding makes a Die called the G-Rx for these once fired 40 caliber Glock brass.

It's a full pass through die that reshapes the entire case.

http://www.redding-reloading.com/pages/grxpushthru.html

A lot of the .40 brass comes from leo's that use Glocks for duty. It makes sense that someone would come up with a way to use the saggy brass.

I agree that an aftermarket barrel on a glock should be used if you're re-loading.

I know you're using it in a M&P.....
 
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Sevens

New member
Couple of comments...
First, that's a pretty neat invention, this new push through die. But I wonder... does it actually do anything more than a normal carbide sizing die? I push that sucker quite a ways up in to a sizing die... Seems to me that this is all unmeasurable theory, but I'm no expert. There are companies that produce -- and also freely admit -- items that serve no real purpose other than the fact that folks ask for them, so they make them.

It makes you ask, "why aren't all sizing dies in rimless and semi-rimless cases built like this push-through die?"

And, my own experience with 10mm has given me at least a half dozen reloads so far from my 10mm brass, shot from a Glock 29 and reloaded at moderate (not MAX) levels.

As for the replacing of an OEM barrel (I'm talking Glock, not M&P), I've certainly considered it. In the end, I haven't. Because: My G29 is my primary carry gun. So I want the feeding reliability that a "loose" OEM Glock barrel obviously gives. I don't want to practice my carry gun skills with a different barrel than I'm carrying.

I do load cast lead bullets in 10mm, but not in my Glock. I save those for my 1006. In fact, I have two different groups of brass for my 10's. I use all the nickel plated for jacketed bullets and shoot them out of my G29. I keep all of my brass colored brass for lead bullets and shoot them exclusively out of my 1006.

Finally, a question and thread like this is quite interesting, but tends to find a more specific audience when posted in the Handloading and Reloading forum. I'd love to see it moved there, so a couple of the guys who don't wander around in these other forums can see it.
 
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N.H. Yankee

New member
I had REPEAT HAD 2 Glocks and sold them due to this exact problem. I threw away brass that amounted to well over 1000 as the bulge was so severe the case's was on the verge of ruture. Way too many documented cases of the KABOOM factor with the unsupported Glock barrels and NEW FACTORY cartridges for me to take a chance. I would not own a 40 today without FULL chamber support. Most 40S&W factory ammo runs at the high end of pressure and an unsupported barrel is looking for trouble, though Glock's seem to have a larger area unsupported than most.

I find it sad such a good weapon such as Glock is given a black eye by this problem and do not feel I should go out and spend money for an aftermarket barrel. Yes I want my gun to be reliable. but going KABOOM isn't a price I want to pay and I have other 40S&W weapons that have supported barrels that are 100% reliable. I would not touch brass fired from a Glock 40S&W, my safety and my guns integrity is worth alot more than the price of new brass. I usually look for a deal on factory ammo and save the brass for reloading.
 
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Willie Lowman

New member
I used to load .40 for my Glocks. I never used brass more than once (not saving much money like that). I even loaded under the minimum suggested load in my books, 7.3 grains of Unique for a 165gr JHP was what Speer and Alliant said (I couldn't tell you the velocity but that load had more felt recoil than a factory target load). I think I got down to 6.5 grains of Unique . It punched paper and hit the steel just fine, but I have gotten to nervous about it. A fully supported (threaded :cool:) barrel is on my shopping list.
 
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Alleykat

Moderator
It's a shame that anybody would damn the entire Glock line, based on a few anecdotes about the .40s. Let's see some of those DOCUMENTED cases of Glocks' blowing up with SAAMI-spec factory ammo!
 
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Darsh

New member
I don't think they're knocking the whole Glock line, just the .40s. I personally wouldn't own one either in .40 but I still really want a G19. 9mm is fully supported by the chamber. Does anyone know btw, if .45 cases are fully supported in the chamber in a Glock? :confused:
 
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harry carey

New member
1) a casemaster junior will remove the bulge 2) the problem is with the barrel not the cartridge design . 3) i used to work with a former glock employee and have heard all of that companies crap and he also said "to SAAMI specs" all the time. he was not a handloader and knew nothing about ammo. THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS "TO SAAMI SPECS" saami specs are maximums . WITHIN would be correct. some of saami specs are rather large if you actually read them and measure some cartridges and guns. the biggest problem with glocks is factory ammo that is not crimped. on its perilous journey to the chamber the projectile pushes into the case raising pressure too much for the glock. 45 acp was the biggest problem as they lost five guns in one day to federal Amer. eagle. I explained this to one glock employee many times, suggesting they get ammo companies to taper crimp 45 acp ammo, but they seem to prefer the blame game and talk about double charges when none existed. remanufactured ammo due to the used brass and mixed brands, and varied dimensions blew guns as well usually 45acp even though they crimp. case mouth thickness and age of brass is an issue on weak guns. they should change their 40S&W barrels!!! a number of folks at my gun club are well pleased with Storm Lake barrels in their 40SW glocks. a local PD lost two glocks in 45acp to remanufactured ammo ,the loads starting at 1.240 oal. most reloading companies load about 10% below the SAAMI maximum. but it is not the powder charge on these guns it is the rise in pressure when the bullet pushes in the case too far. on the 40 it is the bulge . get a casemaster junior !
 
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MythBuster

New member
I was on our range when the State Police qualified. They ALL had .40 caliber Glocks.

I picked up a bucket full of brass. Not a single piece of brass I have see so far out of this lot had any swelling that can be seen or felt.

It is a MYTH that ALL .40 caliber Glocks do this.
 
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vsgonzo

New member
i accidently got 1 (yes just one glock brass) mixed into my reloads some how. It locked up my new xdm because it didn't FLS correctly i guess. and when it was chambered during a rapid session it pushed and shoved the round in the chamber half way.

I had to put my NEW XDM sights on a wooden bench and shove downward several attempts to forcfully extract the round.

ditch the glock brass and guage every cartridge. Even with a dillon 650 pumping out 700 rounds an hour (which I do) size everyone after your done.
 
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