Live round stuck in barrel of 1935 Beretta

[Sid]

At the range recently I had been firing .32 ACP handloads in this pistol when a live round became stuck in the barrel. I took the pistol to my gunsmith today and he removed the live round. This particular round had a bulge in the case so that it never fully seated in the chamber. Since the round had never fired there was no damage to the barrel.

When I got home I checked my last batch of .32 ACP reloads. In this batch of 250 cartridges I found 12 with the same type of bulge in the case! The bulge line in the case was where the bottom of the bullet would be. I have no idea as to what might be causing this. I wonder if it might be something with my dies. I checked the OAL on each of the defective cartridges and this was okay. Over the last 50 years I have reloaded endless thousands of this caliber and never had this problem before. I would appreciate any informed opinion on this.

 

[Archie]

Usually...

A bulge in a reloaded round at the base of the bullet - as you describe - is not uncommon. It it normally caused by the sizing die resizing the case to under size for the chamber, then the bullet expands the top portion of the case.

Normally, it isn't a big deal. The condition comes from a group of brass that is at the maximum for 'sidewall thickness' and a sizing die that is very tight. (I've also found the other condition; very thin sidewalls and a 'loose' sizing die.)

I could not guess as to why this particular round stuck in that particular barrel.

I would suggest, that the stuck round is removed, to remove the barrel from the pistol and gently see if the reloaded rounds 'drop' into the chamber without force. They should, by the way. If you have to push at all, DON'T.

Just for the tally book, I have a 1935 Beretta and rather enjoy it. I load .32 ACP for it. So far, everything has worked without incident.

As always, some photos of the offending rounds and possibly the interior of the chamber might shed more light.

 

[Unclenick]

It is common to see a slight bulge where the base of the bullet is, simply because the brass is sized narrower than the bullet underneath in order to grip it. If you have a particular pronounced such bulge, it usually turns out to be only on one side, and is because the bullet was slightly cocked entering the case. Using a Lyman M die for your expander usually stops most of that.

If you get a case that's a little long and it gets over-crimped, it can bulge the brass just under the mouth of the case. Your calipers should tell you if that is happening. In the meanwhile, field strip the gun to use the barrel as a gauge, and drop every round into the chamber to check for fit. I don't think anyone is making a separate .32 ACP case gauge.

 

[condor bravo]

Similar problem with a rifle cartridge has recently been discussed. If you are applying a crimp, too much force is probably being applied to the crimp and collapsing the case below the bullet. If the crimping shoulder is within the seating die, back off some on the die. If a seperate crimp die, back off on that. I add just enough crimp to my .32 acp's to remove the case neck flare.