How many times do you reload your shells?

[Truckdrivingman]

Hi,

my name is Tom, and I'm a new Glock20 owner. I'm also a reloader. Last weekend, I shot a box of 10mm ammo with my Glock: new Starline brass, 180gn Frontier bullet and 9gn of VV N105. I've never shot factory ammo with my Glock, and I have the stock barrel.
So, what are your experiences with reloading ammo for the Glock20? I can reload my 45-70 shells 20 times and more, but after inspecting the brass, my feeling says it will be far less than 20 times :-(

Tom

[Benchrst]

Hey Tom


A lot of variables to accurately guess an answer your question, but if your G20 is a Gen4 (case support is good), and you're loading less than nuclear, then you should expect pretty decent case life.

I've got a Gen4 and use Starline; I know I have cases that have been loaded 6-8 times (shoot em' till they split), though I do use an AF barrel that's a bit tighter than factory, so your mileage may vary.

New brass for the hot stuff, everything else I shoot till I loose it or the neck is too sloppy

[tommac919]

Running a stock G20 v3 ,

I've reloaded my Starline brass on the warm side and some have hit 8 times or more... no problems, no splits.

I've also loaded some other commercial brass from companies that only made it 3x.  The Starline is better brass for the re-loader as it's more malleable. ( tho is does get harder as it's worked )

[sqlbullet]

I reload until they split, bulge or are lost.  Usually the last gets them.  I have only tossed a handful due to splits or bulges.

[Truckdrivingman]

Hey Tom


A lot of variables to accurately guess an answer your question, but if your G20 is a Gen4 (case support is good), and you're loading less than nuclear, then you should expect pretty decent case life.

I've got a Gen4 and use Starline; I know I have cases that have been loaded 6-8 times (shoot em' till they split), though I do use an AF barrel that's a bit tighter than factory, so your mileage may vary.

New brass for the hot stuff, everything else I shoot till I loose it or the neck is too sloppy

Ok, thanx.
What exactly do you mean by 'splitting'?  The shell gets some kind of tear, crack etc. or the shell disintegrates at the shot? My reloading experience is limited to 45-70 Gov't, and I never had any shell damages there. I discard the the brass when the primer pocket gets too loose and I've little gun smoke on the bolt and the shell bottom.
How dangerous is a shell disrupting in the chamber at shot?
And yes, it's a Gen4

Tom

[sqlbullet]

The brass cracks starting at the case mouth and extending down towards the case head, usually about 25-40% of the cartridge length.  It happens when the brass becomes so brittle it can no longer stretch to the chamber dimensions. 

In rifle brass there is enough length to anneal the case mouth/neck and ameliorate the issue to a degree.  In handgun brass we don't have a long enough case for that option.  By the time we heated the mouth enough to matter, the case head would be dangerously weakened.

[Forrest]

Lost brass with a 10mm? Never! It's not lost, it's relocated to zip codes unknown!

Zip codes became soldiers... autocorrect is killing me.

[BEEMER!]

The brass cracks starting at the case mouth and extending down towards the case head, usually about 25-40% of the cartridge length.  It happens when the brass becomes so brittle it can no longer stretch to the chamber dimensions. 

In rifle brass there is enough length to anneal the case mouth/neck and ameliorate the issue to a degree.  In handgun brass we don't have a long enough case for that option.  By the time we heated the mouth enough to matter, the case head would be dangerously weakened.

Stand the handgun cases in 1/4" of water  to anneal the mouth.

[The_Shadow]

Truckdrivingman...Hello Tom, Welcome to the forum!  One thing that does help with brass that is shot from firearms with loose chamber (not just Glocks) is pass through sizing.  10mm and 40 S&W benefit using this process to provide more reliable feeding.  We have a section on that here on the forum at this link; http://10mm-firearms.com/reloading-10mm-ammo/pass-thru-sizing-using-lee-fcd/

Two methods (dies) are the Redding GRX and LEE Factory Crimp Die with guts removed and a push pin.  I have used the LEE for my own setup on 10mm, 40S&W, 357Sig and 9x25Dillon to get the areas not reached by standard dies.

I will say not all brass are made equal, Starline starts as softer alloy for reloading purposes, where some are stiff and less malleable from the start.  As mentioned the case can be so stiff that even after sizing it will not hold it's resized dimension and spring back open and not hold a bullet tight enough.  Annealing can soften the brass but 10mm cases aren't worth the trouble.

[Truckdrivingman]

I used my (new) brass once, reloading it now for the first time. I pushed it into the Lee resizing die and it looks quite good. All bulges are trimmed away. Do you think it's a risk to shoot this ammo? See my photo, I hope it's not too small

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[gandog56]

Lost brass with a 10mm? Never! It's not lost, it's relocated to zip codes unknown!

Zip codes became soldiers... autocorrect is killing me.

I think some of mine attained low Earth orbit!

[The_Shadow]

I used my (new) brass once, reloading it now for the first time. I pushed it into the Lee resizing die and it looks quite good. All bulges are trimmed away. Do you think it's a risk to shoot this ammo? See my photo, I hope it's not too small

The absolute best way to tell if the ammo is in spec is using a specific Cartridge Check gauge!  I have a Lyman for 10mm

Midway shows they have the Wilson http://www.midwayusa.com/product/381478/le-wilson-max-cartridge-gauge-10mm-auto

I saw this one on EBay as well http://www.ebay.com/itm/10mm-Case-Ammunition-Gauge-For-Checking-Your-Reloads-Ammo-Free-Shipping-/271937504230

[Forrest]

I think everything depends on your load. Brass recovery is crucial during load development. I lost some today and found one and realized that I did not need to recover the others and needed to drop charge weight back down. I recommend checking each fired case when working up and loading five shells at each charge weight that way you have a good chance at catching the pressure signs. Check the gun often for signs of sooting at the breech face.

[The Earl o Sammich]

Hi,

my name is Tom, and I'm a new Glock20 owner. I'm also a reloader. Last weekend, I shot a box of 10mm ammo with my Glock: new Starline brass, 180gn Frontier bullet and 9gn of VV N105. I've never shot factory ammo with my Glock, and I have the stock barrel.
So, what are your experiences with reloading ammo for the Glock20? I can reload my 45-70 shells 20 times and more, but after inspecting the brass, my feeling says it will be far less than 20 times :-(

Tom

It's a case, not a shell.  Shot guns shoot shot gun shells.  Not saying this to be a dick but I wouldn't want you to go on using the wrong terms.

Not familiar with the Glock 20 but if it has a supported chamber the brass life will be like any other round you reload for.  If the brass is not over worked, i.e. resized too small and then expanded in the chamber to be resized too small again, you can get plenty of cycles out a case.

Are you working up loads or are you starting with store bought/factory ammo?

Either way, mic the brass at the head and watch for bulging.  If the case starts to swell just above the head, that will tell you whether your case/chamber has decent support.  Otherwise reload until you see a few mouths split.  You can check finished rounds by pressing the bullet onto a hard surface and rotating the round.  If the head has a crack it will be come apparent.

[Truckdrivingman]

It's a case, not a shell.  Shot guns shoot shot gun shells.  Not saying this to be a dick but I wouldn't want you to go on using the wrong terms.

Not familiar with the Glock 20 but if it has a supported chamber the brass life will be like any other round you reload for.  If the brass is not over worked, i.e. resized too small and then expanded in the chamber to be resized too small again, you can get plenty of cycles out a case.

Are you working up loads or are you starting with store bought/factory ammo?

Either way, mic the brass at the head and watch for bulging.  If the case starts to swell just above the head, that will tell you whether your case/chamber has decent support.  Otherwise reload until you see a few mouths split.  You can check finished rounds by pressing the bullet onto a hard surface and rotating the round.  If the head has a crack it will be come apparent.

Hi Earl
I never used factory ammo in my Glock. As a matter of fact, I shot one box(100 reloaded rounds with new brass) til now, since I have the Glock for 2 weeks. I began with 9gn, minimum is 8.6, max is 9.9, due to loading table. I had noticable bulges, but no mouth splits. Resizing was no problem, the shells/cases look good, as far as I can evaluate that.
And the shell/case issue: why are these http://leeprecision.com/shell-holders/ referred to as "shellholders"? I just ask, I'm not a native speaker