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Well I went to long before cleaning the wax out of my die and the OAL got down to 1.022 from 1.10".

I'm reloading 9mm
115gr lead RN bullets
Tite Group 4.1gr the max is 4.3gr.
OAL 1.10"
Crimp of 0.374

I was going to shoot some/most of them and just watch for key holeing. Thoughts? Like your stupid to shoot anything lower then... I want to salvage what I don't shoot, but I've never had any luck with what little I have tried my RCBS kinetic puller. Any suggestions? I'm not a big guy, but I felt slamming the puller down pretty hard. Maybe 115gr rounds are just to light for that style of puller.

I'm lucky my wife saw it when she did. It went down hill pretty fast. She only reloaded 400 rds before the OAL was down to 1.022"

Thanks

No chronograph. Thats a good idea! Maybe I'll do a hot round so I can get a feel for a safe limit.


I'll give that a try I have always hit a 2x4 on the ground.

No way. 0.078" below minimum OAL is too short.

Use the bullet puller. It isn't worth a gun blowing up. You could injure yourself or someone else. Don't let laziness, rationalization, or taking shortcuts place yourself at risk.

I've pulled a lot of bullets with a kinetic puller. Bang against a solid surface with zero spring to it. I have a short length of 4"x4" that I put on the workbench. Don't try to get it out with one blow. Just a steady snap of the wrist for 4-5 bangs will usually get a bullet to pop.

You can then resize the already primered cases and reload them.

You won't be able to reuse the bullets, but if you cast your own they can simply be re-melted and re-cast.

Do not risk injury, or damage to the weapon over a mistake. 9mm is a high pressure round to begin with. Shorten the OAL and pressure spikes can build quickly!!!

Also it is a good idea to spot check measurements every 10-20 rounds. This mistake should have been caught much sooner than after 400 rounds.

Like jumping frog stated, your concern is excessive pressures so buy a cheap kinetic puller and with a few whacks the bullet will be out far enough to seat properly.

Thanks for everyones advise. I'll give the puller another shot.

ddstuder wrote: This mistake should have been caught much sooner than after 400 rounds.

My wife got a talking to, and I've learned a few things too.

I had to do the same thing a few weeks ago. I found myself with 100 rounds of .223 seated too deep, not because I wasn't paying attention, but because I read the manual wrong. I happily went along, checking as I went, and seated the bullets about .050" too deep. Instead of using one of the kinetic pullers I went and bought one of these.

I don't know if there's enough bullet left exposed for it too work but in my case I was able to carefully pull the bullet out enough, without disassembling it completely, that I could simply reseat them to the proper depth. Might be worth checking into.

lfinsr wrote:.... Instead of using one of the kinetic pullers I went and bought one of these.

I don't know if there's enough bullet left exposed for it too work but in my case I was able to carefully pull the bullet out enough, without disassembling it completely, that I could simply reseat them to the proper depth. Might be worth checking into.

That is fine for jacketed bullets, but it won't work out for lead bullets. When they get pulled and reseated, it sizes them down enough that they will shoot but be subject to heavy leading for being undersized. There can also be issues with insufficient neck tension on undersized lead bullets allowing the bullets to get pushed slightly into the case during feeding (which can lead to increased pressures and you are right back to the same problem you were trying to solve by pulling the bullets in the first place!).

I simply would not mess with trying to re-use the lead bullets that have been pulled. Jacketed bullets are a different universe.

Jumping Frog is absolutely correct about reusing cast bullets. Don't try it. If you have a large number of rounds to break down do it with your press. Remove your die and place the offending round in the shell holder. Raise the ram and use a pair of wire cutting pliers to grip the bullet above the tool head and lower the ram. It's a lot faster than using a kinetic puller for a large number of rounds. Titan reloading sells a special tool for just this job.

Good luck.

Thanks for the tip MoJo. I think I will stick with the kinetic since I have a Dillon 500B sounds like it would be a little more of a PITA without a single stage press.

Wow banging the puller on my vice in the garage works way better then a 2x4. Wish I knew that 7 years ago. I don't care so much about reusing bullets. I just didn't want to take 400rds in for disposal somewhere. Throwing them in the fire pit down by the tank at the ranch wouldn't of been the best of ideas...

Jumping Frog wrote: That is fine for jacketed bullets, but it won't work out for lead bullets.

As always, you're right... Missed the "115gr lead RN bullets" part.

lfinsr wrote:As always, you're right...

Believe me, I have a list of screw-ups as long as both arms. I am not always right!

Jumping Frog wrote:

lfinsr wrote:As always, you're right...

Believe me, I have a list of screw-ups as long as both arms. I am not always right!

Your advice here has always been spot on. Maybe you should practice what you preach...