Tight chamber doesn't like coated bullets and neither do I

[Sasquatch]

I've been loading 9mm plated bullets for a while with good success. I decided to mess with success (allegedly to save 2c/round) by going to coated bullets.

The coated rifle bullets gave me fits leading to me having to buy an expander since you normally don't flare rifle cases.

Making similar loads to my plated, I have been shooting the coated bullets out of my glock, no problem. My wife's new Canik is still getting broken in and doesn't like any reloads < factory power.

But what was crazy is that it will not load coated bullets. These are bullets that drop in and out of my lyman case gauge, so I assume they are in spec. They are also shorter OAL at 1.155 than some of my jacketed that I run at 1.160.

However, when I chamber them into her Canik (TP9SA) they get stuck. HARD. At a match they'd cycle, but when it came time to eject the last round when the stage was complete you could not rack it- and in one case, not even fire it at the berm (must not have gone into battery?). We had to take the gun apart and knock out the round. The round appeared fine. It fed into my glock. It fit into the case gauge.

Even dropping a coated bullet into her bare barrel, and then pressing it in with any amount of pressure gets it stuck and I have to brass-rod it out.

I assume at this point, that the throat of the Canik chamber is just tight and that the softish coating of the EM bullets just gets glued/locked up, or the canik neck is tighter than spec and is just jammed.

Anyone else have something similar happen? I guess for her, I could get narrower (I'm using .356, could do .355) coated bullets. But- at this point, I'm hating on coated bullets, and I'll keep loading plated for her and will probably just stock up on plated when they go on sale.

 

[Meckmeister]

I've had similar experience with the blue coated bullets in Glock and Smith & Wesson. I found that the only consistent gun I had cycling the blue coats was a Ruger SR9c, which I no longer have. Some success now with CZs.

 

[Catfish]

Sounds like you need to load them shorter. You didn't say what weight you are loading but I seat 125gn coated RN at 1.125" They run just fine in many guns but I don't have a Canik.

BTW a case guage doesn't tell you anything about whether your bullet profile works - you have to use your barrel for that.

Even dropping a coated bullet into her bare barrel, and then pressing it in with any amount of pressure gets it stuck and I have to brass-rod it out.

That exercise is part of developing a load - should have been done a long time ago.

 

[Sasquatch]

Sounds like you need to load them shorter. You didn't say what weight you are loading but I seat 125gn coated RN at 1.125" They run just fine in many guns but I don't have a Canik.

BTW a case guage doesn't tell you anything about whether your bullet profile works - you have to use your barrel for that.

That exercise is part of developing a load - should have been done a long time ago.

I'm loading 147 grain Eggleston Munitions, wasn't particularly loading for her, and haven't had this problem with any other bullet (type).

Shorter might help, and I'm loading so light (3.1 titegroup) that there's plenty of room. I'll load a few down and see if it's that.

 

[reloader762]

I have a Canik TP9SA I cast my own NOE 124 gr. TC bullets an shoot them both PC'ed which I coat myself as well as lubed with traditional lube in the RCBS Lube A Matic,my bullets are sized to .357" which is what fits my pistols bore. The bullet is basically a clone of the RCBS 124gr. CN which in the Lyman cast bullet manual has an OAL of 1.050" I can set my OAL out to 1.053 which is flush with the barrel hood and they pass the plunk test with no issues.

I put a couple hundred of these through the pistol right off the bat an it hasn't missed a lick yet in fact they shoot as accurately as the German NATO factory ammo I have put through it as well. If your using a RN bullets you will have to set it deeper as the coating adds extra dia. to the ogive of the bullet. Try readjusting the OAL till it drops in and fall out easily as it sound like your OAL is to long and your head spacing on the ogive of the bullet instead of the case mouth.

The web site says to load the 147 gr. bullets to 1.100" http://www.egglestonmunitions.com/load-data.html

 

[Beef15]

Pretty common. CZs and clones, XDs, many M&Ps, and many aftermarket barrels have short/tight throats. There are people that will ream them reasonably if you were so inclined.

My Lone Wolf I think took 1.1 with a .356 147, my OEM G17 barrel could take them at mag length.

That said different brands have different ogives so if so inclined sample others. Always plunk a new bullet. I always try to set for my shortest chamber so I can feed anything.

Sent from my SM-G360V using Tapatalk

 

[BowWow]

With a certain bullet in a certain gun........ive adjusted the overall length to 1.090 because of the bullet getting jammed in the rifling.

 

[Sasquatch]

Good info guys- sounds like I have a lot of room to make them shorter. I did notice that I couldn't load the coated as long as plated because they'd stick in the mags. Those are much shorter than what I've been using. I'll shorten some and report back. Edit: took a look at the Eggleston page, and they have the exact same OAL for 115, 124, 147- is that typical? I see several smaller manufacturers do that and assume it's just to make sure it fits in any chamber, not really the better starting point.

 

[BowWow]

Don't forget...... if it's a hot round/high velocity/high pressure round.........reduce the charge a little bit.

 

[Charlie R]

Beef15 is dead on.

The issue is not OAL as much as it is the length to ogive versus the length to lands of the chamber. OAL is useful for determining if the bullets will fit in the magazine and feed effectively, but not very good for chambering. Rifle loaders are very familiar with this because bullet profile variance is much more obvious between say standard boat tail bullets and VLD bullets and the jump to the lands is important to them. Different bullets, loaded to the same OAL may well have different lengths to ogive based on the profile of the bullet and how far from the tip of the bullet the ogive is located (½ of the length or ⅔ of the length, etc.). I have even noticed some differences lot to lot on coated bullets. I guess it is the thickness of the coating varying and moving the ogive slightly.

Seating slightly deeper is the obvious solution, but that comes with increased pressure and depending on your powder charge may necessitate a new load work up.

 

[ncav8tor]

Beef15 is dead on.

The issue is not OAL as much as it is the length to ogive versus the length to lands of the chamber. OAL is useful for determining if the bullets will fit in the magazine and feed effectively, but not very good for chambering. Rifle loaders are very familiar with this because bullet profile variance is much more obvious between say standard boat tail bullets and VLD bullets and the jump to the lands is important to them. Different bullets, loaded to the same OAL may well have different lengths to ogive based on the profile of the bullet and how far from the tip of the bullet the ogive is located (½ of the length or ⅔ of the length, etc.). I have even noticed some differences lot to lot on coated bullets. I guess it is the thickness of the coating varying and moving the ogive slightly.

Seating slightly deeper is the obvious solution, but that comes with increased pressure and depending on your powder charge may necessitate a new load work up.

^^^This and what Beef15 said.

Bullet profile is everything. According to SAAMI, minimum OAL for 9mm is 1.0 inches and maximum length is 1.169 inches. You may well find that you have to load to the minimum to get a round that will work in the Canik (TP9SA). You might even find that you can't use that particular coated bullet due to the reasons Beef 15 and Charlie R discuss above.

Short and tight chambers are a real problem for a lot of the pistol caliber carbine shooters that wanted to load coated bullets. I've seen the issue in those firearms and in Tanfoglio and CZ type pistols.

Good luck to you and please keep us posted!