9mm Miss fires / failure to fire?

[mpd]

I am need assistance. I am reloading 9mm, 124 grain, tite group 4.2 grains, COL of 1.120. The issue I am having is many miss fires. This past weekend at the range I had over 15 mis fires... the most ever.

What are causes of this?

• Poor quality primers -- I am using CCI & Winchester
• Bad Brass -- These are not new brass. And they have been tumbled dry. I am not certain of how many times they've been reloaded. I bought them as "once fired".
• Powder -- Am i not using enough powder? I had a bad experience with a double charge once on titegroup.

Any other suggestions?

I don't want to make another poor batch and waste powder, primers, bullets etc... But it seems out of a batch of 500, 15 misfires is way too high. As you can see form the picture the striker is hitting the primer, but no fire is happening.

 

[SSGSAD]

My OPINION, the biggest reasons for misfires, primers not seated correctly, the "force" of the hammer strike pushes the primer the rest of the way .....

 

[blkrifle]

primers are not completely seated. firing pin doesn't have the energy to seat the primer and ignite it

 

[red_zr24x4]

Im not saying its not the primers, but look at your seating depth. I started casting 115 bullets and started getting light primer strikes. The profile of the bullet was a little different from the one in the book, played with the seating depth and the light strikes went away.
The bullet was being set deeper by the hammer until the primer would go off.

 

[bocefus78]

Gun needs to be taken into consideration also. Have you:
Tried factory ammo
done trigger work or springs to gun
Round count?

I had those issues too. It was a weak striker spring of the glock doc variety.

 

[Grelber]

The bullet was being set deeper by the hammer until the primer would go off.

That is interesting.

My assumption is that the op could check bullet seating depth by the plunk test (remove barrel, bullets should drop in free and stop solidly when brass hits shoulder) and could check primer seating depth by visual inspection ?

Did have a friend who allowed some primers to get contaminated (dropped them on floor & tried to sweep up & then use if memory serves) & he had similar issues until that batch was used up.

 

[mpd]

All good stuff... I think the seating might be the most logical cause. I am reloading on a dillon 550b. Still learning how it functions. I was previously reloading on a lee classic turret.

Ok so lets say the issue is not seeding the primer deep enough... how do i remedy this issue? Do i have to push harder on the seating?

I appreciate your help thank you!

 

[oldpink]

Having used thousands of CCI primers and hundreds of Winchester primers to reload without a single misfire, I would immediately point to your seating depth as the culprit here.
A somewhat overlooked fact about primers is that they must be seated slightly below flush with the case head.
The reason for that is that the lead styphnate pellet must be slightly compressed against the anvil to sensitize it for reliable ignition for when the firing pin strikes the opposite side of the primer cup.
RCBS and other reloading companies sell primer seating depth gauges with one side of the gauge that wobbles when pressed against against the primer with it seated out too far and the other end that doesn't move at all when seated to the proper depth.
It helps to have a dedicated priming station with a set priming depth and positive stop for the handle to allow you to find this exact spot every time.
That's why I've always used the now discontinued Lee Auto Prime II, which has a locking ring to make the seating depth repeatable, with the seating happening entirely on the down stroke of the handle.
I don't believe your Dillon has a positive stop for the seating depth, since I believe it requires seating on the upstroke of the handle.
My Auto Prime II stays mounted on my older Rock Chucker, with my Rock Chucker Supreme for everything else.

 

[XtremeVel]

My OPINION, the biggest reasons for misfires, primers not seated correctly, the "force" of the hammer strike pushes the primer the rest of the way .....

That would be my first guess...

Im not saying its not the primers, but look at your seating depth. I started casting 115 bullets and started getting light primer strikes. The profile of the bullet was a little different from the one in the book, played with the seating depth and the light strikes went away.
The bullet was being set deeper by the hammer until the primer would go off.

Also possible... if the ogive of the bullet hits the rifling before the slide is fully into battery, I could see a light strike...

A third possibility since the OP stated he had a striker fired pistol would be a dirty striker channel... You want to keep them free of lube and also clean...

 

[mssmith44]

I don't what is on the current Dillon 550. Mine had a set screw to set the primer depth.
It loosened while loading and kept the primers from being seated all the way.
If it is there, remove it. Then seat the primer by feel.
It takes a pretty heavy pressure to seat the primer.

 

[blkrifle]

I don't what is on the current Dillon 550. Mine had a set screw to set the primer depth.
It loosened while loading and kept the primers from being seated all the way.
If it is there, remove it. Then seat the primer by feel.
It takes a pretty heavy pressure to seat the primer.[/QUOTE

THIS^^

 

[mpd]

I don't what is on the current Dillon 550. Mine had a set screw to set the primer depth.
It loosened while loading and kept the primers from being seated all the way.
If it is there, remove it. Then seat the primer by feel.
It takes a pretty heavy pressure to seat the primer.

Do you have a picture of the set screw?

Where should I be looking on the press... obviously on the shell plate. But more precise location.

 

[Grelber]

Do you have a picture of the set screw?

Where should I be looking on the press... obviously on the shell plate. But more precise location.

Dillon is great whenever you call and ask them questions like that.

 

[jwh20]

• Poor quality primers -- I am using CCI & Winchester

Just checking that you are using the correct type of primers here. For 9mm you should be using SMALL PISTOL PRIMERS or SPP's. Magnum primers will fit but they are harder and your 9mm gun may strike them too lightly to fire reliably. Also small RIFLE primers will fit but since they are ever so slightly taller they will stick out of the primer pocket and again you can have the failure you are describing.

 

[mpd]

[/LIST]

Just checking that you are using the correct type of primers here. For 9mm you should be using SMALL PISTOL PRIMERS or SPP's. Magnum primers will fit but they are harder and your 9mm gun may strike them too lightly to fire reliably. Also small RIFLE primers will fit but since they are ever so slightly taller they will stick out of the primer pocket and again you can have the failure you are describing.

Yes to small pistol primers

 

[rvb]

I am reloading on a dillon 550b. Still learning how it functions. I was previously reloading on a lee classic turret.

Ok so lets say the issue is not seeding the primer deep enough... how do i remedy this issue? Do i have to push harder on the seating?

not just for car insurance....

[video=youtube;A8A0EGnhvfI]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8A0EGnhvfI[/video]

Push it REAL GOOD.

-rvb

 

[rvb]

btw, something OCD that I do...
even though I bulk store all my ammo, I do put them in actual 100-cnt ammo boxes (the ones w/ little squares for each cartridge) temporarily so that I can inspect the primers. I take a flashlight and look down the row to make sure I can see that couple thousandths of seating depth. Any that are just flush or look suspect I pull and re-push to make sure they are fully seated. I'm probably hard on my press, but I crush those suckers. the only light strikes I've ever had was due to experimenting w/ the gun (eg spring weights and hammer/striker weights, etc). I'm also loading on a 550.

-rvb

 

[Grelber]

not just for car insurance....


Push it REAL GOOD.

-rvb

54 seconds of my life that I will never get back.

 

[DustyDawg48]

54 seconds of my life that I will never get back.

you mean 54 seconds of your life that you were totally dancing to that music! you know it's on repeat in the Mustang, just admit it!

 

[DustyDawg48]

I never had issues with primers until I started reloading .380. Something about that round was giving me trouble and some family and friends suggested checking them. that cured it and also help cure some minor issues I had after changing out my striker spring. I know hit all my rounds, before they go into their storage boxes, with my RCBS hand priming tool to insure each primer is properly seated. no more .380 issues and no more competition 9mm issues after that, everything has been 100% since then.