TexasCHLforum.com

How did the range session go? I have been shooting Bayou Bullets for a number of years and have never had an issue with the bullet itself. I do gauge every round I load. I have found a small percentage of the cases to have rim that is too large in diameter to go into the gauge. Some are just buggered up and some are just too large. They have all fit in my M&P barrels though. What won't gauge out gets shot in an M&P during practice.

I used to load on a Lee Turret Press (used it more like a souped up single stage) and I used the Lee Factory Crimp Die for the crimping operation. It was rare that I have a cartridge that did not gauge out ok. I bought a Dillion 650 a couple of years ago and started having about 10% that would not gauge out ok. That was happening on both my 9 mm and my 45 ACP ammo (separate machines for each caliber). I talked to both Dillion and Bayou Bullets several times and could never come up with a solution. I took those rounds and ran them through the Lee Factory Crimp Die and that solved the problem on just about every one that would not gauge out initially. Those rounds fit in the chamber of my M&Ps and most fit in my 1911s (45 ACP). I think that the rounds that would not gauge out coming out of the Dillion actually had the bullets seated at an angle. The sizing ring in the Factory Crimp Die seemed to straighten them out (could be wrong on that but just about all of them would gauge out ok). Anything that will be shot in a match gets the full treatment. Practice ammo, I will just shoot.

One other thing to look at is the seating depth. I had issues with seating my 200 grain SWC and 147 grain (9mm) out to far and they would grab into the rifling. Sometimes it was just an issue with extracting a round when I finished shooting a round at the end of a stage. Other times, the slide would not close all the way. I have also found that the chamber depth is not the same for all of my M&P 9mm. My two Pros have about the same chamber depth but the others (newer) seem to have a shorter chamber. Just another variable to have to deal with.