glock 29

[eli polite]

I have a new glock 29 and I noticed a slight bulge on the casing this is new ammo not reloads.

its hard to see it in the picture but it is rite at the pen tip in the picture. My question is.. Is this common for the glocks? how does it affect the case for reloading?

I have some 1911's in 10mm and I have never noticed any bulging on the casings..

 

[ksthomas]

Eli polite,

Yes, perfectly common for Glocks. They have an unsupported chamber in many calibers, and this leaves the little tell-tale bulge you're seeing there. Most 1911s have supported chambers which prevents this. Not a big deal, but it does make a pretty good reminder that you're playing with some serious pressures here.

 

[eli polite]

I have just now gotten into the glock thing.

What's the reason for the unsupported chamber.

If I reload these will the not work in my 1911's?

 

[turbo54]

Chamber support is traded off for enhanced feeding reliability; the feed ramp can be made less steep.

Lee and Redding both make a push-thru die to fix up bulged brass.

Still, you're wise to pitch heavily bulged brass from stout loadings because it does stretch the brass, thinning it.

For full tilt loads in a Glock, consider an aftermarket barrel, it is nicer on brass with the downside of slightly less feeding reliability.

 

[eli polite]

Ill stick with light or lighter loads in the glock. Accep for carry purposes. obviously.

Thanks for the education.

 

[turbo54]

Here are some heavy duty "Glock Smiles" from my 21C...

Star line 45 Super brass, 11gr Long shot, 230xtp @ ~1250fps

Yes, these are over the limit....

 

[eli polite]

Wow it's really not so brass friendly is it.

 

[turbo54]

No, but only at very high pressures. The ones pictured above must've been at least 35ksi, maybe more.

New brass can generally take it once, because it blows outward until it finds support - which is the feed ramp. They stretch a lot though, and will likely rupture if resized and reloaded.

Glocks are combat guns, designed for maximum reliability, thus the tradeoff for better feeding.

Anyway, they're not hard on brass unless you run lots of pressure. My 21C doesn't leave even a trace of bulge with SAAMI compliant 45, or even 45+P loads at ~18-20ksi.

As mentioned, either load moderately if you want to avoid the bulge, or replace the barrel.

A Glock will not ka-boom with SAAMI compliant ammo and fresh brass. That means your 10mm can run 1300+(++) with 180s with no safety concerns at all.

Underwood ammo makes FANTASTIC full power pistol ammo for very reasonable money, by the way.

 

[ksthomas]

Turbo's treading in waters that are way beyond the pale, which is no doubt the reason for the 45 Super brass. With normal SAAMI or CIP spec loads and pressures, the Glocks are just fine in their factory configuration. His advice on aftermarket barrels is good, and if you want to stretch the envelope (as he's doing), then such an investment is prudent. As to the cartridges themselves, they all have their own personalities. The 10mm is a powerhouse, but it's very predictable and easy to work with. Using appropriate powders, you'll find it to be extremely accurate, and pretty easy to develop top ends loads. It doesn't exhibit the jumpy pressure spikes that it's little brother, the 40 S&W does. My own carry gun is a Glock 22 or 23, and that's a caliber that I won't hotrod in any way, shape or form in these guns. The 10mm or 45 ACP, yeah, I'm a lot bolder about working up hot loads in either of these calibers. He's also right about the various specialty dies now available to remove these bulges, and they're a worthwhile investment for these pistols.

 

[eli polite]

This is all good info thank you all