Pulled my Lee Seating/Crimping Die apart last night and see I have the wrong seating plug. It seems to be some kind of a flat point rather than a RN plug. Also, a loaded round seems pretty sloppy in the whole die. I loaded a bunch of 124gr RN FMJ prior to my Lead RN Bullets and never had this problem. I think my Seating Die is letting the lead bullet move around too much while actually Seating sometimes causing the bullet to go sideways a little, although they don't look sideways on loaded rounds. I will also try Flaring a little more. Bullet Barn also makes a Lead 125gr RN which is a tiny bit more pointed than the 124gr RN. My Bullet Bench guy here says these bullets are more popular than the 124s due to better feeding in some chambers. I'm out of 124s, so will try these 125s. Just hope I can salvage some of my loaded stuff. Will look at a new Die today and keep you posted. Thanks for all the ideas. Will get this sorted sooner or later.
Problems Reloading 9mm
- Thread starter SUPER TENERE
- Start date
Dillon dies can be taken apart and the seating plug can be turned over. one side is for round nose and the other is for flat nose bullets. I always have to check when I switch from FMJ to JHP as the inside of my die needs turned around.
I have RCBS. Lee and Dillon dies; Only the Dillon dies have this.
I have RCBS. Lee and Dillon dies; Only the Dillon dies have this.
Ditto here. I reload for my buddy's CZ75 and ran into the same problem with ammo that worked on every other 9mm 'cept the CZ75 and another friend's LoneWolf barrel. I also had problems with some bullet brands and cases being a bit snug and I ended up adding a Lee carbide factory crimp die at the last stage on my progressive press. It basically resizes the entire ammo and removes any bullet bulge that could cause hangups. Never had any problems since adding that die to the setup.
Just bought the Lee Factory Crimp Die. I'll back off the Seating die and use it just for Seating. And the new Die for taper crimping. I'll also try seating deeper. Makes sense cause my reloads don't drop completely on the case in my barrel.
^^^ This. Grab one of your reloads that won't fall free from your barrel. Run it through the FC die first and check. You might be surprised that all it needed was a diameter adjustment and not having to seat the bullet deeper.
That's why I asked if you were doing that in one or two steps. If a crimp is being applied while the bullet is still seating into the case, sometimes you get what you describe. Separating that into two steps is time well spent! Function check a few finished rounds (in the barrel only) before you start seating deeper. The problem may already have been solved.
I'm sorry, but this statement goes against every reputable piece of info I've seen on the topic of cast lead size vs barrel size. I'm glad it works for you, but you'd be in the extreme minority.
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I'd have to disagree there. Cast ideal would be 356 to 3565. 355 would be jacketed ideal.
From what I read .357 is pretty standard for cast and I get the lead from a reputable manufacturer. Getting some 125gr RN today. My CZ 75B has no problem cycling light loads of 3.5gr of HP38/231 so if I do seat a little deeper no presure problem.
Unsure if you solved your issue... but have a read here if you still have the problem:
I think your seater-die 'body' isn't properly set; it should first be set for your crimp (I use .377")
Now, with seater-die body "crimp" properly set, you can set the seater for your desired bullet depth (i.e. OAL.)
In my experience, I remember keeping the seater backed-off a lot because I was using a 4th die to create the crimp. Anyway, I'd get terrible case bulge when seating bullets exactly like you described.
I properly set the seater-die and it solved the issue (bullets no longer bulge brass as there is now support from the die preventing the bulge.)
Hope that makes sense.
Cheers~
I think your seater-die 'body' isn't properly set; it should first be set for your crimp (I use .377")
Now, with seater-die body "crimp" properly set, you can set the seater for your desired bullet depth (i.e. OAL.)
In my experience, I remember keeping the seater backed-off a lot because I was using a 4th die to create the crimp. Anyway, I'd get terrible case bulge when seating bullets exactly like you described.
I properly set the seater-die and it solved the issue (bullets no longer bulge brass as there is now support from the die preventing the bulge.)
Hope that makes sense.
Cheers~
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I was having a similar problem with my Hornady LnL AP press and Lee dies in my Shadow. I started by using the Lee seater/crimper in one stage with a gave me a bulge. I then tried the Lee factory crimp die; this got rid of the bulge, but would not fit into Dillon cartridge gauge anymore. Before I gave up, I bought a set of Hornady dies with a taper crimp die; the Hornady die has a bullet guide built into it. Once I did this, my problems went away. That being said, I needed to use a Lee sizing die for my 45 Colt loads as the Hornady die was made for 454 Casull and the bullets were loose; sometimes it just takes experimentation.
I initially had similar problems with my CZ TS. I found that making sure there is a good crimp solved the problem. The other thing I have found is some brass is slightly thicker than others. When I use Federal or Blazer brass I don't have a problem while some other types of brass are more prone to problems. I know just sort the brass as I have loads.
