trouble with .45 reloads

marlin1895gs

marlin1895gs

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might not be the best place to post that, but its definitely the place where i will get the best responses. anyways, im tryin to put some 230gr jacketed round nose bullets into my belled brass, im using the rcbs 3 die set, with the taper crimp/seater die... its easy to get the right length, but i cant seem to get enough crimp on it to drop in the barrel.i get it almost all the way, then a lil more and it kinks inward just below the bullet.. i've tried to set them up different ways, but i always seem to end up with a kind before i get the desired crimp. i did get one right. out of a whole bunch. i but i think its cause i seated the bullet then turned the lil screw right up and then crimped. what am i doing wrong?
 
Overcrimping can also cause a problem in that it creates a small bulge ring around the case mouth. Have u tried using a factory round and setting the die to those dimensions? Works most of the time. Other than that, the Lee factory sizer/crimp die is perfect and guarantees u a perfect fit every time. Well worth the extra step in my opinion.
Cheers
dB
 
I just set up my 650 will the same dies and had a similar problem. I was over crimping. Back up your die two full turns and reset your length.

Works great now, shot a bunch last night with great grouping and no FTFs.

Steve
 
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i can get it so that everything checks out, except they dont drop in quite as easy as a factory round.. and my ranger II with recoil master has enough problems trying to chamber a round.. how do yours drop in? i just have the barrel out of my spartan sittin here..
 
Spend the extra $20+ and get the factory crimp die - dead simple and you no longer need to worry about crimp setting on your seater die. :)
 
marlin1895gs said:
i can get it so that everything checks out, except they dont drop in quite as easy as a factory round.. and my ranger II with recoil master has enough problems trying to chamber a round.. how do yours drop in? i just have the barrel out of my spartan sittin here..
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They drop in perfect into my Kimber Gold Combat II (Custom Shop with very tight tolerances). Are you chamber checking your ammo? If your crimp isn't enough they won't chamber and if it's too much you dent the case at the end of the bullet.
 
yeah thats what im doing, i can't find the happy medium. either they dont drop in all the way (1/8" from all the way) or the case gets dented. i have spent 3 hrs on this.. maybe im #### out of luck? i'd long have bought a lee die, but i'd have to order one, can't just go to wholesale sports and pick one up.
 
marlin1895gs said:
might not be the best place to post that, but its definitely the place where i will get the best responses. anyways, im tryin to put some 230gr jacketed round nose bullets into my belled brass, im using the rcbs 3 die set, with the taper crimp/seater die... its easy to get the right length, but i cant seem to get enough crimp on it to drop in the barrel.i get it almost all the way, then a lil more and it kinks inward just below the bullet.. i've tried to set them up different ways, but i always seem to end up with a kind before i get the desired crimp. i did get one right. out of a whole bunch. i but i think its cause i seated the bullet then turned the lil screw right up and then crimped. what am i doing wrong?
Click to expand...

Had the exact same problem with my Ruger KP345 when I first started. You don't need a factory crimp die. Get a good reloading manual and make sure the OAL is the same for the bullet you're using, as the book states. I had a ton of problems by going by factory ammo instead of a good manual. My bullets wouldn't go in. Checked the OAL of what I was reloading compared to the manual, and bam. The bullet needed to be seated a little more in my case. It wasn't the same length as factory ammo but for some wierd reason, it worked. Stuck to the book and everything was fine.
 
Might be over expanding your casings. This happened to me with a lee set. Play with your expanding die a bit to just barely flare the case.
And your right should be in reloading. Moderator's please ban this gentleman:)
 
Don't give up yet, it took me a while to get mine right. I had all the problems listed above before I found the right combination. My overall length is 1.274 even though the manual says 1.275 I'm not going to worry about it. My bell is very slight but enough that the bullet sits on the case.
 
marlin1895gs said:
hm, i was kinda going by factory rounds. at like 1.258-2.262 maybe thats the prob.
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Make sure you check your reloading manual and use what is recommended. If you load too short your pressure will increase and if you load too long you risk the bullet not firing properly possibly giving you a lodged bullet in the barrel.

Steve
 
jasonburnsdundee said:
Might be over expanding your casings. This happened to me with a lee set. Play with your expanding die a bit to just barely flare the case.
Click to expand...

Jason is on the money on this one....Try flaring your cases just enough to get the bullet in without shaving. I find it is perfect if the bullet will just barely balance/stand up in the case mouth before you feed it in to the seating die. This will pretty much eliminate the need to crimp at all. I've done thousands of .45 rounds and never had any problems with setback as a result. As a bonus, with less flare and the resulting less crimp you work your brass less, which will increase its life. Give it a try before you buy a new die for sure....

Good luck!
 
ok, well i flared a few a little less. and seated them at 1.275 and i crimped as much as it would allow before the top of the case touched the lil lip in the die, i really dont think i crimped it at all really tho. they feed fine and everything in the spartan, but the stupid ranger II and recoil master still doesn't feed em quite right. slide wont go all the way forward etc. and its havin a hard time ejecting the full cartridge. spartan is fine tho.
 
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