OAL Varies

RT

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Loading up 124gr 9mm, mostly win/rem brass on lee 1000 press.

Trying to maintain 1.110" aol and measure them every 10rds or so and and find the oal varies from about 1.108" all the way up to 1.120". Ive measured bullet and brass lengths and they are all the same, primers seated properly. Checked the dies, been over the press to make sure alls well and cant really find any reason:confused:

Anyone happen to no why the variation? I figure a couple thou is acceptable but 10 thou really seems a bit much!
 
Are you using the same pressure on the upward stroke when seating the bullet?

Check your practice, youwant to get the handle all of the way down.

Yes, I try to be contious of using a full stroke when seating the primer and bullet.

Ive loaded 1000s of rounds with this press and never had this type of trouble, thats why its becomeing so troublesome to me... or maybe its time to treat myself to a new upgrade
 
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You're actually seating bullets on the ogive. So if the ogive slightly varies from bullet to bullet (very common -even with match bullets), your AOL will too.
Ensure they feed and load into the mag, and you should have no worries.
 
Just took the carrier, turret, die apart, checked the shell plate with a staight edge and it all looks good.

So what accepable for OAL? Obviously too short ( less than min) is not good, these all vary above min OAL, but seem to vary by as much as ten thou of of the OAL Im trying to achieve. Will there be signifigant pressure difference? It should still be accepable since Im above min OAL. I no they will feed as Ive loaded them as long as 1.125" without problem!

Hmmmmm...
 
1.17" for the 124gr'ers


So 1.17" is the max OAL.

But whats accepable from rnd to rnd when reloading? To my thinking they should all be the same, say within a thou or so...10 thou just seems to much of a varience while reloading! However maybe thats expecting a bit much.

I also just tryed a different brand bullet, same weight, same results!

Also got out sum factory S& B and sum American Eagle and they are all within 2 thou.

:confused:
 
Can you change the bullet profile insert in the seating die? My Dillon dies have two inserts for different bullet profiles, one may be more suited to the deviations in length/ogive in a particular brand of bullets.

If you're not right at max load data, you could try firing a couple of the short rounds to see if there are any signs of high pressure. Chances are you're safe if they're only short by 0.01.
 
So 1.17" is the max OAL.

But whats accepable from rnd to rnd when reloading? To my thinking they should all be the same, say within a thou or so...10 thou just seems to much of a varience while reloading! However maybe thats expecting a bit much.

I also just tryed a different brand bullet, same weight, same results!

Also got out sum factory S& B and sum American Eagle and they are all within 2 thou.

:confused:

I think you are expecting too much.
If this matters to you, do you get your powder to the hundredth of a grain? how about the weight of the bullets themselves? There are alot of other variables that matter more than a .012" variance in oal.
 
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