"Bulge Buster" Dies

powdergun

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Has anyone used these dies from Lee ?
Can you achieve the same sizing with a regular set of pistol dies ?

Reason: Wanting to load for a Glock and I've read you need to deal with bulging brass. Especially with the 40 sw
 
If the glock is gen 3 or newer, don't worry about case bulges too much, just keep an eye in the brass.. If you find bulged brass don't reload it.., no bulge buster makes it safe ever again
 
The "Glock bulge" was fixed a few years after the problem surfaced and became a non-issue.

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And it wasn't just a "Glock" problem, feed ramps were redesigned and the cases were strengthened.

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And I have never had a problem with my Gen 3 Glock .40 and the only bulge is on the target inside the X ring.

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I have the Lee bulge buster die. No you cannot get the same result from regular dies. If your picking up range brass, I'd recommend using the bulge buster.
 
I use the G-Rx die from Redding. I got mine from Grouse River Outfitters (.40/10mm). It works well. I did have a moron moment where I used it with the ammo going up into it head side up. It went fine for a while until I jammed the plunger into a casing. I wrote Redding an email to ask about it, realized my error. I told them I was a moron and they got a decent laugh about it, They were fast and supportive. In a couple months, I should be able to tell you if it save the brass. I've shot a lot of 10mm through the G20 and it needs G-RX for sure. The .40S&W barrel is a Lone Wolf so has a bit better support and it doesn't bulge much.
I have most of abotu 2000 rounds prepped. I'll report back.
 
I have read that if you are loading lead bullets to send the cases through the bulge buster before seating the bullet. The reason is that the bulge buster can under size softer lead bullets and lead to barrel leading or even bullet tumbling.
 
I have read that if you are loading lead bullets to send the cases through the bulge buster before seating the bullet. The reason is that the bulge buster can under size softer lead bullets and lead to barrel leading or even bullet tumbling.

tictactician, your talking about the Lee carbide factory crimp die, cast lead bullets are normally oversized and this factory crimp die has a carbide ring in the base to remove any case bulges from over crimping. The problem is a over sized cast bullet can be squeezed to a smaller diameter and cause the problems you are talking about.

A "Bulge Buster" die is nothing more than a carbide sizing die that allows you to push the entire case through the carbide ring and out the top of the die. The simple truth is you don't need a "Bulge Buster" die if your fired cases don't have a bulge. AND if I find range pickup brass with a bulge I throw it in my scrap brass bucket. Meaning I'm not as big of a cheap bastard as Shooter ----/ is and there are too many good once fired non-bulged case laying around to chance using strained brass bulged brass.

On the flip side of this if you are firing "Lite Loads" then bulged range pickup brass inspected by young eyes with good inspection techniques and high standards can and do work just fine.
 
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Thanks Bigedp51. You are absolutely right. The Lee bulge buster is a factory crimp die with the seating stem removed and a plastic catch basket placed on top.
As you confirmed what I was trying to say. If loading lead run empty cases through the bulge buster not loaded rounds.
 
I have taken 40 S&W brass with bad Glock bulges and resized them back to normal with my regular RCBS carbide die, not sure why others have a problem doing this.
 
Ran all my G20c 10mm brass thru a Lee FCD in hole #5 of my Dillon... A full length die will get most of the glock ring out of your brass but a FCD will make sure it's perfect... Kinda like having a chamber gauge installed on the last hole of my progressive.

If "glocked" brass is a constant issue try lower pressure loads with plated bullets... Your brass will thank you.
 
I have the Lee bulge buster die. No you cannot get the same result from regular dies. If your picking up range brass, I'd recommend using the bulge buster.

The real problem is there are Glock owners out there that have the older barrels, they don't keep up with their reading and haven't replaced the older barrels and are shooting "HOT" loads.

From the Lee website and their Bulge buster kit.

Quote:
Glock Cases: We do not recommend "fixing" cases fired in pistols with unsupported chambers, because there is no way to make them safe once they have bulged. The case wall is thinned where it bulges, and resizing the outside of the case back down to the correct diameter does not restore the case back to its original thickness. If this case is fired in a pistol with an unsupported chamber again, and this thinned section of brass happens to line up with the unsupported part of the chamber, there is a high probability that the case will rupture.

http://leeprecision.com/bulge-buster-kit.html

So be forewarned, many, many people use range pickup brass and I am one of them. But by not reading and staying informed is the major reason these bulge Kaboom mishaps happen. "Stupid is as stupid does"

The "Bulge Problem" isn't just a Glock problem and you need to inspect any and all cases you pickup at the range. You will find baby bulges all the time "BUT" its the big papa bear bulge that can get you into trouble.
 
If "glocked" brass is a constant issue try lower pressure loads with plated bullets... Your brass will thank you.

I bet your almost as smart and good looking as I am. :evil:

Make Right With a “.40 Lite”
http://www.handgunsmag.com/ammo/ammunition_40lite_091806/

NOTE: The Speer #14 reloading manual has 165 gr law enforcement loads (.40 Lite) and are warmer than the loads above.

Also when this problem came to light the ammunition manufactures started making the .40 cases thicker in the base
 
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