New reloader. Setup a used Dillon and tried some .40S&W

Syphen

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Barrie, ON
Got a second hand Dillon.. Came with a set of Lee Dies for .40S&W.. I've been reloading 9mm quite successfully with it but tried my hand at .40 finally.
I'm not happy with the results but the rounds fit in a case gauge no problem and measure okay, but they look weird.

IMG_20130630_154757_zpsb26836e2.jpg


Its a little hard to tell but it seems that the resizing die is making the brass so small that I end up with almost an hourglass shape once the cases are full loaded and crimped.

There is a few mm at the base where I am reading 0.421", 0.415" in the "waist" and 0.420" around the projectile. The Lee sizing/decapping die is a full length die if I am not mistaken but with it fully down and just barely touching the deck, its not sizing about 3mm of the case and it almost seems to size a bit too tight.

Is this normal? Am I crazy? The ammo looks shiny but almost lumpy.

My 9mm reloads all turned out nice and smooth, almost factory looking - and shoot fantastic!

Any feedback?
 
I strive to get "hourglass" semi-auto ammo. When you've got your brass being opened up by the bullet being squeezed in, you're guaranteeing a very nice crimp without needing much of a brass mouth squeeze ( which if done incorrectly - could result in a broken plating or jacket)
It may look odd, but they're good to go.

I even put a 38 super sizing die in my second station on my 1050 when I'm loading 9mm so I can "straightwall" the tapered cases a bit and get the same effect you're seeing with your 40s
 
I get that with 9mm.

Are those CMJ bullets ? Some bullets are slightly oversized so they seal better in the bore. This is common in softer material bullets like Cast and CMJ.
As a consequence it can cause that effect.
 
yeah i wouldn't worry about it either, something i see all the time on both factory reloaded and new ammo from reputable companies never seen it on steel casings dough i think its actually interesting to see bullets of different weights seated at different depths.
 
Yeah, CamPro's do that to me too in my 9mm, and they measure oversized. The 9mm bullets actually shot well out of my 357 cause of that.
 
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