resizing loaded ammo

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Recently I loaded 500 40s&w.
I have not touched the tool head with this setup in quite a while.
So when I went to the range today non of this ammo would chamber in either of my 40's.
Apparently some how my full length sizing die backed out ever so slightly.

My question is, would it be safe to resize this ammo to the proper dimensions wile it is still loaded or do I have to pull all 500?

I figure if I remove the primmer punch from the sizing die, I should theoretically be able to resize the loaded ammo without pulling the bullets and powder.

Please chime in if this seams like a ridiculous idea. I would not want to take any unreasonable risks.

Just looking to save some time and effort.

Thanks for your time

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Try this and it should give you your answer. Run one empty case through your sizing die and measure the diameter of the sized brass near the case mouth where the bullet will be seated. Now measure the case diameter of a loaded round at the same location. The measurements should tell you why your idea will, or will not work.
 
My main concern is one of safety.
Would it be safe to run loaded ammo through a sizing die?

Thanks for the suggestions.
I may now be looking for a push through sizing die to prevent this issue in the future

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Restricted said:
My main concern is one of safety.
Would it be safe to run loaded ammo through a sizing die?

Thanks for the suggestions.
I may now be looking for a push through sizing die to prevent this issue in the future

Restricted
Click to expand...

If you take the measurements that I suggested taking, it should become very clear that the loaded rounds will not even fit into the sizing die.
 
Can't resize now, all you can try is to crimp a bit more. Try one, see if it works, if not, you have learned a valuable lesson.
 
Restricted said:
My main concern is one of safety.
Would it be safe to run loaded ammo through a sizing die?

Thanks for the suggestions.
I may now be looking for a push through sizing die to prevent this issue in the future

Restricted
Click to expand...

I don't see a safety concern.
I can't see how the case could be too large over the bullet, stopping the cartridge from going into the chamber.
If measuring proves the case is too large near the base, you may be able to size it down, but that may squeeze the bullet down a bit.
My thought is that you may have over crimped it with a standard seating/crimping die, resulting in a bulge in the case. Not sure if this could happen in a straight wall pistol case, but it is common in a bottle neck rifle case.
 
Common problem with new pistol reloaders having a bit too much crimp. Much more common when using lead or plated bullets. The excess crimp allows the lead to actually flow forward of the case mouth creating an oversized ring. Not a problem at all resizing a loaded case. In fact, one of the best weapons you can have in your arsenal is a Lee Factory Crimp Die (FCD) which restores the loaded round to spec. Eliminates the FTF or come into battery problem, which only seems to happen when you really need the gun to operate such as competition. When setting up the bullet seating/crimping die, you should always chamber check your rounds(in your chamber/barrel removed from the gun) to ensure they fit properly. Don't worry, you will have other problems in the future which will frustrate u more. Its all part of learning.
dB
 
First of all, are you sure that you have not seated the bullets to far out? This is the usual cause of pistol reloads failing to chamber. If this is not the cause, and your cases were not fully sized, a Lee Factory Crimp die with the carbide sizing insert is the correct tool to re-size your loaded rounds. As mentioned above, back off the crimp adjustment knob if you do not wish to crimp.

A regular sizing die will not work; it will make the bullets undersize.
 
use a lee debulge tool.. it'll get rid of any case bulges in either loaded or unloaded brass. you especially have to do this if your picking up range brass
 
Turns out my resizing die backed out about 3/4 of a turn.
I pulled the primer punch out of the die and ran a few blanks through it.
That solved the problem. So I have now realized about half of the loaded rounds and all is well

Thanks for the help all
Much appreciated

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.....that is the reason many of us run a Lee FCD in the last station on our progressive presses when running pistol ammo, if anything goes wrong with the full length sizer the FCD should catch it... Some folks make the point if your paying attention you should never need it, you just found out why we do.
 
You are correct.
I was not paying attention.
I have loaded better the 100,000 rounds and every time I get complacent it catches up with me.
Running a fully automated progressive should merit more focus.
 
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