So I decided to start reloading .45 ACP. The problem comes when I'm seating the bullets. Some of the rounds have a ripple on the side after I seat the bullet. If I run my finger down the side of the round, it doesn't feel smooth. There seems to be bumps. This is not happening to all my rounds. Probably one in five have this problem. I'm using federal brass. I'm not sure of the problem comes from not flairing the round enough before its seated or if the round is being pushed to far down. The OAL I'm using is 1.265" Any help would be greatful!!!!
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Trouble reloading .45 ACP I need some help.
- Thread starter tag_heuer
- Start date
You're starting the crimp before the bullet is seated, it will barely show up on lead, but plated bullets it is a disaster, jacketed bullets survive, I think with jacketed, you can crunch your brass. What bullet? Crimping in a separate stage might be necessary.
Whoa, may be crimping too soon? Back your die out some, readjust the seating plug and see what gives. You're still going to have to crimp, so cull these test rds.
Do they feed in the gun with this anomaly?
They feed properly. Which is wierding me out too. I'm concerned. The 9mm I load doesn't do this. So that's why I think it's a die adjustment. But I'm not sure. Thanks for all your help so far
Crimping in a sep stage is really best all-around, brass is never exactly the same length, even if you trimmed it? Which you need not do with pistol brass.
1-Check the flare on the case mouth. What does it measure?
2-Seating and crimping should not occur in the same step
3-Personally not a fan of the Lee FCD on any handgun round. All you want to do is remove the bell and straighten out the case. Over Crimping leads to loss of accuracy and creates another set of problems.
2-Seating and crimping should not occur in the same step
3-Personally not a fan of the Lee FCD on any handgun round. All you want to do is remove the bell and straighten out the case. Over Crimping leads to loss of accuracy and creates another set of problems.
I had this problem when I loaded 40 S&W and I always thought it was because it was sizing the brass slightly smaller than the bullet and then when I loaded the projectile it was pushing the walls back out. If I felt along the side of the brass I could also feel that bump or lip that it sounds like you are talking about. They all fed and functioned fine when I shot them, but perhaps I shouldn't have.
Likewise, I never have this issue with 9mm, it was only when I reloaded 40.
Likewise, I never have this issue with 9mm, it was only when I reloaded 40.
9mm case is tapered, .45 acp is straight, that little "bump" you see on the case comes from the case being sized smaller than the bullet, it is perfectly normal.
Do yourself a favor, seat and crimp separately and use a taper crimp. To about .470.
Do yourself a favor, seat and crimp separately and use a taper crimp. To about .470.
I thought he was talking about a bump on the bullet itself because he stated 1in5, if 100% of the cases don't have a bullet line, he has issues?
There's a bullet line in the case, but it ripples. I pulled back the seating die a bit and it seemed to fix the problem, but now the case is too wide to be seated in the gun. I need to play around with it
I have run into this many times with different calibers. I also believe this is due to the sizing die squeezing the case body down to a smaller inside diameter than the outside diameter of the bullet. It would be easy enough to check. Measure the I.D. of your cases after sizing, and compare that to the O.D. of the bullet you are using. If you are using cases that have a seating ring, you can't seat your bullets past that ring or you will have chambering issues. Make sure your case mouth is crimped to the propper diameter and you'll probably be fine. If you are still uncomfortable with the looks of your rounds, get yourself a wilson chamber gauge, and check to see if they fit properly. This gauge will let you know if they will chamber, and if the case length is right.
+1 on recommending the Lee factory crimp die. If your brass isn't trimmed to length it is harder to be consistent when seating and crimping in the same die. I had a similar problem when I first started loading pistol rounds. The Lee FCD fixed them. It is extremely easy to set up and hopefully will solve your problems.
You don't mentioned whether or not your are using brass with the same headstamp but most handgunners I know use range brass they've picked up and stamps are mixed and therefore the brass can have different thicknesses. When you size your brass, it is sized to an outside diameter by your sizing die. If a particular piece of brass is on the thicker side, the inside diameter will be smaller than some and can show the "bullet bump" you are experiencing. I see them all the time and have never experienced a problem with feeding or extraction. If I see one that is more pronounced than what I consider normal, I check it with a case gauge.
Brutha please...if you are trimming .45 brass you need to grow a pair. In over 30 years, 25 1911's, a Thompson and Glocks I have never trimmed a single piece of .45 brass.
I can only hope to shoot against people who use the Lee FCD on pistol ammo.
I can only hope to shoot against people who use the Lee FCD on pistol ammo.
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I've had it happen a lot with the same die setup but in my 650. Doesn't do it all the time, so I assume its due to the inconsistent length of the range pickups I'm using. Hasn't caused issues other than looking funny. Only happens on my .45 stuff.
I always thought .45 ACP headspaces off the mouth. But, I understand what you're trying to say, relatively straight-walled cases don't grow much at each firing and reloading, especially short, stubby brass like the .45 ACP.
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I'm in agreement with the use of the Lee FCD. I also use them for my .45ACP reloads. And they definitely do make things easier on the process.
Tag...another feature of the Lee die is the carbide ring at the mouth of the die. Sometimes the short, fat bullets get seated a bit cockeyed...bulging one side of the case. The carbide ring ensures that the loaded round will fit and function correctly. May not be the best for absolute accuracy at long range, but at pistol ranges, especially for antipersonnel usages, you want it to slide into the chamber and go bang each time. The die also enables enough crimp for strong revolver loadings where the heavy bullet may "jump the crimp" and lock up the cylinder. JMHO
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