bhglr

Muchas gracias! Shortening the OAL made a huge difference.

Yes, I think the gauge is fine to be honest... the factory Winchester (at an OAL of 1.260ish I think) clears the gauge and sits flush without any resistance. My OAL now is around 1.272" so I'm going to shorten that first down to 1.260". I hope that's the answer. I proposed the question about the EGW U die simply because some of my empty sized brass (resized by the Dillon die) does not fit the case gauge well whereas some slips in and out perfectly - tested prior to priming/seating/crimping. I wasn't sure if the U die would introduce other problems though... ? It has to be something simple that I'm doing, or not doing...

Thanks, your data closely mirrors that of other posts I have read. I have been unable to find any data specifically for the 230 gr RN and yes, the OAL was what concerned me. For such a popular bullet it seems there would be formal data.

Interesting... yes I may try the loads at an OAL of 1.260 as I mentioned above since the Speer manual has the data. Not wanting to be too aggressive on my first reloads I went with the longer OAL data. Any thoughts on trying an EGW U die as some of my brass doesn't fit the gauge even after resizing with Dillon's die. I've read some posts on people's dislike of Dillon's gauges. Maybe the EGW gauge???

From the praise that Clays receives here I purchased a bottle. Got home, sat down, and tried to find data on loads for a 230 gr FMJ RN. I tried the Hodgdon reloading online manual and the only 230 gr bullet listed that was close was the Hornady FMJ FP starting at 3.7 gr OAL 1.200". My specific question is can I substitute the FMJ RN for the flat point? The OAL seems short to me... I'm new at this and don't want to destroy my gun. Power factor is not a concern for me at the moment. Thanks.

Crimp measures around .470" (max is .473" for .45 ACP). I could give it one more turn and see how that does. I measured my bell between ten and twenty one-thousandths (maybe .483/.484" or so? - at work now), which according to the manual should be OK though the bell does look significant to the naked eye. Also the powder funnel sticks significantly on the upstroke... I need to try a little more One Shot I guess. I don't think the sticking would affect the gauging though (?). Additionally, I may try to load with a shorter OAL. The factory Winchester measures around 1.260 and smaller crimp diameter. The Speer manual has load data for 1.260" OAL. I was using Lyman which lists OAL at 1.275". I wonder if this will make a difference...

New to reloading... just got started on my 550b. Reloading is as much fun as shooting... well maybe. I am glad I went with the Dillon. I'm having one problem with some of my 45 ACPs not fitting the Dillon Case Gauge. Not sure where the problem is so I thought I would seek some advice before ordering an EGW U die which I think would 'fix' the problem - if there even is one. Without further adieu here is my dilemma. 230gr Zero FMJ FYI. All of the brass was factory fired from my M&P 45. These cases were CCI Blazer Brass some headstamped as CCI and some headstamped as Blazer. On my first few batches I noticed probably 25% of my cases would not fit in the case gauge... a little of the base hanging out. No extractor marks... I inserted the case upside down and the rim fits so I deduced it must be in the case itself. Being very cautious, on the next batch I de-primed each case with the 550, removed it and put it in the case gauge before proceeding. I was thinking I can't go wrong now... if they fit the case gauge before priming/seating/crimping I should be good. Well, for the most part the rounds turned out well but I still had a few that wouldn't quite fit in the case gauge that originally fit before reloading. How could this be? My rounds measure approx 1.270-1.273" OAL. I made sure to crimp just enough to remove the bell. Neck/crimp measures approx. .470". Before loading the second batch I reinserted my resizing die turning it to where it just touches the shell plate as per the video manual (just to make sure this wasn't the problem). I then removed the barrel from my 45 and, for the most part, my rounds that didn't quite fit into the Dillon Gauge chambered fine... Do you think this is a gauge problem? The reason I ask is that I want the reassurance that my rounds are OK so I can progressively reload and not have to spend so much time chambering them in my barrel etc. Also for safety purposes, I would like to know they are OK... It feels good when the rounds just slip into the gauge easily - it gives me a piece of mind. I am thinking about ordering an EGW U die to try out. Thoughts? I know that the rounds that chamber in my barrel are OK... I just would like a solution where I can be relatively sure that the rounds will fit - from reading about the EGW U die, I feel this may help (?). I'm at a loss as to why some of the cases fit after resizing and don't fit after loading. Thanks.

I downloaded the VihtaVuori reloading guide pdf today. Looking at the 9mm they list data for a 124gr "Lapua Megashock" bullet with COL 1.130. Is this a JHP? From searching google I did find one picture of a hollow point but it was labeled in Italian. I was considering using this data to load 125gr Zero JHP (have a few hundred given to me) with N320 or N340 when I get my 550b (hopefully soon). Thanks. EDIT (nm... found my answer with a little more searching... it is indeed a JHP)