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First, lube only if needed (all bottleneck cartridges need lube, even if using a Dillon carbide die) Second, only lube as much as necessary (my RCBS Lube Pad and RCBS Case Lube have worked 100% since I bought them in 1972, and I don't get any lube on the case shoulder or mouth). Third: Never, ever, worried about residual lube on any case, straightwall or bottleneck. Back when I started reloading, manuals basically said to always remove the case lube if: 1) pressures exceeded 60ksi and 2) the bolt was rear locking. You could get a rear locking bolt to flex enough to lock-up the rifle. Four: With pistol cases, the only cases I have ever lubed since carbide dies became a thing (about 1975?), are 9x19 (9mmm Luger) cases and, at that, it only happens once or twice a year for unknown reasons (since, by the next day, lube has not been needed again).

5.0-5.3gn Unique. Used to be my PPC/Bullseye load

Never been a problem for me. Back in prehistory, loading manuals noted that if you were shooting high pressure loads (60ksi +) and using a rear locking bolt action rifle, that you should remove case lube, otherwise, the chamber walls might not grip the case enough and the case would push back on the bolt too much and the bolt (being rear locking) could flex and lock up the action. This was still a rare occurrence, but it reportedly could happen. I never worried about it and never had an issue.

I have found using my electrolytic lead cleaner, that it mostly just irons out the lead. YMMV.

Never shoot others reloads. Never ever shoot UNKNOWN reloads.

In general, clean the barrel well between lead and jacketed bullets. Other than that, load safely.

This is only for dies used for straight wall cases for handguns If I was ordering individual dies and money was not a issue: Hornady New Dimensions sizing dies (Lee and Hornady size lower on cases than other brands and the Hornady and Redding ceramic sizes easier) Powder-through expander dies would be powder measure specific. If all I want is an expander die, I would order one that specifically expands the case ID to 0.001" less than actual bullet diameter. This means a std. die body and a range of expander mandrels to cover jacketed and lead bullets. Brand doesn't matter. Seating dies again would be any standard die body and a range of seating stems such that I have one "perfect" fitting bullet stem for each bullet I use. Crimp dies would be ANY taper crimp die, except of the Lee FCD if using lead bullets. They all work great. For roll crimp, I would only use Redding Profile Crimp dies (or the Lee FCD in an emergency if I didn't have a profile crimp die and wasn't using lead bullets). The only reason to sweat the brand is if there is a special aspect you need/want. For instance, my fine muscle control is going away with age and I have a hard time placing small (.357" and smaller bullets) square on the case mouth, so I use Lee seating dies with the Lee bullet feeder to manually to position the bullet under the seating die. Most people don't have this issue or have needs so great that they have expensive bullet feeders so they don't even have to touch a bullet. Bullet feeding dies are probably specific to the bullet collator being used. You want to spend the money of a micrometer adjustable seating die so you can return the die very close to a previous setting--go for a brand that offers that option.

The solution to chambering problems is to determine the cause: Take the barrel out of the gun (or, open the cylinder of the revolver). Drop rounds in until you find one that won't chamber. Take that round and "paint" the bullet and case black with Magic Marker or other marker. Drop round in chamber (or gage or cylinder chamber) and rotate it back-and-forth a few times. Remove and inspect the round: 1) Scratches in the ink on bullet--COL is too long (not a revolver issue) 2) Scratches in the ink on edge of the case mouth--insufficient crimp 3) Scratches in the ink just below the case mouth--too much crimp, you're crushing the case 4) Scratches in the ink on case at base of bullet--bullet seated crooked due to insufficient case expansion (not case mouth flare) or improper seating stem fit 5) Scratches in the ink on case just above extractor groove--case bulge not removed during sizing. May need a bulge buster.

There is a tool called a chamfer and deburring tool. You use it on new cases and trimmed cases, You very lightly deburr the case mouth inside and out (you are NOT trying to make the case mouth a cutting tool) and clean the case interior. What you are currently doing is using the expander section to remove the burrs from the inside and and the seating stem/crimp to remove the burrs from the outside. https://loaddata.com/Article/BenchTopics/Chamfering-Case-Mouths/38

You should have been a progressive press user when almost all die sets were: sizing expand/decap seat/crimp and the sizing dies were all steel (so you had to lube all your cases) and there were NO powder-through dies.

I have never found a taper crimp die from any manufacturer to be superior to any one else's. If shooting lead bullets, don't bother with the Lee FCD (or remove the sizing ring). I used to order Lee Taper Crimp dies what they were $10, as they were easily as good as any other. Now they cost as much as the FCD.

When it comes to N320, look to 231/HP38, Zip, and Green Dot.

No, you will find that ANY swaging of the lead bullet is bad (unless you can swage the bullet only in the middle of the bearing surface so the bullet base and shoulder will still seal the barrel. The FCD can only swage the bearing surface of the bullet (BAD) or the base of the bullet that was seated crooked (BAD) and "adjust" the bearing surface so the center of gravity is no longer coaxial with the barrel. The bullet only NEEDS to deform to seal for very low pressure wadcutter cartridges (.38 Spl wadcutters at <750fps and .32 S&W L at <700fps), and yet I have never found that to work. In fact, for best accuracy of HBWC bullets, I find that a bullet of 0.360" at the skirt and NOT swaged down is the most accurate, despite the fact that the skirt should expand and seal the barrel. Sorry, tested to many wadcutters over the years and that finding keeps being proven in revolvers and semi-autos. Other than that, you don't want to swage the bullet down at all--it has to tightly seal the barrel or hot gasses will blow by the lead bullet and melt off lead from the being surface and lead the barrel (and, NO, the bullet base does NOT melt). This is why with Lee Liquid Alox and some/all coatings, size is not so critical as the coating itself resists ablation. PS: Lee invented the things for the problem I described. There may be other uses, but they will still rate as problems that have other and better solutions.

Joe4d: Where speed and s.d. if used for making power factor.

For almost 50 years, I have shot 0.357" jacketed bullets in my 9x19 and .38 Super guns. About 50 years ago, you could not find a .355" bullet in the gun stores, as folks didn't shoot 9x19 back then. The 9x19 was just getting somewhat popular due to the S&W M39. All reloaders were happily shooting 0.357-0.358" bullets without any issue. It just doesn't matter. For lead bullets, I make sure that the bullets diameter is always at least 0.001" over actual barrel groove diameter, so I shoot bullet from 0.356-0.359". Guess what? About 40 years ago I ran tests and found that shooting UNSIZED lead bullet was actually more accurate and I just cast my bullets and used them. The 9mm/.38 bullets were 0.358-0.3595" out of the molds. If I were you, I would not worry about the groove diameter for jacketed bullets and use any 0.355-0.357" bullets I could find (and stock up on what works best for YOU). For lead bullets, a bit bigger than actual groove diameter the rule. I sort of love when 9mm bullets are out of stock, as I simply order .38 bullets and go on my merry way. 147+gn bullets in 9x19 became popular because there was perceived to be less movement of the slide up and down, so you were on target faster. I found that for me, the faster slide action of 115-124gn bullets returned the sights to the target faster than the slower movement of the 147gn bullets. I shoot .45 Auto more accurately than .22 LR. Why? Don't know, but I think I just don't concentrate as much when shooting a .22. So, what to train with? You got it—the .22. YMMV Never believe "one size fits all."

0.05gn is traditional, that is why measures have traditionally measure in 0.1gn increments. a reading of 6.4gn is really somewhere between 6.35_ to 6.44_ gn, which is your +/- 0.05gn. Now, for pistols that shoot groups measured in multiple inches at 25 yards (and, generally, in multiple inches at distances of less than 15 yards), the exact powder weight is of no significance as long as it is safe. The bullet hasn't even properly stabilized yet, and any external ballistic calculator will show you that changes of 100 fps mean NOTHING at POI at 25 yards or less—they are all on almost EXACTLY the same upward arc. So, Is your anal weight control ACTUALLY doing you any good? No. Could be important if you were shooting 100+ yds with a 0.5 MOA gun

Leading means the bullet does not fit the barrel or the lube is bad. Actually slug the barrel and get bullets that are AT LEAST 0.001" LARGER than actual groove diameter. From guns I have slugged, 9x19 barrels have ranged from 0.3545 to 0.3615". For virtually ALL bullets, pull a bullet after seating and crimping and check it for damage or change in diameter. Your dies are not adjusted until you have passed this test. For coated bullets, you have the possibility that the coating was imperfectly formulated or improperly cured. Call the manufacturer. Finally, for all lead bullets that lead the barrel, a simple very light application of Lee Liquid Alox has always solved the issue. If using a Lee FCD, either throw it away or remove the ceramic SIZING RING. I found about 10 years ago that they DID swage down my lead bullets and I haven't used them since. The main reason to use them is because you can't seat a bullet coaxially with the case, so you get a case bulge where the bullet presses out on the case at the bullet base. Learn to seat the bullet properly and throw away the crutch. A properly EXPANDED case (not case mouth flare) ID that is 0.001-0.002" under actual bullet diameter and a bullet seating stem that FITS the bullets (and isn't simply "the best fit" out of the bad generic seating stems you have) will go a long way to improve the ammunition.

+/- 0.010" is perfectly normal Measure OAL of your bullets Measure COL of factory rounds Get a seating stem that only contacts the bullet low on the ogive If you are truly anal, seat a bit long, move the round to another press, and seat in small increments until you get your targeted COL The only contacts for seating is seating stem to bullet and case head to shell plate, so variation must be bullet variation, different ram pressure, and press flexure For a 6-20 moa Pistol, you'll never see any effect out to at least 50 yds. As they say in meatballs, "It just doesn't matter."

Why use hard alloy for .45 Auto? To me, 11-13 BHN is hard and more than hard enough for .45. If worried about leading, get coated bullets. I have never gotten bad bullets from a commercial source, though I have had a couple that were undersized for my gun (and, yes, HARD lead does do a lot more leading then "soft" if fit isn't there), but even the really ugly National Bullet Co. bullets shot very accurately out to 25 yds. All you need with lead bullets and handguns is to have the base completely filled out without any wrinkles at the base.

Well, they did say it had flash suppressors in the formulation. Most won't discuss competitor's products.

Since seating is only based on contact between the seater stem and the bullet and the case head to the shell plate, where would case length come into the equation—assuming seating and crimp are separate.. Next, for almost any pistol shooting, normal COL variance of +/- 0.010" makes no difference to POI out to 50 yds and you'll never notice any pressure variance..

Lee and Hornady size down the furthest of common sizing dies, and Hornady and Redding size easier than other common sizing dies. I run mostly Lee on my 1050s, with some Hornady New Dimension. If dies don't chamber after sizing, Bulge Busting takes care of the problem.

It simply isn't an issue other than the aesthetics of not having kernels on your arm. The gun doesn't care and accuracy is unaffected, so why sweat it? You can increase the charge to reduce the unburned kernels even more. Ask at an indoor range how much "unburned" powder they have to sweep up every day. I would rather not worry about a non-issue then to clean my gun between runs as I would then need 2-20 fouling shots to get it back to known accuracy.

TG and pressure spikes: That is my "opinion" as I have shot many TG loads and at low starting loads, with rounds that have all been weighed to +/- 0.05gn, I will get maybe 1 or 2 out of 10 rounds that have significantly different recoil impulse and more flattened primer than the other 8-9 rounds. I also get this occasionally with N310 and Clays. This doesn't happen every time, but enough to make me wary. NEVER with any other powder. I also always check bullet tension after seating the bullet and before "crimping," so I don't think that I have bullet set-back and, if I did, it wouldn't only show up with these three powders so consistently.

Never used the Dillon powder check. I already had the Lock-Out die before I ever got a 1050. Very sensitive—it fails charges that are in cases with a slightly different case capacity. I use it "loose" on the press and, when I get a Lock-Out, note if it is by very much, adjust just a little and then inspect the charge in the case and weigh it. After several years, I have not found a charge out by more than 0.2gn, but I STILL use the die and still look in the case.