StraightSh00ter

I agree. Originally I didn't know exactly how the die worked and didn't want to deal with it, but I can't resist figuring out what's wrong with things and potentially fixing them. I'm trying to find the drum for my small dremel sand pads - the box stores didn't have any. For $30 I might just quit and grab an RCBS, Hornady, or Redding Pro die but we'll see. I don't need to load anything for another couple of weeks.

IceStud - good idea. Sarge - thanks. I was only finding the competition die (w/ mic). I thought there would be a straight section within the die before the taper starts, but that's not the case. So basically the die will let a .015" flare just barely fit before starting to crimp. And due to the machining marks all over the chamfer and inside the die, a .015" flare will end up shaving brass. A .010" flare is as big as I could make it and get it to smoothly enter the die, but this requires using some force when placing the bullet to get it to hold w/o tipping over. With .016" flare, the weight of my hand and bullet gives enough resistance to keep the bullet in place with the press running at a normal pace.

I've loaded something like 1250 or 1500 rounds since I modified the press. So far, one spent primer has landed on the floor - when the cup was full. I don't think that's enough rounds to say the 'problem' is totally solved, but it is enough to say it is an improvement.

I thought I did too. It seemed good at first, but I loaded a few hundred rounds last night and had maybe 7 bullets tip, 3 or 4 of them ended up deforming the case when they hit the die. There's still brass powder on the shell plate, but less than I had before and the cases look better and fit the chamber gauge easier. I definitely had too much flare when you were here - before cleaning my press I had less. Either way, I never had to pay this much attention to seating bullets to make sure they'd stay upright. I'm sure I just need a touch more flare, but then I'll get more brass on my shell plate. Sarge do you have a link to the non-micrometer Redding die you have?

Same for me - it helped, but didn't cure the problem. And now bullets are tipping over and crushing against the die. At least I'm learning how much crimp to use. I don't need another project at the moment so it will be a little while before I try adjusting it.

I assume you mean between 9 and 45, cause 9 and 40 are both small primer => no primer system changes. Even faster! Yeah, my mistake. Thanks.

Shooters Connection has been out of the 9mm for awhile. Most other places I looked were out of stock as well (speed shooter, oak hill guns, etc). Tripp shipped mine today though

I used the Pro Chrono for the first time this past weekend. Rain had just cleared so it was overcast but with one or two spots of blue sky, so I decided to use the diffusors. I fired about 6 strings of 40 rounds and the chrono picked up every single shot with no strange looking numbers. Very easy to use, and seemingly very reliable. I ordered parts to make the USB adapter but one of the shipments got turned around in the mail, and by the time it came I was on to another project. Hopefully I'll get that done in the next week or so and see how well I can recall data.

It's tough to find them - I was wondering if anyone had any insight. I was able to order one directly from Tripp's website but I guess I'll find out if they're actually available. Harrison's has a few in black, and Dawson has the CRP version available.

9mm 1911s are great to shoot, ammo is cheaper, and brass is easier to come by. There are also many more options for 9mm than .40. If you just want to shoot and have fun, 9mm would get my vote. .40 is more versatile as it gives you the option to shoot major or minor, and I think its a better choice if you are serious about competing/winning.

It was a combination of things: Somewhere along the way I got a little overboard with the flare, but I also had to back out the die really far to stop it from crimping. One I fixed the amount of flare I traded brass shavings for brass dust. I had to back the die out and screw the adjustment pretty far in to get it to a good place. Right now I'm in good shape but it would be nice to eventually have a die that didn't try to crimp. Thanks for the help - it was annoying making such a quick mess out of my freshly cleaned press.

Thanks guys - it sounds like the die is adjusted too far down. Without a bullet, the case enters the die and get shaved and apparently crimped. I'll back it out.

Thanks for the reply - I'm much happier knowing it's not just me How do you determine the seating die height? The Lee manual says 3 turns back from touching the shell plate for no crimp, so that's what I've been using. Since it's shaving brass it's hard to tell if its also crimping. Truthfully I'd rather find a die that didn't need modification, but I also don't want to drop $80 on a Redding right now since I've got a vacation coming up.

The 650 is an awesome machine. If you get dedicated tool heads for 40 and 9mm and a separate primer system, caliber conversions will be quick: a set screw and a bolt for the shell plate, 2 screws for the primer system, and 2 pins for the shell plate. It will take a couple of minutes longer if you don't have a second primer system. Since you're looking at buying a new press anyway, you can sell the SDB and use the $$$ for caliber change parts to make caliber changes quick and easy, and you will LOVE the 650.

There are other 'brass shaving' threads around but they all seem a little different, so please forgive a similar post.... I've been getting brass shavings all over my Dillon 650 shell plate. After a thorough cleaning and inspection I've found that they're coming from the Lee 9mm seating die. I reduced my flare to about .014" and it still is on the verge of shaving brass, and this amount of flare seems to be on the low side to me. With about .017 I can place bullets in the case and they comfortable pass the shoulder and stay in place, and they have no marks on the plating. With .014" I'm getting into the territory of scuffing the copper plating on the bullets, though not severely. If I flare a case, bypass the seat die and run it through the crimp die (without a bullet) it seems to remove the flare just fine w/o scraping brass. I read that the seating die can be used to crimp by adjusting the depth of the die. However I don't have it at the crimp position and the flared cases don't really fit inside the mouth of the die even trying by hand, so I don't believe it's trying to crimp anything. Any thoughts on what's going on? Does it sound unusual? Do all seating dies try to remove the flare?

Good, this is encouraging My club has a weekly indoor match over the winter. Since I'm new I've learned a lot from it. I guess we'll see what happens during future winters (if I stay in Ohio).

I started shooting at the end of last summer - I got my first gun in July and was in my first USPSA match a couple of weeks later. I had more fun than I could have imagined, and have shot competitively ~3 weeks per month since then. In addition I've spent thousands on guns, gear, reloading, etc. and plenty of time reloading or driving to a range. Nothing has changed, but I realized this morning that I want this to stay fresh and fun for a long time. I don't want to get burned out and end up with a room full of equipment that doesn't get used much. So, for those of you who got into shooting sports in a similar fashion, how do you keep from getting burned out? I guess the one thing that comes to mind is taking winters off, at least for the most part, or focusing on reloading and gear modification during the off-season and not shooting as much.

I have an Infinity trigger bow in my Sig 1911 and like it. My 'smith recommends Infinity components as his second choice option.

I've had to put narrower sights on the 2 pistols I just bought. Both came with .140" wide sights which is about as wide as the notch of the rear sight. But, front sights are designed to be under the target, or the top of the front sight splitting the target. So technically it shouldn't block it at all even if it's wide. I personally don't do that though - I got into the bad habit of target behind the dot, so my sight post blocks small targets at a distance. For all practical purposes I can see enough around the sight post to hit wherever I need to, but I needed a .100" front sight to make that happen.

I'm totally in denial and afraid to look, but I do make sure I meet my financial obligations and priorities first, and I don't use credit debt for shooting sports. I just started shooting at the end of the summer though - I know I've spent thousands since I've got a couple of guns and a Dillon 650, in addition to the mags, rig, contests, ammo, etc. but hopefully I'll get to a point where I'm only spending on supplies, matches, and upkeep, and will be more comfortable with the total number of transactions.

1911 or 2011 with short dust cover and a bushing barrel (Most 1911s; STI Marauder, STI Eagle w/ bushing, or custom 2011) CZ75 platform - lots of options (I like the CZ75 SA, or the 75 Shadow DA/SA) but you sacrifice capacity especially in .40, or points in 9mm, and sacrifice a little sight radius and barrel length to the 1911 guns. -If I was starting out I'd choose the Marauder - balances great in the hand, has a light rail for 3-gun in the dark, but 9mm sacrifices points in USPSA. -If I had some experience, was reloading, and cared about points I'd go with the Eagle in .40 with a bushing barrel, but no light rail and sacrifices capacity in 3-gun -Being hooked on shooting sports, I'd get a full custom 2011 in .40 and 9mm with a short tac-rail dust cover and a bushing barrel (this is what I personally would do today)

Keeping a 1911 platform clean is pretty easy if you keep it wet and clean it frequently enough. My first gun is a Sig 1911 and they have a pretty decent video on cleaning, but I've found that I don't need to do half the amount of work as in the video. Most of the deposits just wipe away since they seem to be suspended in the oil, and my barrel seems to stay pretty darn clean shooting 1k-2k rounds per month. One thing I got from the Sig video is 'use enough oil to leave finger prints when you touch a part, but not so much that it runs', which particularly applies to the barrel, lugs, slide rails, etc. So, I use a cleaning cloth, a handful of cotton swabs, and some Hoppe's #9 (NOT Elite, which is low viscosity) although I got some 30wt non-detergent motor oil to try. I have a $12 portable cleaning kit that I use on the barrel if I feel like I need it - usually I just pass a clean rag or patch through it to get loose particles, then a lightly oiled patch to keep it lubed and protected (all metal needs to be protected from rust, even stainless). I like cleaning my guns, and it has helped me get familiar with how they assemble and work. After a few months of cleanings I've become comfortable and confident enough to diagnose and make repairs or modifications, which I find to be quite rewarding. My Sig hasn't needed repairs, but I left the mods to a gunsmith while I started learning on a less expensive gun. I've done a bunch of de-burring, a trigger job, and a barrel throat adjustment, and now my 'cheap gun' runs perfectly and has an amazing trigger. It's really fun to shoot and feels great when people handle it for the first time and say 'wow, nice trigger!'

Nothing wrong with getting a .40 and loading to minor PF! Then you get the option to shoot 8rds of major or 10rds of minor. The Sig Match Elite is every bit as good as the guns mentioned above - I would say the Dan Wesson and the Sig are the 2 I like the best. I'd buy another SME.

Sorry guys, I guess I was mistaken about tri-topping being illegal. I was thinking about the statement: "Cuts that are designed to specifically or significantly lighten the slide, such as holes, or slots, are ruled as competitive advantage and prohibited," I personally don't understand how tri-cutting is not a 'cut that is designed to specifically or significantly lighten the slide" but I guess that's outside the scope of this thread. Similarly, under the Prohibited Modifications list, it states "Slide lightening, cuts, ports, or any milling deemed to provide a competitive advantage."

So, apparently you can get there with a random coarse stone and some sand paper! I ended up with the sweetest trigger I've ever experienced. I'm still planning on getting the tools for when I upgrade to quality steel parts, but for now I'm pretty happy. I shot a few Bill Drills in 2.0 seconds (A-C though), which for me is pretty good since it's the second time I've ever tried Bill Drills.