ChemistShooter

No, because the case gage doesn't tell you if the round is doubled charged, or has no powder, of it the primer is in upside down, or that the round has bullet setback. It just tells you it fits, or not, like missing the crimp (de-bell) station. If it doesn't fit, most likely it will not chamber, but not always. It's really just for checking crimp on a loaded round. I have .357SIGs case gage, and not chamber, and vice versa, not so much with 9mm. Checking every round on a progressive it not very productive. The features that remain the same are the dies and shell plate. Bullets and brass can very somewhat. The thing to watch out for is if a bullet readily drops into the case at the seating station, that's bad juju. I always give a hard press to make sure. And unless you are running high density (low volume) powders, even if you double charge it, the bullet won't seat. Other than that, not much to see. If you feel you must check every round, than do it in the chamber of the gun, not the case gage. Your are overthinking this again, get to the gripping and ripping part.... 9, I have already got a note in my reloading SOP to discard a case a bullet just drops into. I don't talk about shooting because that requires physical presence to cure problems. Why my rounds wander a little high and to the left is something only I can determine. And as to "gripping and ripping", I have reloaded about 1800 rounds but fired about 5200 . . .

So far I have been case-gauging every round I make, 1800 rounds so far. I drop the round into the case gauge, then turn it over so that it falls out. I have yet to have a round fail the case gauge. As I get familiar with this, it really doesn't seem possible for a round to fail. You get the dies all set right and check everything properly before and after a run, it's hard to see how a round will fail a case gauge. I find myself wondering whether case-gauging is really necessary. This doesn't mean I've never had a round to fail a case gauge. So far I've had four or five rounds stick high. But it wasn't because they were out of spec. They were ALL because the brass had a tiny speck of crud on the case. Get the crud off, and the round suddenly case-gauges just perfect. So far I'm thinking the purpose of a case gauge is to find dirty rounds, not to check whether or not a round is within specs. Has anyone here had an incident where a case gauge kept him from getting into a potentially hazardous situation?

The Search function for these forums is your friend. You can find a lot of really useful information in a really short time. I have a file where I copy-and-paste useful stuff. Not just reloading, also stuff specific for your gun and match info.

I am still pretty new at this too. I have a 550B. My .02:In the beginning, read your manuals thoroughly and go SLOW. If something strange happens, and it will---STOP. And don't go any further until you've got it all completely figured out. Reloading isn't something where you can ignore weird things and keep going. If you have an experienced reloader close by, you are way ahead of the game. And you will need a powder balance. A postal scale isn't even close to being accurate enough.

Jolly, your last couple of rounds are going to be off too.

9, all these little bits and pieces are all accumulating in my loading SOP.

Ah. Thank you, GrumpyOne. I knew I'd better ask before I started backing all my dies out. So I fixed it, if somewhat accidentally.

Hmm, make sure you're in position to visually inspect each case after powder is dropped into it. Then you won't have to wonder. It won't take long before you'll know exactly high up the powder should be.

Hmm, that is certainly consistent with what I'm seeing. So noted.

I have discovered it matters whether or not there are cases on the shell plate when you set the seating die. I think. I wanted 1.151". (4.1 g Titegroup for 9mm Hornady FMJ RN if it matters) Originally I set the seating die with only one round on the shell plate and I tested it that way before I started reloading. So out of nowhere I decided to test rounds as they were coming out. Waddya know, there were ALL 1.158" on the nose. .007" too long. Interesting. So right at the moment I case-gauge every single round I make and my gun loads FMJ RN longer than 1.161 anyway, so there never was a safety issue. I tested it with a single round. Dead-on, 1.151" O-o-kay, why is it loading longer with cases on the shell plate? Because the ram isn't going as high. Why is it not going as high? Because something is stopping it. What the hell is stopping it? Probably the sizing die. The implication is I need to back off on the sizing die .007". Which, alas, also implies I'm going to be re-setting my powder die and my crimp die back .007" also. Which I don't want to do as I've got them both set dead-perfect. So theoretically, now and in the future, I need to set the sizing die and then set the seating die with a case in the sizing die. Correct? I actually re-set the die with cases in place and finally got my 1.151" length. But it hit me that would make the last round or two too short. Sure enough, 1.148". However, I could stop that in the future by sizing-but-not-priming a dummy shell.

i am still really new at this, but 6.8 grains is dangerously high. Something is not right somewhere. I would recommend pulling every single round. I have the same set-up. TiteGroup in a 550B through a Dillon powder-dispensing system. Ten-throw weight average of 4.08 grains with only about 0.1 grain difference between throws.

DA-YUM, this would certainly work. On my wish list, and I might snap and order it anyway. OAL is a safety thing. My rotational-calipers thing is still a good idea. You could make it a lot cheaper than a micrometer die.

It is possible to calculate EXACTLY how much a die has to be adjusted. Like, say, I need to lower my seating die .003 inch. So, 14 turns per inch equal .07143 inch per turn. So, .003 inch divided by .07143 inch per turn equals .041999 of one turn. Since 1 turn = 360 degrees, .041999 x 360 = 15 degrees. So, theoretically, one tiny turn and I'm done. The problem is you can't eyeball 15 degrees, and the die moves when you snug it anyway. And what you wind up doing is lots and lots and LOTS of turning back and forth until you essentially hit it by random chance. So what Dillon needs is a thingie that allows for precise turning of a die. Probably be expensive, lots of tiny gears and stuff. Edit: Actually, on reflection, a MUCH cheaper option would be something you put on the die that simply measures how far you've turned, the circular equivalent of calipers. Me: "Is this 15 degrees?" Gadget: "Nope, 30 degrees" Me:"15 degrees?" Gadget: "5 degrees." It would make reloading SO much simpler.

Got it, thanks.

Link? I tried Googling for it and came up empty.

I went to the Dillon Website to see if I could just buy the insert. Could not find the insert. Left a note to Dillon explaining the situation and asking, if the insert was for sale, what the part number was. I got an an e-mail from Dillon saying they would mail me a new insert. Shout-out to Dillon for being nice guys.

Nah, 9, I'm just still a noob. I measured the length of my rounds as a preliminary check before starting a reloading session, and they were a little too long. So I twist the CRIMP die down a little and hit the handle again, and waddya know, the OAL doesn't change. So move the crimp die down a little more, and still no change. It wasn't until the round jammed in the die I realized I was adjusting the wrong damn die. I don't think I had the dies snugged down enough to hold them in place, mainly because I didn't have a one-inch wrench. I have cracked and ordered maintenance kits and bench wrenches from Dillon. Dillon said they'd take the insert back and dispose of the round. I have considered trying to pull the round out, but I'm too inexperienced to jack around with something with a live round in it. Thanks to all for their replies.

I got my crimp die confused with the seating die while adjusting OAL and jammed a round into the crimp die before I got it straight. Off to Dillon to get a new crimp die for my 550B. Alas, Dillon 9mm crimp dies are on back-order for God knows how long. Is there a competitor's crimp die I can use in its place?

This thread is three years old. I posted where I did for the next noob like me who presumably would find this thread. I have decided that if you suddenly have high primers, the FIRST thing to do is tighten the mounting bolts.

For future readers: I had a problem a lot like the OPs. My 550B was seating primers properly. Then suddenly it wasn't. 4 or 5 out every 100 were seating high. I tightened the bolts connecting the strong mount to the workbench. Bang, end of problem. Not that I didn't go through a circus to find the answer. I was seating CCI 500 pistol primers in Blazer brass. Suddenly they stopped seating right. I didn't actually make any bad rounds because I could feel they weren't seating right. A bunch started coming out high. I could do the same thing as the OP. Grab the back of the instrument and make it seat. Okay, they're coming out high. So obviously they're not being pushed in far enough. Something, somewhere, has wiggled out of position from where it was when I installed it. Dig through the forums here and found this post, went through and came up with a plan of action. Number 1: Check primer cup height. 1.215" within 1.215"-`1.220 spec. Okay, that's not it. Number 2: Disassemble and re-install shell plate holder. No change at all. Tightened shell plate down into shell plate until shell plate could not turn at all and still got high primers. Okay, it's not the shell plate. Played a number of games with the shell plate, all with no effect. Number 3: Disassemble and clean primer assembly. Still no change. Number 4: Watch punch go through hole. Don't know how high it should be, but it looks OK. Okay, quit and off to let it sit. Not the shell plate. Not the punch. But somehow the height is too low. What's left? The machine. The machine has to be moving UP when I push up on the handle. That fits with being able to make it work when I pull back on the machine. That would imply the bolts connecting it to my workbench have come loose. Back I go to wiggle the strong mount. It feels absolutely rigid. I am up against the wall. Because I'm totally out of options, I get out the wrenches and test the strong mount bolts. And DAMN, that was it. All the bolts were loose, the one next to the handle the loosest of all. Tightening the bolts made everything go back to normal. For future readers.

drogers, man, you're doing right. I just went through the same experience, 550B for 9mm. Go slow, make sure, search the forums, and don't hesitate to ask questions. The people around here are more than ready to help. One bit from my own experience: That little primer catcher on a 550B basically doesn't work. It throws primers all over the place, particularly on the primer slide. If you're loading and hear "GRONK!" and the handle won't go all the way forward, there is a dead primer on the primer slide, and you have to stop and clear it off. I really like my 550B but that's its biggest fault. You can lube the pivot pin and the top of the primer catcher and it will help, but not much. I fought that primer catcher for a good long while, then gave up, did some Internet research and bought a Lee Breechlock Challenger press and a Lee Universal decapping die. The press comes with a tube to catch primers.. Which doesn't work perfect either, but it's better than the 550B. And now my reloading is really, really smooth.

I just recently bought a Lee Breechlock Challenger press and a Lee Universal Decapping die, after doing some Internet research. The press comes with a tube that catches the dead primers. Doesn't work absolutely perfect but it's miles better than my 550B, which throws the dead primers all over the place, particularly on the primer slide, which is really, really aggravating. Not to mention unsafe as it causes everything to stop while you brush the dead primers off the slide. But I bought the press primarily because I clean my brass ultrasonically, which drives water between the primer and the brass, which will cause corrosion if allowed to sit, so I have to decap it all before cleaning. FYI, so much gunk comes off with the primers you have to clean the ram on the Lee with machine oil after about 200 rounds or the ram will start sticking.

What concentration? How much citric acid in how much water?

I used hornady juice in my brothers Lyman and it worked just like it does in my hornady LnL sonic cleaner. No fire, no explosions, no mutations, to nutin Got it, thanks.

So, what is this magic load??? I'd also be very interested in hearing the rest of the results from you testing with different bullets, powders, OAL, etc. (134PF minor load) -Matched 9mm cases from Speer or Lapua preferred, others work ok too, but they must match to shoot consistently. I use Lapua for major matches and buy on clearance when it's $12/100 (NOT $32/100) -3.7gr of Titegroup...I stuck to common domestic powders as I didn't want a load for a powder I couldn't get regularly. -115gr XTP/HAP, though Sierra Sportsmasters, Zeros, etc work well -Federal SPP -1.14" seems to be a happy OAL in most guns with that bullet. Short chambers won't take it and you'll have to shorten the length. -consistent light taper crimp. Just enough to remove bell and add a smidgen of extra tension without any bullet deformation. A few things were obvious during accuracy testing. -Light and heavy loads shot well. Compromise loads were only so-so (140-155PF) -Conical bullets, like XTP's, shot by FAR the best, though RN's and truncated can do ok -Fast dense powders ruled for minor loads...TG, Bullseye, etc. I would have tested VV powders but I wanted to stay common/domestic. HS6, PP, etc were not winners for accuracy. -Cases must match and crimp must be consistent and just right. Small cases and small variations=large extreme spreads. Rem primer pockets were loose and inconsistent, Winchester case rims were inconsistent and thus headspace was inconsistent. Speer was by far the best of the common "range brass", with Fed close behind. -Fed SPP's gave reliable ignition and low ES/SD. Winchesters did well too, and CCI's were good but sensitive to primer pocket variations and compromised reliability (hard cup). Remingtons were similar to the Winchesters. All can work fine, but the Feds always go bang. I may do some testing with SPP Magnums since I've got 3000 collecting dust. -After you've done a little bench testing for powder charge, then do an OAL test with 5 shot groups at 50 yards from 1.070" to 1.160" in .005" increments. You'll be amazed when you find a sweetspot. None of this matters for steel, USPSA, IDPA, etc, but if you're a paper-puncher, AP shooter, Bullseye shooter, or PPC shooter, it makes a world of difference. I had one horrible event at Bianchi this year when my glasses fogged in the rain, so my scores didn't reflect, but this load method helped me pick up points at the long lines. I went on to use this load to place highly in a few Regionals since then, and my subsequent X-count was as high as the guy who won 4th at Bianchi, despite my overall score being equivalent to what 10-12th place shot at Bianchi. I'm talking about a Metallic sight gun where the X's don't come as easy as my Open rig. I think my last match was 1817/1920-114X, when most scores in that range yield 80-100X. All I know is that when I flub a shot that's a borderline 8-ring, I don't need the load working against me to help it into the lower scoring ring. Cheers. How do you judge "bullet deformation"? Obvious bullet-squashing in the case or do you pull the bullet first?