R1_Demon

All, Ok, I've been reading up a bunch on here on various reloading processes everyone is doing and finally realized that the Lee FCD everyone was talking about is a Factory Crimp Die and that it performs removing the bell (on 40 and 9mm) separately than the bullet seating die. When I bought my initial die set in .40, I bought the Hornady Nitride Custom Grade Die set (Hornady set# 546533). This set does NOT include a taper crimp die (that is set# 546534). It is just a three die set. Now, it is my understanding that this die set has one die that sizes and decaps, one die that bells and one die that seats and debells/crimps. The more I have read, it seems that a lot more people here seem to prefer to seat in one step and debell/crimp in a separate step. My question is...is it possible for me to just buy only the Lee FCD die separately and put it in another station and "modify" my current Hornady seating/crimping die to ONLY seat the bullet? Or am I stuck having to buy the full Lee 4-die set to be able to do all of this in separate steps? I know this is probably a super newbie question, but I wasn't sure if it was possible to unscrew/loosen or remove the crimping part of my Hornady seating/crimping die so that it will only seat the bullet and that is it. If so, then I don't see why I shouldn't be able to do that so that it only seats the bullet and then buy the Lee FCD die separately (probably way less than the $60 for the full 4 die set) to do the debelling/crimping. Plus, it *should* be easier to adjust the seating in one die and the debelling in another die rather than all together in one die, correct? (should being the operative word. LOL!) Thanks all! Mat

LOL...thanks for the info, promtcy. I actually bit the bullet on Fri and ordered the UFO light. It arrived on Sun, but I was too busy to install it. So, hopefully tonight or tomorrow night I'll be able to clean the press and install it. Like I said, I have the Inline Skylight already installed, with their "side light strip" where I think the new UFO side strip will have to go. So, I will have to move it. I'm wondering if I should maybe move it to the other side of the vertical bar and mount it there. I probably will take out the top light and just use the UFO light, but I'm wondering if I should maybe have two side strip lights running. I can use the Inline splitter than came with it so, I can run both light strips off of the one plug/switch. So, no additional wiring or plugs are needed. I just figured that it would add another set of vertical lights and that probably couldn't hurt. Since I already have it anyway. No sense in throwing it out. Maybe I'll post up a couple of pics if I decide to do that so all can see the results. Just in case someone else is interested in doing the same thing.

Memphis - Thanks a ton for posting this picture and all of the info. This helps me a bunch. Even though I'm not having the issue the OP is having, but it is easier for me to see something like this visually when everyone is talking about it on the site. Now it makes much more sense to me. So, thank you a ton. I appreciate it. (thumbs up)

Hobbit - As long as you are having fun, that's all that matters. I know my shooting isn't what it was 20 years ago...it is what it is. As you said, time waits for no man. But, hey, I still have fun with it. I went out and tried a new stance and grip this weekend to see how I would do with factory ammo and although it felt a bit weird because I've been shooting the same way for probably 30 years, it was an improvement and I can see how it would help me get the sights back on target much quicker (the grip mainly). So, there is something to say for trying something new on occasion. LOL! So, I guess you can actually teach an old dog new tricks, IF he/she is willing to learn. ;-) Now, the problem is, I just have to keep practicing the hell out of it so that it gets as natural as my last stance and grip was the past 30 years. LOL! That's the fun part. :-P

Welcome from Kentucky, TXWeedMan!

Welcome from Kentucky, Fred! Glad you could join us!

Welcome from Kentucky and from one veteran to another, thank you for your service. Ya, Barstow is in BFE. Passed through it a million times from Vegas to LA and back again. LOL Plus, good choice on the bike...I love the YZ's and YZF's. I used to race them all the time. I miss that.

Techj - Thanks a bunch! Well that's good enough. I figure if the light gets down into the majority of other pistol cases, then I'm sure it will work fine in .40 too. I may eventually reload 9 too, so that works. I think I'm going to bite the bullet and give it a try. It is less than the Inline version I bought a while ago, so what the heck. I've paid more for other crap I have sitting around the house that ended up being a dud. LOL! Thanks again for the info!

Well, it's either blow your own face off or having her rip your face off for not taking the gift. YOur choice. LOL! I actually have no experience with SPP 45's, but I just thought your initial comments was too funny to pass up. As others have mentioned, just keep them sorted and only use them for "throw away" matches/brass and then you are good to go.

What the f.....?! Seriously?! That is just from leaving power inside the tube? Dang. I'll be happy to dump it each time I'm done. That looks like someone took a darn blowtorch to it. LOL!

That's oteroman. I don't recall off the top of my head how many lumens the Inline light is. I could check the link I guess. Then again, the KMS2 Light is more on the outside nearer to the dies (as much as it can be), so that *should* push the light further out towards the cases. And, as you mentioned, the 550 lumens should be plenty of light. Ugggghhhh...maybe I'll just say the heck with it and order it and try it out and see how it goes. I have to reload in a bedroom that doesn't get much light. I don't have many options in my house in which to reload, so I'm trying to get as much light on the press as I can, so ultimately, the more light I can get on the press (especially "inside" the press) that I can get, the better it is for me. Thanks for your thoughts.

Hey all, For those of you non-Dillon owners out there, I own a Hornady LnL AP press and I have seen some options of getting light "down" onto the shell plate and I'm wondering what you use for your setup? I actually purchased the Inline Fabrication "Skylight" upon seeing the info on here on one of the posts a while ago when I first bought my press, but I didn't search out any other options at the time. Well, I'm not really that thrilled with it. It does shine light down onto the shell plate, but it seems to me that it only shines light down onto the middle of the plate. I'd like to have more light on the outer edge of the plate, especially where the cases are, so I can look down into the cases for a powder check. That is the entire point of me having the light in the first place. If they would have had their center light (or the Skylight) spread the light further out instead of a direct beam down, I think it would have helped. I do have their strip also mounted on the front inner side, but it seems too far away to the side to do much good to look into the case after the powder drop. (and again, it is on the side, so it lights up the SIDE of the case, not down INTO the case) So, I was wondering if anyone had any other options that they have used and like? I just saw in the Dillon section, someone mentioning the UFO lights from KMS Squared and I thought (on the Dillon) that those looked really good as it was in a U shape around the toolhead and it seemed to really light up the inside of the cases as well as the shell plate. So, I checked out their website to see if they have one for the Hornady and they do, but it is a much smaller circle in the middle. I was almost hoping for a big circle of lights around the outer part of the dies (not the inner), which I think would light up the cases better than an inner circle that isn't much bigger in diameter than the Skylight by Inline Fabrication. KMS Squared UFO Light Inline Fabrication Skyline light Does anyone have this UFO light setup and use it? Does it actually light the inside of .40 and/or 9mm cases well? Does anyone have any other thoughts or options (other than holding a darn flashlight and looking in each case manually) as for lighting options? If I knew how to build these darn light strips myself, I would try some sort of bigger light strip circle outside of the dies, similar to what KMS Squared did with the UFO light, but I have no clue how to do that or where to get the materials. Otherwise I would try it and see if it works better than the "inner light". I feel I already threw $40 down the drain with the Inline Fabrication light (it is well made, but doesn't seem to work how I thought it would), so I'm afraid of buying the $30 UFO lights and finding out those don't light much better than the Inline ones do. Of course, I could probably say screw it and leave the inline ones in/on and add the UFO lights to it and that will probably make me blind looking at the shell plate from all the light shining down and bouncing off the shell plate. LOL But I was hoping there was another "sure" option to use instead of those two together. Sorry for the huge post...was just trying to get my point across.

Pretty good idea. That shouldn't affect functionality and it would make them tend to drop bottom first and less of a chance of dinging anything that would matter on it. Hmmm...I may have to try that with my mags. Thanks for the tip!

Not when I have it set low and I'm sitting in a chair doing my reloading. Then I don't have any issues with it moving as long as the floor is stable. I have parts in my house where the floor is not stable (my rental house is called the clown fun house because the floors are uneven in most rooms/hallways and it is like walking in a fun house most of the time. LOL), so I have to be careful where I put it to reload. However, as long as you put it down on a stable surface (I'm on hardwood floors), then it works fine. And, as I mentioned, the lower the top table is adjusted, the more stable it is. If you have it all the way up and are standing, then yes, it can have flex it in and move a bit. You could counteract that by putting weight(s) on the leg tubes and then it wouldn't move at all, but I don't like standing and reloading forever because it kills my back, so it works much better lowered and me sitting. Then it doesn't move at all.

Welcome from Kentucky, Russ! Good to hear you are helping out the newbies. Someone has to. I do the same here, but with general pistol and CCDW. I just started into USPSA and competition, so I don't think I'm up to the task of helping/training newer shooters on that yet, but I'll get there. I used to live in CA for a while, so I hear ya on the CA gun laws/politics, but not much you can do. Just go with the flow and do what ya can.

Wait...your guns are unfrozen enough to shoot up there? The steel doesn't just shatter when you hit it? Kidding! :-D I've never been, but always wanted to visit Alaska. I heard it is gorgeous up there. I'm glad to hear they have matches and such up there for everyone.

This is the one I have because I am in the EXACT same situation as you. The little shed out back is way to moist for me to keep any type of reloading tools in and I don't have a garage or extra room in the house. So, I purchased this Frankford Arsenal portable stand and mounted my Hornady LnL AP to it. It works just fine with no issues. I can fold it up and put it in the closet if need be. Yes, I would much rather have a solid, regular mounted bench to have it on, but this is better than not having it at all. Plus, since we rent the house, I can't make modifications to it and build anything into the walls or anything, so I'm stuck with something portable. Plus, you can raise or lower the top depending on the height you want it to be (sitting or standing while doing your reloading), so that works out nicely. I usually have it lower than this and that makes it even more stable because it is closer to the ground and I can sit in a chair in front of it and pull the handle and look down into my cases (I have added a light from a fabrication company (forgot the name)) to verify my powder charge. It works very well for as small of a footprint as it is.

I asked this very same thing when I first started reloading 40 earlier this year and that is the answers I got. Nope, unless you are shooting rifle. Then yes, you would want to check it and possibly (more than likely) trim it. But for pistol, no, it isn't necessary. So, I never even bought the trimming equipment until I'm getting ready to load for my .308. ;-)

Welcome from Kentucky, NHShooter!

Welcome from Kentucky, Reed. Tons to learn here!

Welcome to you and your son from Kentucky, KamKaze!

Greetings Jason! Welcome from Kentucky and good luck on making A soon!

Sweeeeet! Very nice...and I'm sure you picked up your pair in Kentucky Wildcat blue, right? LOL!!!! ;-) (kidding!!!! They actually are not my favorite team even though I live here. But I root them on as long as they don't play my personal favorite teams. LOL)

True...I can understand that because most precise shooters want it all "center mass" and get frustrated if it isn't. They don't realize, initially, that all of zone A is scored the same...whether it is all in the center of that zone or spread out along the edges. So, I would agree with Jack, it is much harder to convert slower accurate bullseye shooters to become fast "just in the zone" shooters than fast ones to be accurate enough to get into the zone and move on. They are already fast enough and ready to move on. The bullseye shooters are much more concentrated and take more time, even if we aren't intending to. So, I completely understand and it is a very hard habit to break; especially the more years you have "in" as a bullseye shooter.

I have noticed it happening in other parts of the forum that are extremely old, but I figured, as Brit said, that it was due to major changes over the years and links get changed and such. So, I just did searches and poof, you can usually find what you are looking for. If you can't find what you are looking for after doing a thorough search, then, by all means, put up an informative post and I'm sure others here would be happy to help you out. They have helped me out a ton.