Aldrin Posted May 21, 2011 Share Posted May 21, 2011 I'm having an issue with varying lengths on 38 super. I'm trying to load to 1.235 and the some of the finished rounds will end up longer. Some well over 1.250. I've never had this happen before with compressed loaded 9mm major. I'm using 8.3g of 4756 and 9.7g of N105 and I have same problem with both. Any ideas? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
g56 Posted May 21, 2011 Share Posted May 21, 2011 The most common cause of varying OAL is caused by the bullets not being consistent in shape. Most bullets contact point on the bullet seating stem is not the tip, its on the side of the bullet, most bullets are fairly consistent in shape, but they are never exact, and slight differences in shape will change the OAL measurements. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thehandyman87 Posted May 21, 2011 Share Posted May 21, 2011 I once called Dillon's customer support about inconsistent OAL I was having on .38 super rounds. According to them, if you're loading with a progressive press (i'm using a 650) then OAL variations of + or - .015 is not uncommon and can be expected depending on components. This is exaggerated if you're using inconsistent bullets and mixed brass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lcs Posted May 21, 2011 Share Posted May 21, 2011 I once called Dillon's customer support about inconsistent OAL I was having on .38 super rounds. According to them, if you're loading with a progressive press (i'm using a 650) then OAL variations of + or - .015 is not uncommon and can be expected depending on components. This is exaggerated if you're using inconsistent bullets and mixed brass. + or - .005 never had .o15 variance. . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gng4life Posted May 23, 2011 Share Posted May 23, 2011 I've had up to +/- .008 in some slightly compress 9Major loads but that's it. Never seen .015 variation in my any of my loads...What seating die are you using? If a Dillon, what cup do you have in it? What bullet type/shape? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XRe Posted May 23, 2011 Share Posted May 23, 2011 You don't have enough powder in those loads to push the bullet back out, really. Double check that everything is OK with your seat die - nothing's loose on it, etc. Double check the bullets you're using, per g56. What gng4life is getting at is that if you're using the rounded punch, and your ogive on the bullets is inconsistent, you can flip the seating punch over and use the flatter side to seat from the nose of the bullet. Also, double check your crimp - you want it to be at about .378". If you're using the Montana Gold 121gr IFP, you might read this for some specific things about that bullet: http://re-gun.com/2011/05/montana-gold-bullets-121gr-ifp/ - I don't think the variances you're describing could be accounted to the bullet nose on the IFP, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aldrin Posted May 24, 2011 Author Share Posted May 24, 2011 OK, I think it may have been how my press was set up. I did have my 550 bolted directly to my bench but last night I set it up on a strong mount. I cranked out a small batch and the variations were +/-.03. It's weird that I never had a problem with any other caliber. The press was tight on the bench but something must have been moving or twisting. Thanks for the help guys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
19852 Posted May 24, 2011 Share Posted May 24, 2011 I have gotten inconsistencies as well using a Dillon progressive. It takes a while for it to settle down it seems. I found it useful to load up the shell plate like it was in full production to get repeatable results. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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