Press strokes hard

[KentG]

I am converting my 650 to load 9MM. I have loaded thousands of 45s and as of late 223 so I'm not green to this. However I am finding the press is pretty tight when seating.

I'm using new set of Lee carbide dies with the factory crimp die.

I also set the size and crimp die in the toolhead to touch the shellplate plus about 1/8th turn to make solid contact. I'm belling enough to see but not excessive I believe. Have not measured it for exact size.

The seating die doesn't touch and allow the jam nut to engage threads. Per the Lee instructions I backed it out 4 turns and tightened the jam nut. BTW the size/decap and crimp die both screw far enough down I had to use Dillon jam nut instead if the Lee nuts due to them being cut for the o-ring and at that depth there is not enough thread on the die body to reach past the o-ring groove. Hence having to use Dillon jam nuts.

I ran out of time this mng and had to come to work.

I have only gotten less than 10 rounds through so far but it seems like the bullets are very tight compared to 45s.

Load is

Mixed range brass, mostly once fired.

VV N320 3.6 GR

Montana Gold 147GR

OAL is 1.115 but I think I'm going to back it off but I'm not sure how much at the moment.

Will be used in XD 5.25

Is this just a characteristic of 9mm loading to feel tighter??

I wasn't sure where to put this topic. 9MM? Dillon? So I just did it here in the general.

AND if anyone else uses these bullets in an XD and has a suggestion on a OAL that seems to hit the sweet spot let me know.

Thanks for any input.

[SLM]

9mm brass, especially without lube, is harder to resize than 45 brass. If the press cycles freely without brass then I'd say what you are experiencing is normal.

[DougCarden]

Take out the Lee FCD and try a regular crimp die. I like the FCD but it is not needed with your setup. That may be why it seems hard to pull through.

DougC

[The_Vigilante]

Use case lube on the 9mm cases before you size them-will be a lot easier. I use Hornady One Shot.

[CocoBolo]

I got rid of all my Lee dies for the very reason, of your post. Get a Hornady or Dillon sizing die, and the effort will go way down. The FCD is ok for jacketed bullets but do not use it on Moly, Cast, or bayou bullets it will undersize the bullet and lead to intense barrel fowling and accuracy problems. I have not seen this on jacketed bullets but some Bianchai Cup (however you spell it) say the FCD affects accuracy of their Jaketed loads. When I changed to a Hornady die set my reloading speed seemed to double.

Some one shot lube will help, but then it collects dirt on the loaded rounds, unless you clean them.

Be aware that GECO, WCC and a couple other varietys of 9 mm brass have crimped primer pockets and you will be smashing primers on them. Also check all of your 9 mm brass with a magnet if it sticks get rid of it. There are imposters out there, steel cases washed in brass.

[Youngeyes]

I don't load 9mm but when I added an FCD on 45acp and 38spl it added noticeable xtra stroke effort. This was with one shot lube. Unless you have feeding issues due to sizing I'd ditch the FCD.

[KentG]

I have had a FCD on my 45 tool head for years with no issues. I do however use Dillon dies on the 45 other than that. Thanks for the input so far and tomorrow I will dig deeper into this.

[3wide]

Load 45 and 40, on 550 with lee dies, + FCD.

I have same problem with cycling hard some times with 45. It seems to be the brass that is causing the issue in my case. Some of my brass is getting old, maybe getting hard?? Some brass cycles like butter but some doesn't, sort it all by headstamp.

On 40 I'm using all once fired brass, and so far it all cycles like butter.

[CocoBolo]

I have had a FCD on my 45 tool head for years with no issues. I do however use Dillon dies on the 45 other than that. Thanks for the input so far and tomorrow I will dig deeper into this.

RELOADING TIPS

Make sure to have a good bell on the case so not to shave off the coating during the seating process.

Do not seat and crimp the bullets in the same die. Use a separate taper crimp die.

We highly recommend Dillon reloading equipment.

Do not use a roll crimp or Lee Factory Taper Crimp Dies.

The roll crimp will cut through the coating. You must use a taper crimp die.

The Lee Factory Taper Crimp Die will undersize the bullets causing accuracy and fouling problems.

Most of the time a heavier crimp will work better

This is a copy of the FAQ section at <A href="http://www.precisionbullets.com/">http://www.precisionbullets.com/

I started loading with precision bullets and an FCD die and after 50 rounds my barrel was totally cruded up, and I was hitting the popper instead of the paper. I ditched the FCD and shoot 1,000 of thier bullets without any fowling in my STI Edge. I have also measured the case dimensions and found that in the bullet area of the case it was .005 to .007 smaller in with the FCD than a regualar taper crimp die.

Load some up both ways, shoot off a rest at 50 yards and report you results.

[98sr20ve]

Nothing at all wrong with your Lee dies more then likely. ANYONE can make a bad one but I doubt yours is bad. I do lube my 9mm and 40 cases with a little Lee Lube mixed with 99% alcohol. Works slick. I would personally not run the dies that tight. I don't add a 1/8 I run them till they just touch and lock them down. The slack in the toolhead will give you a little leway to not over tighten. I am also not a fan of the FCD but in 9mm it's not a big deal unless you run Lead Bullets. I have used Hornady dies. I prefer my Lee.

[KentG]

I have been doing a lot of reading here via the search engine. At this point I refuse to use lube. I shouldnt have to. It sounds like from other sources I may just buy a set of Dillon dies and swap them. See how they work and chamber the ammo.

I never realized how much of a wide base of opinions there are dealing with 9mm due to the taper issue. Id buy a redding seating die but for the price I dont see it for producing bulk ammo. Im the kind of shooter that once I find a load and bullet that works I stick with it unless there is a reason to change and I like Montana Gold and plan on staying with them.

I do have one of the redding seatin dies on my 223 head though. If I have to go back and get a U die I will.

Anybody wanna buy a set of Lee dies that are barely used?

Lots of good info from everyone.

Edited September 25, 2011 by tnek

[njl]

Even with Dillon dies, once you try lubed 9mm, you won't want to load without lube. You can use such a small amount that it won't be necessary to remove it after loading...and it still makes a huge difference in resizing resistance.

[Babaganoosh]

I have the Hornady Carbide dies in my machine for 9mm. They run a lot smoother with just a quick shot of One Shot into a bunch of empty cases.