Reloading 38 super brass

[masterww]

When I am loading used brass I am having about 10% not case checking using EGW 100 (they all barrel check though). I use these rounds at the indoor range for practice and have not had problems with them. I am not happy with a 10% loss. I am using all dillon dies on a 650. My friend has a 1050 and uses a regular die then an undersized die and has less than 1% that won't case check. I don't have the luxury of a 1050. Any advise would be nice.

Thanks

[dover0020]

Get an undersized die for your 650. Also if your rounds are chamber checking in your barrel then you should be good to go.

[gng4life]

Are you both using the same gauge from the same maker? All the gauges are different...

[masterww]

I was told that an undersized die would push the bulge in the brass down and possibly make it worse.

[masterww]

As far as the case gauge goes I have 3 different ones and its the same with them all.

[latech15]

EGW case checkers are notoriously tight.

Use the U die, It will make all your problems go away, not worse. Also, use a lee factory crimp die at the end. That combination is the standard in my shop for all calibers.

[masterww]

Who makes the U die?

[Guest]

Lee and EGW both offer U-dies for 38 super. The EGW dies are made by Lee to EGW's specs, but I have one of each and frankly cannot tell a difference. I've plug gauged them and they are within 0.001" of each other. In use they both re-size cases to about 0.382 - 0.383", and they both are radiused and size down on the case the same. So, in my book either one works well.

When using a U-die I used to get the dreaded "hard" ring where the brass was pushed and displaced down during the sizing operation on a fair number of cases. upon the advice of an old reloader I took a 9mm brass case and chucked it up on a drill, dipped it in Dupont #7 polishing compound and polished the die really well for about 10 minutes while applying a good amount of polishing compound, then chucked up a .308 case and did the same thing using the polishing compound and the shoulder of the .308 to smooth out and polish the die lead in radius. After doing this I've been using the U-die exclusively for loading .38 super and have been really happy with the results. On really bulged brass (not from my gun) I still occasionally get the ring, but the frequency is much less. On my dillon 550 I can usually feel the increased force during the down stroke, and pull that "hard ringed" case before priming. My reject rate for brass shot out of my gun is maybe 2% max, for range pickup brass it runs about 4-6% that won't gauge. Not all of the rejects are for oversized diameter, some of my rejects are for cases that have grown past 0.905" OAL. (My chamber headspaces a little shorter than the SAMMI spec so I need to be careful about the OAL of my brass to avoid getting a jam where the slide stops just a hair short of going into full battery position.)

[masterww]

Thank you for the advise. I am going to buy the two Lee dies, get them in 650 and make a couple hundred round. I will post results. Thanks again.

Edited October 8, 2012 by masterww

[Ace38super]

You might want to try using the Dillon check die before you change your press set up. I have the EGW and also got a lot of false rejects. I then got a Dillon and now only get a fail on a real problem bullet. I did a cross check with bullets that failed the EGW die but passed the Dillon and never had a single problem in the gun.

[superdude]

As previously noted, if they fit in the gun's chamber, that's all that matters. Seriously.

Case check dies can be useful, but what really matters is how the loaded round fits in your chamber. Your chamber might be tighter or looser than the case check die, which makes the case check die "irrelevant" in some sense.

You've already noted that they run through your gun. Therefore, there is no 10% loss. You have 100% success.

[masterww]

I do have a dillon single case check gauge and it is a little more forgiving. It may just be a mental thing. I see so many guys having ammo problems and I do not want to be one of them, therefor I Am very anal when it comes to my ammo. When I get back from the Nationals I think I will start shooting some of the barrel check only rounds at my local matches and see how it goes.

[Txkid]

My 2C

I am new to 38 Supercomp but I leaned a trick from Brandon at Infinity and was told to use a Lee die and Punch to remove the boulder

You need the following:

RCBS Rockchucker Supreme ($79)

Lee Carbide Factory Crimp die .38 Super or .40 or .45ACp($12)

Lee bullet sizing pin .375" diameter or thereabouts ($3)

The Lee stuff is available from Lee Factory Sales website

This system will work for any straight walled case: .40, supercomp,

.45. You just have to get the appropriate Lee crimp die and pin.

Won't work with 9mm

Anyway I don’t have a single stage but use my 550 with this setup just remove the top of the die and push the round all the way through

Case gauge the rounds with EGW and all pass.

Note:

http://leeprecision.com/punch.html

http://leeprecision.com/cmp-body-38superauto.html

[lcs]

I was told that an undersized die would push the bulge in the brass down and possibly make it worse.

You were told wrong!

Edited October 19, 2012 by lcs

[lcs]

Have been loading 38SC and 9 Major for years on a 650.

Use a U-die on both. Once I dial in the reloads---I case gauge "may be" once in a 1000 rounds. I do check the OAL more often just to make sure nothing has changed. I can't remember the last time I had a case related failure.

[rfwobbly]

IMHO... you are preparing and shooting the cartridges in the chamber of the barrel fitted to your gun. Therefore the barrel is "she who must be obeyed".

The case gauge or cartridge gauge is simply a tool to use so that you don't have to disassemble your gun and remove the barrel every time to test your ammo. The gauge is simply a proxy for the barrel. If the gauge is not giving the same result as the barrel, then you need a new gauge.

[letsdrum]

I can attest to what wobbler, Superdude and some of the others are saying. I've been running 38 super since 2000, 40 S&W since '98, and am getting ready to start 9mm Major and I don't even own a case gauge. Just use the Lee/EGW undersized sizing dies, and if you're working with range brass or severely bulged cases, clean 'em up good, lightly coat them with case lube and they will size smoothly and easily. You'll find it's always best with an open div gun, to "knock the dust off" your top-end between matches anyway, so while it's down, simply "chamber check". It's definitive.

Bud Berthold

[Jimini]

When I am loading used brass I am having about 10% not case checking using EGW 100 (they all barrel check though). I use these rounds at the indoor range for practice and have not had problems with them. I am not happy with a 10% loss. I am using all dillon dies on a 650. My friend has a 1050 and uses a regular die then an undersized die and has less than 1% that won't case check. I don't have the luxury of a 1050. Any advise would be nice.

Thanks

its too easy to pull your barrel and use it to case check the ammo. The Dillon dies are fine. Consider adding a Lee full length resizing/crimp die in the last station. Move the seating die to the station next to the primer/flair station. With the case so full of powder it only has to move 1 station to close the case to prevent powder spillage. You can visual check case level as you set the bullet.

[GrumpyOne]

As previously noted, if they fit in the gun's chamber, that's all that matters. Seriously.

Case check dies can be useful, but what really matters is how the loaded round fits in your chamber. Your chamber might be tighter or looser than the case check die, which makes the case check die "irrelevant" in some sense.

You've already noted that they run through your gun. Therefore, there is no 10% loss. You have 100% success.

This.