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Do I need a Case-Pro 100, too?


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I had 2 casepros. One in 9mm and one in 38 SC. Neither seemed to touch the extractor rim of the cases even after 10+ firings. I stuck a 9x23 in the SC dies and it did size the rim down but it was still about .005" larger than my oldest, most shot SC brass. I don't think they would ever get large enough for the casepro to touch the rim. I got a Lee U and FCD and while you could see just the slightest bulge still at the base of the case, the loaded rounds still plunked into the barrel and even had a slight amount of wiggle room. I sold that casepro.

I sold all of the 38SC pistols and now I load 9mm for both limited and open. I took the guts out of a Lee FCD and put that in station 2 of the 1050. The widest part of the sized brass after going through the FCD was only .001" larger than factory WWB and only .0015" larger than what the case pro was giving me. The loaded rounds would plunk into all of my barrels and it also has just the slightest bit of wiggle room. I sold that casepro also.

The machines I had were manufactured many years ago and they didn't make duplex dies back then so things may have changed. All I know is that I haven't had a single failure with any of the ammo loaded without rolling them.

Unless you're shooting glocked brass and your chamber(s) is overly tight and you're having issues, I wouldn't worry about getting a casepro.

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Ok Do you mean you don't have the dies for rifle brass.?

I don't have dies for 556/223 but already ordered.

I mean, I doubt he even makes dies for some of the rounds I shoot and I know I wouldn't buy them if he did.

458 socom, 45-70, many of the belted magnums and other rounds that I just have a better handle on (or more hands on time) involved in case prep. For example I have 7mm BR brass that is 20 years old and never hit the ground, much less been FL resized. Roll sizing it would be a waist of time.

Edited by jmorris
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According to UniqueTek Tips File #12, by Lee Love and dated Rev. 2; 07/2012, there are two types of pistol case bulge: 1) symmetrically bulged cases cause by an unduly large chamber, and 2) asymmetrically, “pregnant” bulged cases caused by a chamber that is not fully supported. The article goes on to say that asymmetrically bulged cases are commonly spent from 1911s without a ramped barrel, and GLOCKs chambered for .40 S&W.

I don’t own a .40 S&W GLOCK, but I do have an unfired 1911. I am confident it has a ramped barrel. So, it sounds like the best approach for me, right now, is to first consult my set of L.E. Wilson Pistol Max Gauges to determine if I have a problem. If I do then, according to that same article – and without giving serious consideration to modifying the shellplate or using undersized dies – the choice is between a Pass-Through Resizing Die and the Case-Pro 100. (The Redding Reloading Gr-X Push-Through Base Sizing Die is only made for .40 S&W, 10mm and .357 SIG.)

It looks like the Magma Engineering Case Master Jr., which is based on a pass-through resizing die system, would be the way to go for me since I am only reloading rimless pistol cartridges – in 9mm Luger and .45 ACP. Yes, the OCD part of me is disturbed that it can remove some of the case rim during resizing, though keeping the rim of the resized case within SAAMI specifications. However, it’s a lot – and I mean a whole lot less costly than the Case-Pro 100, which sounds like the Cadillac of the options.

Case bulge resizing? If my L.E. Wilson Pistol Max Gauges say so. Otherwise, as Brian Ott recently told me after he honed, tuned and otherwise fixed a pistol I had put together from “ill-advised choices” of custom parts…that wouldn’t shoot more than one round before jamming, “Stop buying pistols and start using your money to get some training on how to shoot them.”

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I sold all of the 38SC pistols and now I load 9mm for both limited and open.

9mm for Limited?

Yup. All of my joints are bad. 147 grains at minor is easy on the elbows and a little easier on the pocket book v. .40.
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According to UniqueTek Tips File #12, by Lee Love and dated Rev. 2; 07/2012, there are two types of pistol case bulge

Unless it is brass we have fired from a "loose" SMG, I find that the casepro is more usefull in ironing out the rim, not any bulge.

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  • 3 weeks later...

I shoot a few 1911 / 2011's with very tight chambers. The case pro isn't necessary but it reduces my case gauge failure by almost 99%. I shoot range pick up brass so I like it. If you buy once fired brass or just throw out all the glocked brass, you won't need it.

I figured the price was worth it since they don't lose much value even used.

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when I started I was just using my regular dillon dies. I would have a few rounds that wouldnt go into the case gauge about 10 percent. Then I started buying rolled brass and noticed that I only had about 1 round out of 500 fail the case gauge. And the effort to run my 650 is much less, when u dont have to size the brass, the force required is way less.

I automated my case pro for about $250. I can run between 800 and 1000 rounds an hour. I actually ended up buying a second case pro, and run brass for the 5 of us that travel together, they buy me beer I let my machine run....

Long story short I love it and would not go back.

Between all calibers in the last year I have rolled about 60 gal of brass.

Edited by theogre
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  • 8 months later...

I think most folks load on Dillons, and most folks don't realize that Dillons pistol sizing dies don't size as far down on the base as most other dies. This is because they have wider mouths - I guess to prevent cases from jamming on the die mouth.

At some point they may have issues with cases not-gauging or jamming their guns. Roll sizing is the best and most expensive one way to fix it. Using a non-Dillon sizing die (doesn't even have to be a U-die) is dramatically less expensive and will take care of 99.9% of problems. And the skinflints will continue to wonder why their guns are always jamming at matches.

My $.02.

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I think most folks load on Dillons, and most folks don't realize that Dillons pistol sizing dies don't size as far down on the base as most other dies.

The only Dillon machines I have that always are used with Dillon dies are my two SD's. If your loading on a 550, 650 or 1050 you can use any brand of die you wish. That said many make dies with a chamfer on the mouth for progressive press use.

AZ, your link didn't work for me.

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I think most folks load on Dillons, and most folks don't realize that Dillons pistol sizing dies don't size as far down on the base as most other dies.

The only Dillon machines I have that always are used with Dillon dies are my two SD's. If your loading on a 550, 650 or 1050 you can use any brand of die you wish. That said many make dies with a chamfer on the mouth for progressive press use.

AZ, your link didn't work for me.

I think most folks who get in with Dillons tend to buy their dies as well.

My sizing dies (mostly RCBS, couple Hornady and Lee) all have chamfered mouths but they all size further down to the base than Dillon dies. A few fellow shooters with 929s could not get their brass to fit consistently when sized w Dillon dies - I never had a problem. I think folks tend to go from Dillon sizing dies to the U Die and that solves their problem. They never take the intermediate step and realize just about any other sizing die will help with bulged brass / tight chambered guns more than a Dillon.

The link from AZ is misspelled. I went to the site by typing in and fixing typo at end. Looks like the site was put up a couple weeks ago shortly before AZ joined.

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Wouldn't have any idea what most use but no brand of size die will fix an out of spec case where it is in the shell holder, like a ding in the rim caused by the ejector or extractor.

The case pro can address this area.

DSC02110.jpg

Thanks, took a look at the other machine but have no idea what it is doing, $1300 and limited to two calibers is a turn off.

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