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Changed bullet, failure skyrocket


lroy

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I was using 165 bbi for a few months with no issues. Got a deal on 200gr bbi so I went with that for my next round.

 

I figured just adjust the seating die and powder and it'd be good to go. These things are failing my hundo gauge left and right, maybe 20%. 

 

When I resize the case, it drops in no problem. It's only after seating the bullet that causes issues. Looking at it, I can kind of see the outline of the bullet on the case which I hadn't noticed prior.

 

I use a lee u die and fcd.

 

What am I doing wrong?803DD923-420D-4A3C-B4D5-4A9FA13C44BF.thumb.jpeg.12b4bf42cb2e2c549728ca09ff23b68f.jpeg

 

A59D3AA8-A069-48FD-8339-B2512AF302F4.thumb.jpeg.9320dc0eec39c2e8984c649c707fac96.jpeg

Edited by lroy
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Some brass is thinner causing the brass to expand on bullet seating. Also have you checked the diameter of the new bullets? Also nickel cases tend to be more fragile than brass. Are all your case fails nickel?

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12 hours ago, CClassForLife said:

I flared my case less at the powder drop station when I was having this issue.

 

Just tried minimizing the flare until it just barely holds a round cleanly. Seems better, but still having the issue.

11 hours ago, Youngeyes said:

Some brass is thinner causing the brass to expand on bullet seating. Also have you checked the diameter of the new bullets? Also nickel cases tend to be more fragile than brass. Are all your case fails nickel?


both brass and nickel have the same failures.

 

Could it be crimp related? The line doesn't seem to appear until the final station. I've tried minimizing the crimp to a straight wall. Not sure what I'm doing wrong, but I'm wasting a ton of primers.

Edited by lroy
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That's not a clean crimp. As a matter of fact that bullet is not good looking all around. Scrapping and scratches. The crimp almost looks like a roll crimp. If the dies are dirty and you are getting sticking, it could very easily cause your problem. I sent pics of my taper crimp  and roll crimp bullets. Your crimp should not have that sharp inward appearance. Your bullet should be clean, not banged up.. Your case should not be scratched up. I'd clean everything and reset. Use case lube as well to prevent any sticking. Also recheck those bullets for diameter and consistency. Quality control ain't what it used to be. Luck

Screenshot_20210912-093947_Gallery.jpg

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Well, those look way better than mine. Lol

 

I use lube on the cases, but I do get a significant amount of sticking when I run the press. I ran a qtip in them to check and it's pretty dirty.

 

I don't think I've ever cleaned the dies. I've loaded maybe 10-15k through it. Are they supposed to be regularly cleaned out? After how many rounds?

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2 hours ago, lroy said:

Well, those look way better than mine. Lol

 

I use lube on the cases, but I do get a significant amount of sticking when I run the press. I ran a qtip in them to check and it's pretty dirty.

 

I don't think I've ever cleaned the dies. I've loaded maybe 10-15k through it. Are they supposed to be regularly cleaned out? After how many rounds?

1. They absolutely must be kept clean

2. If they are leaving marks like yours is, then time to clean. Especially check that crimp. It's tearing up the edge of your brass. The edge should be smooth and even. 

3. If you're getting sticking and are using a lube, time to clean. 

4. After a few thousand rounds I wipe out the dies. I don't take them apart. After 10-15k rounds you need a good inspection and cleaning.

 

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Alriiiight. FIXED. So I cleaned everything, including my hundo. I found a bunch of issues that got fixed by cleaning the gunk but was still faIling.

 

Turns out I got so paranoid about damaging the bullet with crimping that I backed the crimp die alllll the way out. I didn't realize I wasn't even crimping because I had minimized the flare in the powder drop so much that it was basically straight. After cleaning and resetting the crimp die,I saw how far off it was from even touching the case.

 

You guys have no idea how good 100 flush rounds feel in the hundo.

 

Thanks for all the advice.

Edited by lroy
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