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For those loading RNFP blues, got some bullets bulging the cases....


Guitarmageddon

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So I load on a 550, and up til now have been checking my loaded rounds using a dillon single case gauge. I got a hundo recently, and the undo must be made a bit tighter because a round here and there that all pass the dillon gauge will fail the hundo. So I got to inspecting the rounds better, and it looks like an ever so slight bulge at the base of the bullet just on one side of the completed round. I just checked my press index today, and everything was fine. a bit about my setup/recipe:

 

180gr blues RNFP, .400

COAL about 1.123

Lee u-die station 1

Station 2 was dillon expander but recently switched to the photoescape funnel from uniquetek due to success in other calibers. it flares like an M die. 

Station 3 lee adjustable seating die. I believe it is a one size fits all seating stem

Station 4 dillon crimp

 

Im wondering if its going in slightly crooked because Im using the generic round nose seating stem, and I should be using a flat nose? I do have a dillon seater coming, and those can easily switch between RN and FN profiles. I had a thought that maybe it was the u-die undersizing brass making the bullet squeeze its way in there differently, but it also happened on standard resized brass as well.


Anyone have any input?

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The Lee u die will typically created that coke bottle, as long as your rounds plunk into your barrel I wouldn't be concern. Hundo gauges have tighter toleracnes then most other gauges. 

I use the Lee u die to load 40 Cal never had a feeding problem. 

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I've never encountered that issue with seating my bullets and I've loaded 10ns of thousands of BB.. Granted I don't use dillion dies or Lee's for seating, I use redding dies for seating ! 

 

Edited by Furrly
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I was having that problem with my 10mm until I machined the seating plug flat. Every once in a while I’ll get one but it’s not as bad. I also think that once that brass is stretched like that it’ll always load that way. Whether it’s been from crooked loading or shot in a large chamber.  I’ve just done some testing with some 45’s and SWC using a RN punch and am getting a bulge on some. Marking and reloading the bulged ones they bulge in the same spot. Using a flat punch seems to lessen the bulge. Measuring the brass thickness shows that it’s .001-.002 thinner at the bulge area. Many once fired brass are a bit thinner on one side and it makes me believe that when fired in a larger chamber it stretches to the loose side creating the unevenness. Just my 2 cents. 

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5 hours ago, Farmer said:

I was having that problem with my 10mm until I machined the seating plug flat. Every once in a while I’ll get one but it’s not as bad. I also think that once that brass is stretched like that it’ll always load that way. Whether it’s been from crooked loading or shot in a large chamber.  I’ve just done some testing with some 45’s and SWC using a RN punch and am getting a bulge on some. Marking and reloading the bulged ones they bulge in the same spot. Using a flat punch seems to lessen the bulge. Measuring the brass thickness shows that it’s .001-.002 thinner at the bulge area. Many once fired brass are a bit thinner on one side and it makes me believe that when fired in a larger chamber it stretches to the loose side creating the unevenness. Just my 2 cents. 

Thanks for the info. I am going to try the dillon plug, then when Im working with that, going to send off my lee plug to the factory. Just read the turnaround time was 8 weeks though, but Im not in a huge rush. 

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  • 2 weeks later...

I have wound up with mostly Lyman dies in my learning curve. Just in the last few days I have been loading tests with e3 in different calibers and decided to try to use an Acme Bullet Green RN for my 9 mm. I had loaded a few in the past and became exasperated with the bullet going in skewed like you're talking about. Back to the present, I got to looking at the different stems as Lyman calls them, from several different calibers and found one with my 32 SWL die that fit the ogive at a mid point, left that ugly indent but so what. That disregards the OAL, but it coincides with rifle bullet seating. We'll have to see if they cycle!

Having one made though for a specific bullet would be the cat's meow! I resemble a bird more, cheap cheap. : )

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  • 1 month later...

Did you check the alignment of your press? Do you have issues like this with other bullet profiles? One of my friend had the exact issue on his 650, turns out his press was not aligned properly so he told me, got an 1050 and never had the same issue. I personally load 40 with 750, no such issues at all. I use dillion seating die BTW, very good correction capability, no matter now tilted the bullet is (as long as it stays in the case mouth, it always goes in straight. 

Edited by Dr_Z
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Small update to this:

 

press index was spot on. it went to dillon for a refurb and came back in good shape. they did replace the bottom end of the press/linkages though.

 

What I think this was, was that mixed range brass was not cooperating at that seating depth. Switched to 1.131 OAL and not a problem since.... go figure. Just a case of certain headstamps with certain thicknesses of walls at given seating depths. 

 

I had the same exact issue pop up with 147gr RN in 9mm. Seating to 1.120 due to CZ chamber limitations, it would always bulge the brass this same way with FC and CBC brass. starting sorting those out, never a failure after.

 

Edited by Guitarmageddon
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