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Cases Not Resizing....help!


Will Abrahams

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so im finally just about out of new 38 supercomp brass and decided for the first time to reload some of my once fired brass (dillon 550B). when i try to resize the brass it doesnt resize all the way down and there is a bulge left at the bottom of the case...its about 0.008 wider at the bottom. i checked to see if the die was touching the shell plate and it is. do i have a defective resizing die, or am i missing something? appreciate any help!

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thanks for the quick response Matt!

the cases do fit in the case gauge, they just dont look right with the bulge at the bottom. if they are safe to use thats great, but im concerned about reliability in the gun. im wondering if they will sit funny in the magazine.

does any one else have this happen or do you all pretty much get the case lookin new after resizing?

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thanks for the quick response Matt!

the cases do fit in the case gauge, they just dont look right with the bulge at the bottom. if they are safe to use thats great, but im concerned about reliability in the gun. im wondering if they will sit funny in the magazine.

does any one else have this happen or do you all pretty much get the case lookin new after resizing?

If it's a Dillon die, they are slightly flaired at the bottom and will not resize as far down the case as a conventional die.

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A little bulging is not uncommon with resized pistol brass. I was also concerned about this the first time I saw a finished round using 1x brass instead of new. I have learned to live with a certain amount of case bulging. As mentioned earlier, if it passes an ammo gauge and works 100% in the gun, you are good to go.

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thanks for the help. i will try some out and see if there are any feeding issues.

but just out of curiosity...

epj, mentioned that it might just be the nature of the dillon dies. what resizing die would you guys recommend that does resize all the way down?

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I have had coke-bottle rounds from RCBS and Lee dies too. In 9x19, 9x21 & .38 super. I don't believe it generic to Dillon dies per se. I think it's inherent in smooshing these small pistol cases back into shape and then stuffing them again.

Roll sizing would give a better case wall result near the base, but seating the bullet will almost always stretch the case again near the mouth IME.

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george,

a shooting buddy recently explained to me about roll sizing....i am not considering it as an option, but am just curious. what do these roll sizing contraptions look like? any one got any pics?

oh yeah, and thanks for all the help guys, looks like im stickin with me "coke-bottle" cases!

Edited by W.Abrahams
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Have you tried lubing the brass before/during loading? I used to get alot of .40 brass from a PD that issues Glocks. Buddies bought extra dies and cut the flair off the bottom but they were harder (slower) to use. I tried using Dillon lube during the loading process which requires a short polish afterwards. Not only did the brass quit looking like belted magnums but the process was easier on my arm!!!

I lube/size all my Super these days (along with everything else)

Mick

A27257

Have you tried lubing the brass before/during loading? I used to get alot of .40 brass from a PD that issues Glocks. Buddies bought extra dies and cut the flair off the bottom but they were harder (slower) to use. I tried using Dillon lube during the loading process which requires a short polish afterwards. Not only did the brass quit looking like belted magnums but the process was easier on my arm!!!

I lube/size all my Super these days (along with everything else)

Mick

A27257

OBTW I used a CasePro once. They're great!

Dillon lube was much cheaper!

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so im finally just about out of new 38 supercomp brass and decided for the first time to reload some of my once fired brass (dillon 550B). when i try to resize the brass it doesnt resize all the way down and there is a bulge left at the bottom of the case...its about 0.008 wider at the bottom. i checked to see if the die was touching the shell plate and it is. do i have a defective resizing die, or am i missing something? appreciate any help!

I am by no means an expert. I reload 9MM Major with a Dillon 550B and the experts told me to get the Lee four die set and use Lee dies.

I took their advise and have had no problems with case sizing. I use to case gauge every round, but seldom bother now as they all pass. I do a random sample from every 100 rounds or so. Once you get the 550 adjusted right, you should have no problems. The Lee four die set is very inexpensive compared to roll sizing or Dillon dies.

Hope this helps.

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  • 1 year later...

My Supercomp brass winds up looking a bit like that as well but it hasn't caused any problems at all.

Many modern dies have the flair at the bottom of the resizing die so the case feeds into it smoother...this is important for progressive presses. If you really want to get rid of that little bit of bulge get an undersized resizing die from EGW...they call it a U-die and it's made by Lee. Works like a champ! R,

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but seating the bullet will almost always stretch the case again near the mouth IME.

I have the same problem with my Glock fired cases in 9 MM. I use a Dillion 550 w/ RCBS dies. I have gotten around the problem w/ 9 MM. Here is what I learned.

My 1st station was doing its job (it's resizing, even buldge cases)...it was the 4th station (crimping die) when the bullet is seated that was causing the buldge to re-appear. I re-inserted my crimping die (#4) following the instructions from my Dillion manual. It did the trick.

Appearently, # 4 was too deep. I still get some buldge cases but very few are not usable in my Beretta.

I hope this helps.

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I have the same problem with my Glock fired cases in 9 MM. I use a Dillion 550 w/ RCBS dies. I have gotten around the problem w/ 9 MM. Here is what I learned.

My 1st station was doing its job (it's resizing, even buldge cases)...it was the 4th station (crimping die) when the bullet is seated that was causing the buldge to re-appear. I re-inserted my crimping die (#4) following the instructions from my Dillion manual. It did the trick.

Appearently, # 4 was too deep. I still get some buldge cases but very few are not usable in my Beretta.

I hope this helps.

What do your finished rounds measure at the crimp area?

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forgive the drift. Is super brass straight sided or bevelled like 9mm. Just trying to decrease my ignorance :surprise:

dj

now back to the regularly scheduled programing :cheers:

Super and Supercomp are both straight-walled, not tapered like 9mm. R,

Geometry of the die is the issue. For a straight-walled case to enter a sizing die, the opening of the die MUST be larger than the mouth of the case. The taper to the sizing "ring" is what makes this bulge. It can be quite noticable on the brass because of taper in the case wall thickness. This thicker wall has less "spring-back" and so it is sized down greater. The interior taper of the carbide ring is such that excessive stressing of the web-case junction should not cause excessive working of the brass.

If it "bugs" you, try backing off the sizing die a bit. You will find you can get it to chamber with less than full, die to shell holder/shell plate adjustment. Your brass life will also improve, something to consider in these days of rising metal costs.

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What do your finished rounds measure at the crimp area?

Mostly 0.377 but it depends on the on the bullet:

115 gr Moly coated RN.....0.377

115 gr Win FMJ Flat Base 0.377

124 gr Frontier copper plated 0.376

The base is usually 0.388

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