Supermoto Posted February 10, 2007 Share Posted February 10, 2007 (edited) .38 Super on a lee pro 1000 Using a Lee sizing die. my multiple fired brass doesn't seem to sizing enough, doesn't have enough neck tension... so I can easily push the bullet into the case With new brass I do not have this problem with all the other dies set the same. it seems to do it with my multi X fired PMC brass or my once fired Win brass, but never with new I am assuming that the Die is out of spec and that a U-die will cure the problem Or is this a sign of another problem? Thanks Mike Edited February 10, 2007 by Supermoto Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HSMITH Posted February 10, 2007 Share Posted February 10, 2007 Before or after the belling step? What caliber specifically? Is the sizing die hitting the shell holder when the ram is all the way up? What press? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crusher Posted February 10, 2007 Share Posted February 10, 2007 Press? Caliber? Not much specific info in your post, just you have setback. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supermoto Posted February 10, 2007 Author Share Posted February 10, 2007 (edited) Before or after the belling step?What caliber specifically? Is the sizing die hitting the shell holder when the ram is all the way up? What press? Sorry I have been posting from my phone, takes awhile to type on the tiny keyboard This is with .38 super on a Lee Pro 1000 it is after the belling. I make 2 rounds one right after the other the new case round is fine. no setback when I push down with my thumb the used case round, the bullet can easily be pushed back the sizing die is hitting when the press is all the way up I am using only enough bell to get the round to sit just in the lip. even when I add crimp, the used case round will set back Edited February 10, 2007 by Supermoto Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gm iprod Posted February 11, 2007 Share Posted February 11, 2007 Firstly, Get thee to a Dillon!!! OK, sorry had to say it, really the problem sounds like it is the case mouth expander / powder funnel. Check that it is in fact a 38Super / 9mm one, not a 357 / 38Special one. This will make about 0.002" difference in case mouth diameter and therefore "neck" tension. MAke sure the projectiles are the correct size, .355" jacketed or .356" lead. I am not exactly sure what dimensions the cases are supposed to be after going through a Lee, but I suspect that when they are expanded the inside of the case should be about .352" maximum. If the case is larger than that no amount of crimp is going to help. You need to measure (inside and out) an unsized but fired case/s. Then size them and measure again. Expand the case mouths to accept a bullet, measure again. Seat bullets, measure again. You should be able to see the difference between each stage and record what is happening. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supermoto Posted February 11, 2007 Author Share Posted February 11, 2007 Firstly,Get thee to a Dillon!!! OK, sorry had to say it, really the problem sounds like it is the case mouth expander / powder funnel. Check that it is in fact a 38Super / 9mm one, not a 357 / 38Special one. This will make about 0.002" difference in case mouth diameter and therefore "neck" tension. MAke sure the projectiles are the correct size, .355" jacketed or .356" lead. I would think, but may be wrong, if the expander dies was out of spec, wouldn't I get setback with new cases also? Hopefully I will have my U-die soon, if it doesn't solve the problem, then I will get a dillon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warpspeed Posted February 11, 2007 Share Posted February 11, 2007 Sounds like the size die is not going down far enough to resize mouth. I have no idea anout a lee 1000 pro reloading press but I'm guessing it is not too much different than the Dillon ones as far as die set up goes. The size die should touch the shell plate. Raise the press, screw down the die until it touche dthe plate, tighten the lock ring. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jody Waring Posted February 11, 2007 Share Posted February 11, 2007 Like Warpspeed said, verify the set-up of the dies, I am pretty sure you set the resize to hit the plate (its been a while since I loaded on a Lee). Also, you may need to set ap a factory crimp die in a single stage press and crimp all of your ammo after you load it which will bring it back to factory dimensions. I used to do this with all of my ammo and always had perfect feeding ammunition. The Lee is a good budget set up to get you shooting, my dad and me probally loaded over 100,000 rounds on the one we had. Probally more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supermoto Posted February 11, 2007 Author Share Posted February 11, 2007 The sizing die is all the way to the shell plate and I do use a FCD on a separate press. I'll try playing with it some more and see what happens Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clem Posted February 11, 2007 Share Posted February 11, 2007 I had the exact same problem with two different sets of Lee 9mm dies. It would appear that their tolerances are a bit loose. I emailed them, and a few days later was told that I could buy an undersized sizer, or return mine in trade for one. I really like the Lee dies, so I guess I'll have to make a change here, to be sure I get a good bullet hold. I'd sure hate to have my Glock push a bullet in the case upon loading, and then fire it that way, could be kB. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stubbicatt Posted February 12, 2007 Share Posted February 12, 2007 Wow. I've never experienced this sort of problem with Lee sizing dies. What occurs to me is to compare the length of the many times fired cases to the new. If the walls are thinning down, the brass has to be going somewhere, and I suspect it is length. Too, work hardening of the brass can and does occur. Brass does not last forever, and the springback from hardened brass may be what you are experiencing as lack of bullet tension. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supermoto Posted February 12, 2007 Author Share Posted February 12, 2007 Wow. I've never experienced this sort of problem with Lee sizing dies.What occurs to me is to compare the length of the many times fired cases to the new. If the walls are thinning down, the brass has to be going somewhere, and I suspect it is length. Too, work hardening of the brass can and does occur. Brass does not last forever, and the springback from hardened brass may be what you are experiencing as lack of bullet tension. I had the same thought also, but the problem happens with once fired brass also. The brass length measures the same whether new unsized or used sized The weird thing is the brass measures the same new or used thru all the steps, except the used even once fired brass doesn't have enough tension. If I skip the expander stage, I still have the same problem. If I skip the sizing stage but included the belling stage on new brass, there is no set back Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clay1 Posted February 12, 2007 Share Posted February 12, 2007 I went over to a friend who had just bought a used 550 with dies for 45 auto. The dies were already in the machine. I don't load for 45 auto but every one that we did you could push the bullet in the case by hand afterwards. The same kind of problem that you are having. Believe it or not the first die and the crimping die were reversed in the press. Someone had pulled the stem out of the station one die and it was being used to seat bullets. It's was like someone pulled all of the dies apart and when they put them back together the depriming pin ended up in the bullet seating die. Weirdest thing that I ever saw and I couldn't figure it out. Some guy on the "High Road BB" pointed my buddy in the right direction and now everything is running as it should be. Verify that the right die has the right parts in it. Rick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supermoto Posted February 12, 2007 Author Share Posted February 12, 2007 I received my EGW U-die today, fast shipping on their part. Well, no more set back issues, it looks like the original sizing die was out of spec. Hopefully this will be the last of my issues Thanks for all the help Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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