Egw U And Lee Factory Crimp

[austinkroe]

I am looking into begining reloading for my 9mm limited gun and a few other calibers for plinking and I have pretty much decided on a 550B.

I want my limited gun to run as flawlessly as it does with factory ammo and many posts on this site recommend using the EGW U die or the Lee factory crimp die but I have not found a reference to using them both. I want to make sure that I am not going to jam my gun up by using "glocked" brass (9mm). So, I want to make sure I get the right equipment up front. Are the two dies redundant? Can I use just one of them? If so which should I choose?

Any other tips for reloading 9mm on the functioning end of things (ie other considerations for the brass)?

Thanks,

Austin

[blkbrd]

Both.

You will find lots of posts on using them as a combo.

[revchuck]

You didn't mention whether you're using a factory or a match barrel. I use standard Lee dies with a standard taper crimp die for ammo in my 9x19s, and have no problems in my CZ-75B and Beretta 92 with factory barrels. I use whatever brass I can get my hands on, and that includes "Glocked" brass.

I haven't heard of problems in 9x19 with match chambers. Problems with Glocked brass usually occur in .40 S&W with tight match chambers, but not with factory barrels.

Also, if you'll be using it in a 1911-pattern pistol, they have problems based on cartridge overall length; the 9x19 is shorter than the 1911 was designed for. I can't speak to that, not having one.

[HSMITH]

If you NEED the factory crimp die something is terribly wrong.

I use the U-die and have tried the factory crimp dies in several calibers. I don't like or use the FCD anymore, it isn't needed or even desireable in my opinion. The Redding Competion Seating die makes a LOT bigger difference in the quality of your ammunition than smashing it back into a shape that will chamber with the FCD will.

Use a good sizing die, adjust your seat and crimp die properly, and you won't need it either. Case gauge the ammo, no matter what die setup you use, and you won't have problems. The Redding Competition Seating die is where you want to spend extra money on the die set, it is just outstanding in every way.

[R/T Performance]

I have seem hundreds of post about poeple loving the fcd.

I just upgraded to a 550 from a SDB.Currently using mixed sets of dies.

But only own a Walther P.38 in 9mm so I haven't loaded or bought 9mm dies yet

[DougCarden]

I just case gauged a plastic bin full of almost 5K last night. I only had one that wouldnt gauge....bullet crushed the side of the case... No wonder.....

Everyone else was just fine. I use a Lee Factory taper crimp die. If you shoot match barrels and load lead at any time I highly recommend it. I use standard Dillon sizing dies, but for .40 I use a standard Lee sizing die. I dont know that you "need" a undersized die, but the LFCD does make life much simpler, and doesnt affect accuracy or anything else for that matter.

Good luck,

DougC

[Jaxshooter]

I use Lee undersize resizing dies, Redding micrometer seating dies and Lee factory crimp dies in all calibers. I load 45 ACP, 40 S&W, 38 super and 38 Super Comp. I haven't had more than 2 rejected shells in the last 6 months.

[racerba]

I used the Lee FCD and found that it was all I needed. I put in the U die (just because) and I got a few brass stuck in the die with the die pulling the brass out of the turret. It was a pain to take the press apart to get the stuck brass out. I wondered if anyone else had the same problem. I have taken the U die out and it runs fine with just the FCD.

[Carlos]

I used the Lee FCD and found that it was all I needed. I put in the U die (just because) and I got a few brass stuck in the die with the die pulling the brass out of the turret. It was a pain to take the press apart to get the stuck brass out. I wondered if anyone else had the same problem. I have taken the U die out and it runs fine with just the FCD.

Hi Bob - I set up a friend of ours' XL-650 with a 9mm "U" die and he had the same problem you describe. I discovered he was not using the Hornady OneSHot case spray I gave him. As far as I am concerned, OneShot or Dillon case spray is required for ALL pistol dies - carbide or not, and its even featured in Brian Enos' reloading video. Takes only 5 seconds to treat 250 pieces of brass & you can leave it on the loaded rounds (I think Brian even stated once that he believes it actually improves feeding).

I believe that most of the case-head separations out there are caused by set back. The cure is the "U" die (and OneShot).

D.

[JFD]

I use the U die for increased bullet tension.

I use the FCD dies because I once saw someone who didn't choke their guts up on a stage with an oversized round. Cheap insurance so that pereson won't be me. At the time I bought FCDs for each caliber I was loading a lot of lead and it made more sense.

Now I don't know if I can convince myself to quit using them, or if I want to anyway. They do add a significant amount of effort to the reloading process with plated bullets.

I've never seen the FCD die have a negative efffect on my ammo, which is one reason why I'm hesitant to quit using them.

I use the pump One Shot and there's no way I'm leaving that stuff on my ammo. Must be different from the original spray. I'm sick to death of removing it from my HP ammo with a towel and brake cleaner. I spray brake cleaner in with the media with FMJ rounds and it cleans them very quickly.

[racerba]

No, I don't use the case spray. Didn't find I needed to. Got rid of the U die and have no problems.

BTW - the FCD reduced my number of "failed to guage" rounds to almost zero. I still guage every round. The ones that do fail are usually due to other causes than bulged brass.

[get2now]

I don't know if they'd be redundant but one is a sizer and one is a crimper, right?

When I started loading for my stock Springfield Armory 9mm 1911 last year I was using a Dillon sizer and mixed brass. I got a lot of fat brass that wouldn't chamber so I switched to an EGW-U die. I don't have any problems anymore.

Only thing is, with the U die it was harder on the downstroke. Now I shoot some lube on the cases and it's like a hot knife through butter.

I should've done that long ago.

Gary

[TCK]

They go together like peanut butter and jelly.

So far my STI has eaten anything produced with the combination of the two.

[Chris Keen]

It's true. I used to shoot .40 and had the same die configuration. Had nary a problem with ammo. Eventually I even stopped chamber-checking my ammo.

[get2now]

Wouldn't the .40 be different from the 9mm?

Straight wall case as opposed to the tapered case.

The original post only talked about the 9mm.

I've never had to use an undersize die on anything except the 9mm.

Gary

[Carlos]

Wouldn't the .40 be different from the 9mm?

Straight wall case as opposed to the tapered case.

The original post only talked about the 9mm.

I've never had to use an undersize die on anything except the 9mm.

Gary

THe .40's problem is the early Glock .40 barrels that had 2 problems:

1) Case support sucked almost as bad as a 1911! (the original non-ramped & thus unsupported 1911 design).

2) The early glock chambers were oversized. Nice & reliable, but tended to produce guppy-bellied brass. I understnad the the newer Glock barrels are better supported & tighter. And .40 brass has improved too - esp the "Federal" brand over the old "FC" marked stuff.

Lee U die & FCD fixes those problems. And prevents set-back.

[racerba]

I use the pump One Shot and there's no way I'm leaving that stuff on my ammo.

Just curious...why not? What does it do to the ammo that you find the need to clean it off? Sounds like it would help with feeding as Carlos said.

[JFD]

It's sticky. No matter how I shake it or apply it, it ends up sticky by the next day.

If I leave brass in the case feeder and load the next day, it feels like there's no lube on the cases at all; at least nothing that feels slick.

I'm not about to use sticky ammo.

I hate the stuff SO BAD that I ran all my brass (with one-shot) through a 'U' die set up by itself on a tool head. Tumbled them and am now loading with no lube. The FCD with plated bullets feels just slightly better than using the 'U' die with no lube. I'm tempted to quit using it, but I've never loaded any .40 without it and don't want to invite problems.

One half of my brain tells me I don't need the FCD, while the other half says "don't be stupid and ignore cheap insurance". I'm in a quandry.

I'm was getting tennis/650 elbow from loading with no lube, and using lube saved me from that injury. However I don't like having to remove the stuff.

Is there a better way to remove the lube from HPs other than brake cleaner on a towel?

I'm using Rainier 180 Hps and just received a bunch of Berrys 180 HPs. I'm tempted to just stick with the Precision Delta FMJs I use for my wife's minor loads.

[DougCarden]

For JHPs I use walnut media with some laquer thinner. Throw the media in, drop a couple of cap fulls of the Laquer Thinner and let it run for a couple of minutes. Then put your loaded ammo in and let it run for 10 min.

The finished rounds wont be as shiny as the corncob media but they run in the gun just fine. It is just one small step, and the benefits of case lube for me and the volume I do far out weighs the time I spend taking the lube off.

Just one more way to do it....

DougC

[wide45]

If I leave brass in the case feeder and load the next day, it feels like there's no lube on the cases at all; at least nothing that feels slick.

It does not need to feel slick. Takes very little to do it's thing. Try using less.

[kevin c]

I have the same problem with the stickiness, with both the spray and pump versions of One Shot. It only happens on yellow brass though. Nickelled brass stays slick.

I don't think I'm using too much-three pumps (actually six half squirts) or 3 seconds' spay for 200 cases?

I still take it off (rubbing alcohol on the rounds, and a rub with an old towel). Sticky or not, I figure attracting grit/dust/dirt to the ammo can't be good for feeding from the mag.

Edited February 28, 2007 by kevin c

[ChrisMcCracken]

I got my U die, Lee FCD, and Redding comp seater all in the mail today and yesterday, along with the one shot case lube. Now I'm just waiting for FedEx to deliver the press again, since I missed them today. Knowing my luck they'll come all three times when I'm not here, and I'll have to pick it up from the depot across town.

Either way, I've got all the goodies, just nothing blue to put on the bench.

Chris

[XD Niner]

I've found that three or four squirts into a gallon Ziploc bag followed by a few handfulls of brass and then your basic shake-n-bake action minimizes any problems. It also uses less One Shot.

[HSMITH]

Think about it this way, if a round isn't going to case gauge do you want to know why or do you want to smash it into a chamberable shape? That IS what the FCD does.

99%+ of the rounds I load that don't case gauge are due to rim burrs, and the FCD won't help with them anyway. The others? I want to know what is wrong.

[JFD]

I've used more and less with the same result. Brass sprayed one day will not feel lubed the next day in terms of sizing/FCD effort. Better than nothing, but not like the day before.

I haven't tried the tumbler because I didn't want walnut packed in the HPs, but I think it's worth a try on a test batch just to see. I hope this won't be a repeat of my pet store corn cob and .223 cases tumbling effort. That involved any hours and a dental pick to recover the brass.

Rubbing alcohol works well at removing lube? Pretty cheap stuff compared to brake cleaner.

I just may learn something yet