racine Posted August 29, 2003 Share Posted August 29, 2003 I shoot in limited class with a hicap 45 and wondered if anyone has ever gone to a full length resizing die for this caliber? Any Pros vs. Cons for this from anyone? Any thoughts or comments would be greatly appreciated. It seems that even though the 45 is a low pressure cartridge, I've still noticed how the brass seems to bell out towards the rim much like the 40sw which I got a full length resizer for. Some of my 45 barrels are chambered for reliability and thus are a little wider. Thanks again... Racine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TBF Posted August 29, 2003 Share Posted August 29, 2003 Racine, I have no experience with supertight match chambers, so YMMV , and maybe some would disagree, but I see no real advantage in 45acp. But I'm sure it wouldnt hurt anything, but might fix a problem I have not encountered. Travis F. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RePete Posted August 31, 2003 Share Posted August 31, 2003 Full length resize. You don't want any fail to feed in the middle of a match. It won't be time wasted. RePete. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
n2299 Posted August 31, 2003 Share Posted August 31, 2003 Get a Lee Factory Crimp Die. It not only crimps your rounds but also resizes them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eringobragh Posted October 10, 2003 Share Posted October 10, 2003 Since I purchased my Lee Factory Crimp Die, I have not had one single malfunction or stoppage...I'll never reload without one again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D.Hayden Posted October 10, 2003 Share Posted October 10, 2003 Being a rookie, I haven't heard of this. What's the difference between this die and the Dillon? Does this die replace the Dillon crimp die? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gobabygo Posted October 10, 2003 Share Posted October 10, 2003 Yes, the Lee Factory Crimp Die replaces the Dillon crimp die. As has been said, it full length resizes the case (and crimps of course). The Dillon crimp die crimps only. The crimp is also very easy to adjust on the Lee FCD. I have one and I think it's great. EVERY round drops easily into a case gauge, so it can even save you time if you chamber check/case gauge your rounds. (I actually still do for rounds I'm going to shoot in a match, but this really is to weed out rounds with burrs on the case rim.) And it's only like $10 so why not? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tokarev Posted October 11, 2003 Share Posted October 11, 2003 Midway USA sells the Lee die for $12.97. I think F and M Reloading sells them for $11.50 or so. The FCD is a cheap insurance policy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rhyrlik Posted October 12, 2003 Share Posted October 12, 2003 I don't understand why one would need to full-length resize the round once the bullet is seated. The sizing/decapping die does that pretty well. It removes all of the bulge on the base of the cartrige. In my experience, the Lee factory crimp die is too tight, and reduces the diameter of the bullet as it passes through the carbide ring. It then does nothing for the base of the cartrige. If you load a .451" bullet into 45ACP case, the case will expand a bit for a tight hold on the bullet. If you then run this round through a Lee factory crimp die the carbide ring will reduce the diameter of the bullet to .450" as it squeezes the case walls back to their pre-bullet seated condition. This is bad, especially with lead bullets. It is great for reliability, but bad for accuracy and leading. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Larry Cazes Posted October 12, 2003 Share Posted October 12, 2003 I have loaded upwards of 20K rounds of .45acp in my 550B with an RCBS crimp die and have never seen any need for the lee setup. A tight crimp, yes, full length resize, no. I guess YMMV with tighter chambers then mine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tightloop Posted October 12, 2003 Share Posted October 12, 2003 I guess it is personal preference, but I have over 500k thru my two Dillons using only their dies and no problems. Yes, I gauge every match round, but since I load every case till I either loose it or it cracks you can expect some rejects as you gauge them. My question, is it really necessary...I don't think so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vikesh Posted October 13, 2003 Share Posted October 13, 2003 I recommend using the Lee factory crimp die, the re-sizer does not always touch every brass, but does resize potential bulges which might not be clear to the naked eye. I use the Lee factory crimp die when loading 40S&W, 9mm & 45ACP. The 40S&W LFC die does the most work, but then again the load is high pressured so a bulge can be expected. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rhyrlik Posted October 14, 2003 Share Posted October 14, 2003 What bulges are you talking about? The sizer/decapper die takes care of any bulges caused by high pressure and such. Are you referring to the bulge caused by bullet seating? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vikesh Posted October 14, 2003 Share Posted October 14, 2003 rhyrlik The bulges in question is formed on the 40S&W case when I load max loads using a medium burn rate powder called MP200 manufactured by Somchem [Here in South Africa]. I only use 180gr FP heads and seat to 28.8mm I have a Hornady 5 stage press and the 1st 3 stages are fitted with Hornady Nitride dies. The Lee FCD is on the 5th stage and crimps \ re-sizes the entire bullet. I have 3 tyre marks on every bullet, where you can see the FCD goto work on the brass. So my only conclusion is that the decap\sizing die in stage 1 does not re-form the case into the same diameter spec as what the Lee FCD does. That said, I love the Hornady dies, and would not change them for a Lee set. The nitride dies are more caring on the brass etc... this solution seems to work for me, I dont suffer from stove-pipes, mis-feeds, etc... and have never had a case ruptured. That said, my 40S&W gun is a HK USP 40 Expert... with a 133mm barrel and match sights and trigger. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rhyrlik Posted October 15, 2003 Share Posted October 15, 2003 The three tire marks you see are a visual effect caused by the elasticity of the brass tightly gripping the bullet around the shank. Your FCD is further compressing the brass, beyond the minimum specs, and reducing the bullet's diameter. Now you have an undersized bullet. Trust me, you do not want to alter bullet diameter this way. The lee die is poorly designed. It is too tight. I gues they make it so in order to compensate for the various brands of brass and their deviant tolerances. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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