What did you do in the reloading room recently?

I'm working on a mild load for the trapdoor. 10.5 grains of Trailboss and Norm Purcella's 350 grain coated gas check bullet is very mild and accurate. It hits dead on at 100 yards. I need to check the velocity and try to duplicate it with SR4759.
You are so lucky to have 4759.

Everyone online talks about how amazing it was, specially for 45/70. But I guess now it is discontinued.
 
I mentioned before I was having issues with the Hornady 9mm dies seating and crimping at once. My plan was to buy a Lee FCD but it was mentioned that they don't do well with lead bullets due to resizing the bullets. Well I was poking around the reloading room today making a list of things and I had a thought "Why not use the seating die from my .357SIG die set" I mean all I need to do is push the bullet to the correct length and they're pretty much the same diameter.. Well after some tests sizing everything up it works perfectly and smooth as butter.
 
I have a problem with my Hornady crimp die.

The crimp die used to be a seating and crimping die but I turned it into a crimp only.

It was crimping fine, over 3K rounds so far. I have 500 cases that I reuse for competition. Each has been fired around 6 times.

Lately, it started shaving a very small ring of brass when I crimp. I thought maybe I had to back the die out, but if I do that the rounds won't fit in the cylinder.

I cleaned it, that didn't solve it.

Any ideas?
 
Any ideas?

Seen this before but can't remember the last time. I wasn't sure whether it was brass from the case mouth or copper shaved from the bullet jacket getting pressed on to the case mouth by the crimper. Maybe try flaring a little more and/or using the deburring tool on the case mouth.
 
Seen this before but can't remember the last time. I wasn't sure whether it was brass from the case mouth or copper shaved from the bullet jacket getting pressed on to the case mouth by the crimper. Maybe try flaring a little more and/or using the deburring tool on the case mouth.
Its not copper. The bullets are cast. It is brass.
I tried flaring less and it still happened.
 
I have a problem with my Hornady crimp die.

The crimp die used to be a seating and crimping die but I turned it into a crimp only.

It was crimping fine, over 3K rounds so far. I have 500 cases that I reuse for competition. Each has been fired around 6 times.

Lately, it started shaving a very small ring of brass when I crimp. I thought maybe I had to back the die out, but if I do that the rounds won't fit in the cylinder.

I cleaned it, that didn't solve it.

Any ideas?
Maybe brass is to long?
You have a pic of whats happenin?
Do you change shell holder or plate recently
Often I find problems lead back to changes made.

Sometimes i find it best to just do a reset.
Tear it down , clean everything and start over.
 
Maybe brass is to long?

Was just thinking that.

I have a problem with my Hornady crimp die.



It was crimping fine, over 3K rounds so far. I have 500 cases that I reuse for competition. Each has been fired around 6 times.

Lately, it started shaving a very small ring of brass when I crimp.

Start with putting calipers to the brass and take some measurements, compare those to spec.
Could be stretched out just enough for the die to snap off that ring you're seeing.

We can eliminate the die, because it started prior to you pulling it apart and cleaning it and its still happening after the fact. I doubt its worn out.
 
No changes in over a month. I will check the brass.
Any "new" brass added to the mix?

I never used hornady pistol dies. I wonder if the die body is at fault ?
I still dont under stand how hornady does not show that their 007 press ram is at its highest point before the arm reaches the bottom of its stroke. If i adjust my dies on the 007 press like they show i would get over crimps, crushed shoulders and such.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUXpQ3ChWRk&app=desktop
 
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You also recently switched to .357 or .358 lead for 9 yes?

Brass ring or sliver could be the result of-
Case length
Case mouth "work hardening" or having to over-flare and then draw the case mouth back in, in a sort of extreme fashion to accommodate the fatter heads.
Yes. I thought the flar could be the issue. I tried flaring less. Maybe I need to try that again.
 
Yes. I thought the flar could be the issue. I tried flaring less. Maybe I need to try that again.

I think they're just toast my good man.
You've been using the same 500 and this is the 6th run. Oversize heads. Flare and crimp.
Case mouth will only invert so many times on a tapered design.

Have you tried some other cases? Maybe once or twice fired?

Edit t add- I can only get some many out of .38, and thats straightwall. Rolling and un-rolling that crimp and flaring it on top of that, it'll only run so mnay times for me before I toss em.
 
I think they're just toast my good man.
You've been using the same 500 and this is the 6th run. Oversize heads. Flare and crimp.
Case mouth will only invert so many times on a tapered design.

Have you tried some other cases? Maybe once or twice fired?

Edit t add- I can only get some many out of .38, and thats straightwall. Rolling and un-rolling that crimp and flaring it on top of that, it'll only run so mnay times for me before I toss em.
Good call. I have some 3K once fired cases that need sorting.

I will separate a few this week and try that.
 
Ok so if the brass length was an issue you could back it off an solve that problem.
brass hardness seems to be a non issue too. I can’t see why a harder piece of brass would shave and a softer wouldn’t.
My guess is some type of burr in the die.
I had one set of Hornady dies and got rid of the quick. Their whole dual crimp sucked. It’s a taper then as you tighten it’s a roll. It was damn near impossible to get a taper without a roll on part of the case.
Their trimmer sucked too. It was crooked as all hell.
I would toss that set of dies and get Dillon dies like God intended.
 
brass hardness seems to be a non issue too. I can’t see why a harder piece of brass would shave and a softer wouldn’t.

This could actually be the answer, harder brass could explain it. Since brass is typically malleable, it would 'give' under pressure, but if its hardened after multiple firings it would be more rigid and less apt to 'give' when shoved into the die. If that happens and it doesn't compress like its supposed to and stays rigid, then its got to give some other way and a little bit is shaved off as shown.
 
This could actually be the answer, harder brass could explain it. Since brass is typically malleable, it would 'give' under pressure, but if its hardened after multiple firings it would be more rigid and less apt to 'give' when shoved into the die. If that happens and it doesn't compress like its supposed to and stays rigid, then its got to give some other way and a little bit is shaved off as shown.
I don’t know. I would think in order to throw a shaving like that the die would have to have a certain out of spec geometry. Kind of like bullet sizing dies. They don’t shave they taper to squeeze the bullet down.
However if you’re right then a new piece of brass shouldn’t shave which is easy enough to check.
 
I don’t know. I would think in order to throw a shaving like that the die would have to have a certain out of spec geometry. Kind of like bullet sizing dies. They don’t shave they taper to squeeze the bullet down.
However if you’re right then a new piece of brass shouldn’t shave which is easy enough to check.

regarding the geometry, remember the case mouth is flared a bit. But yeah running some new brass through should answer that question.
 
Well, as long as we're just brainstorming the issue, I've seen these things still partially attached, as if pulling off the top layer of mica. It could have just been in the die and pressed there. I've gotten them coming out of the Lee FCD. What if the previous crimp left the edge of the case mouth somewhat sharpened, then reseating and recrimping folds this tiny bit of brass over, breaking it at the fold and making a little ring out it.
 
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