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Old 06-15-2012, 05:22 AM   #2
Hammerslagger
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Join Date: Jul 2009
Posts: 1,099
Default Re: problem with lee dies

Your resizing die may be too loose and or your case brass too thin. THIS, if so, IS A DANGEROUS COMBINATION. The bullet of a loaded 9x19 mm cartridge must withstand a minimum of 35 pounds of push or pull force to be within SAAMI specifications and be safe.

Some early (like 20 years ago) Lee dies met industry dimensional specs, but were on the loose side of said specs. When used with thin walled brass (especially Winchester, nickel plated brass) one could get a loose bullet in a finished cartridge, which is very dangerous.
Lee subsequently corrected this problem.

In the matter of a 9x19mm cartridge, should a cartridge (loaded to factory ballistics with a fast burning propellant like W231 or Bullseye) have its bullet shoved in an additional 0.1" on the loading stroke of the slide; your breech pressure will likely more than double to over 70,000 psi, with very bad results. Speer basically warned as to the foregoing in at least one of its reloading manuals around 1987.

Be safe, not sorry.

Last edited by Hammerslagger; 06-15-2012 at 08:13 AM.. Reason: correct typo
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