Separating brass - The Firearms Forum

upsguy · 02-27-2011, 12:05 AM

Now I know why it's a good idea to do this. I started working up loads for .38 spl using once-fired Winchester brass and as I went to seat a bullet, it dropped half way down the case. Not having ANY expierence reloading, I figured the case was bad. I took a good look at it and simply set it aside not knowing why the bullet wouldn't stay in like the others had? As I went on, again, I got another one, then another one... What the heck! As I dumped the powder back into the hopper, I noticed it was Remington brass. Of course!!! The light bulb went on upstairs and realized what was goin on. Just that slight difference between the two really shows how much the tolerance seperates them.

All this time collecting my brass, my kids thought I was nuts seperating them wasting my time, they'd say. Now I can tell them WHY I do it and it really needs to be done.

Has anyone else had this happen to them? I've read alot on here where people say they don't bother. Is this being too anal, or simply the right way to keep things orderly?

todd51 · 02-27-2011, 12:23 AM

Something is not right here. A .38 spl. bullet should not drop down in to a brass case whether is is new case, a just fired case, a just sized case, a case that has been expanded using the expander die and even after it has had the mouth flared, whether it is a .357 lead or .356 jacket bullet. Can you tell us what you have done to those cases in preparation for their loading. A bullet should just barely enter a sized, expanded, and flared case not drop half way down.

upsguy · 02-27-2011, 07:36 AM

The only thing Ive done was tumble them, thats it. That's exactly what I was thinking, something's not right. Like I said, I ran everything (Rem and Win brass) the same way, Decap-resizeing die, flared-powder dump die, then getting ready to seat the bullet, the Win. brass were the same. Those held the bullet snug enough not to shave anything, btw, these bullets are Winchester 130gr. fmj. then seating die and crimped and inspected. All good till I tried the Rem. brass. I figured, maybe the cases are made different meaning, the Win. brass are thicker? and the Rem. brass got streched a hair wider, hence, the bullet sliding down, not seating properly? I don't know what the heck's going on with this, because this is the first time for me loading .38's. Anyone else got any ideas?

BobMcG · 02-27-2011, 09:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by todd51

Something is not right here. A .38 spl. bullet should not drop down in to a brass case whether is is new case, a just fired case, a just sized case, a case that has been expanded using the expander die and even after it has had the mouth flared.......A bullet should just barely enter a sized, expanded, and flared case not drop half way down.

Todd's correct.

Just for the heck of it and to prove a point, I took some fired and some ready to load .38 cases from both Winchester and Remington and none would let any of the seven different lead and jacketed bullets (.358 & .357) I chose to use, drop into them or even close to it for that matter, as should be the case.
I can't picture off the top of my head what you've run into.

carver · 02-27-2011, 09:40 AM

Nor can I! I don't seperate my cases unless I'm trying to work up a load for a specific gun. I have all kinds of brass, as like you, I scrounge the ranges every time I go to one. I will say, though I have never run into this situation, it is possible to have undersized bullets, and over flared cases, this could cause a small bullet to drop down half way in the case. But half way is still probably not to the crimp ring, or is it? I suspect that you are putting a flare on your cases that is very excessive. I flare to the point that a bullet will only just start enough to sit there untill I press it into the brass.

BobMcG · 02-27-2011, 09:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by carver

I flare to the point that a bullet will only just start enough to sit there untill I press it into the brass.

Exactly, same here. Is this how you (upsguy) are doing it?

upsguy · 02-27-2011, 09:51 AM

Yea... I'm stumped as well. When I flared the cases, it's just enough to seat the bullet. The bullets themselves are Winchester 130gr. fmj, (no marking on the bag) but i used my caliper and it's .357. Everything Im using is brand spankin' new except the brass. This brass is at least 10-15 years old and I know that shouldn't make a difference. I'm gonna investigate later, gotta go to a gun show then to the range and try out my reloads.

mikld · 02-27-2011, 10:47 AM

Try measuring a case before it it flared. The primer punch enters the case first and goes down to punch out the primer. The carbide ring (or ID of a steel die) swages the outside diameter of the case back to spec. As it is being withdrawn, the expander button, on the primer punch, opens up the ID of the case back to spec. Somewhere in this operation something is making the ID too big, or not sizing the OD down...

MHO

BobMcG · 02-27-2011, 11:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikld

Somewhere in this operation something is making the ID too big, or not sizing the OD down...

You'd think that was the case, but wasn't the problem only with the Remington brass and not the Winchester. Is this correct upsguy? Or if not, could you please clarify this point?

312shooter · 02-27-2011, 10:28 PM

Are you using a 357 die, 38/357, or a 38 die......?

noylj · 02-27-2011, 11:28 PM

The bullet sounds like a 0.356" bullet for .38 Super. Is box labeled 0.357"?
I have NEVER had a sized and properly expanded case be too large for the bullet. However, if you combine R.P. cases with thin walls and a slightly too-large expander with a .38 Super .356" bullet, you could possibly have these problems.
I load L-HBWCs in .38 Special for my S&W M52 and found best accuracy was with unsized cases. Due to the very low pressure, the cases are not really expanded. However, unless I was to special order a larger expander, a sized and expanded case will swage down the bullets during the seating step enough to destroy accuracy. Unsized gives me good bullet tension and no damage to the bullet.
Of course, when I read a post like this, I want to know:
What is the case ID after sizing and after expansion for the "good" and "bad" cases? What are the case wall thinknesses of the "good" and "bad" cases? What is the bullet diameter? Why are measurements not taken to determine what and where the problem is?

upsguy · 02-27-2011, 11:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BobMcG

You'd think that was the case, but wasn't the problem only with the Remington brass and not the Winchester. Is this correct upsguy? Or if not, could you please clarify this point?

Yes Bob, that was the original problem.

upsguy · 02-27-2011, 11:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 312shooter

Are you using a 357 die, 38/357, or a 38 die......?

It's a Lee .38spl (says it can do .357 mag).

upsguy · 02-28-2011, 12:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by noylj

The bullet sounds like a 0.356" bullet for .38 Super. Is box labeled 0.357"?
I have NEVER had a sized and properly expanded case be too large for the bullet. However, if you combine R.P. cases with thin walls and a slightly too-large expander with a .38 Super .356" bullet, you could possibly have these problems.
I load L-HBWCs in .38 Special for my S&W M52 and found best accuracy was with unsized cases. Due to the very low pressure, the cases are not really expanded. However, unless I was to special order a larger expander, a sized and expanded case will swage down the bullets during the seating step enough to destroy accuracy. Unsized gives me good bullet tension and no damage to the bullet.
Of course, when I read a post like this, I want to know:
What is the case ID after sizing and after expansion for the "good" and "bad" cases? What are the case wall thinknesses of the "good" and "bad" cases? What is the bullet diameter? Why are measurements not taken to determine what and where the problem is?

Like I posted before, the Winchester package (bag) does not have the bullet size printed on it, I measured it at .357. Range report to follow...

upsguy · 02-28-2011, 12:34 AM

I went to the range today and fired off my first ever reloads, man o man does it feel good to do that! I think I know what happened with these .38 loads. When it was time to fire these, I chose to use my Winchester 1892 lever-action. Still bothered by the bullet sinking in problem, I decided to load five rounds instead of ten and visually checked the OAL before chambering the round. The first three rounds went BANG, then I got a jam in the action, I had a hard time getting the stuck round out. Pulled the sucker out and the dang bullet slid down below the case mouth from the pressure inside the feed tube, just like the Remington rounds. That was the end of shooting those rounds out of that gun so I brought out my snubby. The rest of them went off with no problems as did all of my other loads in .45 Colt and .45ACP.

I'm pretty sure the problem is the Powder through expanding die, Im almost positive I set the die too deep inside the brass. When I got home I loaded a dummy round and noticed if I pressed the bullet in the case before seating it with the die, (just pushing with my fingers) I could almost seat it myself. For some reason those Remington cases were looser than the Winchesters, I don't know how else to describe it. So, tomorrow I'll get back on the press and adjust the die and go from there.

Thank you all for giving me your opinions and ideas.

woolleyworm · 02-28-2011, 01:34 AM

I always like to double/triple check everything if I run into a problem like this. Measure all ID and OD of the case to get comparison wall thickness and check the trim lenths; then check the bullets against each other too.

Hope you can narrow it down, there IS a specific reason that is causing this. A difference in case length can cause your expanding die to overflare the longer cases, this still shouldn't cause the bullet to drop in the case. ( I would think, but stranger things have happened. )

jdon72 · 02-28-2011, 07:20 AM

you did size the cases, right?

noylj · 03-01-2011, 02:46 PM

If you are shooting wadcutters that extend beyond the case mouth, you need a roll crimp to help hold the bullet.
I really don't know if carbines are made to feed full wadcutters. Full wadcutters are really made for revolvers (where you should seat the bullet so it extends a little into the cylinder throat) and special auto pistols (S&W M52 and custom 1911).
Going back to the original post, you didn't reference wadcutters, just that you have sized and expanded cases the allow bullets to drop to the bottom of the case.
The sizing die is designed to bring the case ID to well below bullet diameter. This way, no matter how thin or thick the case walls are, the expander will bring the case ID up to 0.001-0.002" below bullet diameter.
This means the the expander should bring the case ID up to 0.355-0.356. For lead bullets, a slightly larger expander is needed otherwise the lead bullet will be swaged down and accuracy will be poorer and you might get leading.
It shouldn't matter how far down the expander goes, other than you have to get to the case mouth flare/bell part of the expander die.
This is why measurements would be so useful--to determine if the sizing die or the expander die is the cause of the problem.

DGG! · 03-02-2011, 06:42 AM

You need to spend $20 and get a cartridge gauge for your size cartridge. If your rounds don't easily drop in and fall out of it then your specs are off.

Every cartridge I reload goes through this test.

Also, it seems like your crimp may be a little weak if the bullets are falling into the case because of recoil forces.

upsguy · 03-03-2011, 12:29 AM

Now I'm really stumped. I've re-tried to figure this out and I'm not sure what's goin on. I took a once-fired case, resized/deprimed, re-adjusted the powder-thru expanding die so the bullet just sits on there. Not even going to the bullet seater, I can push the dang bullet into the case and watch it go down the brass. Ugh! These bullets are Winchester 130 gr. FMJ that were in the Winchester plastic bag 100ct.

Can anyone suggest what my next step should be to figure this out? The brass seems too big to accept the bullet. I have to resize to get rid of the old crimp, then it seems like the bullet is too small... What gives?

todd51 · 03-03-2011, 01:06 AM

I don't know either what is going on. You said those bullets measured .357 diameter. After sizing a case those bullets will not enter the mouth of the brass and that is as it should be. But after you bell the mouth with the expander plug you can push a bullet clear down into the case. Well seems like the problem is with the expander plug. Either it is adjusted to where it is going way to far into the case or there is off chance it is not the right size. Have you disassembled the die and measured the expander plug? Sorry I can't just come up with a solution.

redwing carson · 03-03-2011, 01:09 AM

I don't know what is going on here. However mic the Rem case before sizing. Mic the Rem case after sizing. Check the sizes agansit the Win cases. It sounds as if the Rem cases are springing back after sizeing. I have seen Milsurp and plated brass spring back. If this is the case you can always aneal the upper 2/3s of the Rem brass. It seems the Rem brass you have is too hard for some reason. Bass that has been work hardened or sized too much and storied for a long time can be too hard to size.

RC

upsguy · 03-03-2011, 08:05 AM

You know... I was able to load some rounds this way, where I didn't force the bullet down and for whatever reason it stayed. I knew the crimp I put on it would hold it in place and actually shot about 20-30 rounds. I don't know if I got lucky or if it didn't matter, ignorance on my part... When I get home from work, I think I'll start investigating the brass measurements and the dies.

These dies are brand spankin' new and I followed the instructions and have loaded a couple hundred of rounds between .45ACP and .45Colt with no problems.

Thanks for helping out guys, I appreciate it.

upsguy · 03-03-2011, 08:07 AM

I was thinking, if all fails, I'm just gonna go back to Cabelas and return the trouble-makin' dies...

todd51 · 03-03-2011, 02:07 PM

Well I still don't know what is going on but was prepping some new .357 Star brass and figured I would try to duplicate what you are experiencing. Here is picture of three new cases that have not been sized but have had the expander die used to bell the mouth. Neither the .358 SWC or the .357 JHP will enter the case any further than the belled mouth but when I put a .355 FMJ (for my 9mm) I can duplicate what you describe. So if I was you I would recheck the diameter of those 130 grain bullets. Still confused why this happens with the Rem. cases and not with the Win. cases. Don't know if this helps one bit but I am stumped. If you do find out what is going on please let me know.

Todd

02-27-2011, 12:05 AM	#1
upsguy V.I.P. Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: CROOK Co. Illinois Posts: 77	Separating brass Now I know why it's a good idea to do this. I started working up loads for .38 spl using once-fired Winchester brass and as I went to seat a bullet, it dropped half way down the case. Not having ANY expierence reloading, I figured the case was bad. I took a good look at it and simply set it aside not knowing why the bullet wouldn't stay in like the others had? As I went on, again, I got another one, then another one... What the heck! As I dumped the powder back into the hopper, I noticed it was Remington brass. Of course!!! The light bulb went on upstairs and realized what was goin on. Just that slight difference between the two really shows how much the tolerance seperates them. All this time collecting my brass, my kids thought I was nuts seperating them wasting my time, they'd say. Now I can tell them WHY I do it and it really needs to be done. Has anyone else had this happen to them? I've read alot on here where people say they don't bother. Is this being too anal, or simply the right way to keep things orderly? __________________ Your best weapon is your brain, don't leave home without it. -->

02-27-2011, 12:23 AM	#2
todd51 Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Central, Ohio Contributor Posts: 2,571	Re: Separating brass Something is not right here. A .38 spl. bullet should not drop down in to a brass case whether is is new case, a just fired case, a just sized case, a case that has been expanded using the expander die and even after it has had the mouth flared, whether it is a .357 lead or .356 jacket bullet. Can you tell us what you have done to those cases in preparation for their loading. A bullet should just barely enter a sized, expanded, and flared case not drop half way down. __________________ Retired Praefectus Vigilum NRA Endowment Member

02-27-2011, 07:36 AM	#3
upsguy V.I.P. Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: CROOK Co. Illinois Posts: 77	Re: Separating brass The only thing Ive done was tumble them, thats it. That's exactly what I was thinking, something's not right. Like I said, I ran everything (Rem and Win brass) the same way, Decap-resizeing die, flared-powder dump die, then getting ready to seat the bullet, the Win. brass were the same. Those held the bullet snug enough not to shave anything, btw, these bullets are Winchester 130gr. fmj. then seating die and crimped and inspected. All good till I tried the Rem. brass. I figured, maybe the cases are made different meaning, the Win. brass are thicker? and the Rem. brass got streched a hair wider, hence, the bullet sliding down, not seating properly? I don't know what the heck's going on with this, because this is the first time for me loading .38's. Anyone else got any ideas? __________________ Your best weapon is your brain, don't leave home without it. Last edited by upsguy; 02-27-2011 at 07:38 AM..

02-27-2011, 09:40 AM	#5
carver TFF Moderator/Host Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: DAV, Deep in the Pineywoods of East Texas, just west of Shreveport, LA Contributor Posts: 11,232	Re: Separating brass Nor can I! I don't seperate my cases unless I'm trying to work up a load for a specific gun. I have all kinds of brass, as like you, I scrounge the ranges every time I go to one. I will say, though I have never run into this situation, it is possible to have undersized bullets, and over flared cases, this could cause a small bullet to drop down half way in the case. But half way is still probably not to the crimp ring, or is it? I suspect that you are putting a flare on your cases that is very excessive. I flare to the point that a bullet will only just start enough to sit there untill I press it into the brass. __________________ Y'all be safe now, ya hear! Lamentations Chapter 5: 1. Remember, O LORD, what is come upon us: consider, and behold our reproach. 2. Our inheritance is turned to strangers, our houses to aliens. 3. We are orphans and fatherless, our mothers [are] as widows. 5. Our necks [are] under persecution: we labour, [and] have no rest. 16. The crown is fallen [from] our head: woe unto us, that we have sinned! 21. Turn thou us unto thee, O LORD, and we shall be turned; renew our days as of old.

02-27-2011, 09:51 AM	#7
upsguy V.I.P. Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: CROOK Co. Illinois Posts: 77	Re: Separating brass Yea... I'm stumped as well. When I flared the cases, it's just enough to seat the bullet. The bullets themselves are Winchester 130gr. fmj, (no marking on the bag) but i used my caliper and it's .357. Everything Im using is brand spankin' new except the brass. This brass is at least 10-15 years old and I know that shouldn't make a difference. I'm gonna investigate later, gotta go to a gun show then to the range and try out my reloads. __________________ Your best weapon is your brain, don't leave home without it.

02-27-2011, 10:47 AM	#8
mikld Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Oregon Posts: 573	Re: Separating brass Try measuring a case before it it flared. The primer punch enters the case first and goes down to punch out the primer. The carbide ring (or ID of a steel die) swages the outside diameter of the case back to spec. As it is being withdrawn, the expander button, on the primer punch, opens up the ID of the case back to spec. Somewhere in this operation something is making the ID too big, or not sizing the OD down... MHO __________________ My Anchor is holding fast.

02-27-2011, 10:28 PM	#10
312shooter Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Las Vegas NV Posts: 1,148	Re: Separating brass Are you using a 357 die, 38/357, or a 38 die......? __________________ "Democracy is based on citizenship- perhaps the greatest gift the United States has given to the world- Power is vested in the people themselves, and government flows from the people" James M Henslin

02-27-2011, 11:28 PM	#11
noylj V.I.P. Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 113	Re: Separating brass The bullet sounds like a 0.356" bullet for .38 Super. Is box labeled 0.357"? I have NEVER had a sized and properly expanded case be too large for the bullet. However, if you combine R.P. cases with thin walls and a slightly too-large expander with a .38 Super .356" bullet, you could possibly have these problems. I load L-HBWCs in .38 Special for my S&W M52 and found best accuracy was with unsized cases. Due to the very low pressure, the cases are not really expanded. However, unless I was to special order a larger expander, a sized and expanded case will swage down the bullets during the seating step enough to destroy accuracy. Unsized gives me good bullet tension and no damage to the bullet. Of course, when I read a post like this, I want to know: What is the case ID after sizing and after expansion for the "good" and "bad" cases? What are the case wall thinknesses of the "good" and "bad" cases? What is the bullet diameter? Why are measurements not taken to determine what and where the problem is?

02-28-2011, 12:34 AM	#15
upsguy V.I.P. Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: CROOK Co. Illinois Posts: 77	Re: Separating brass I went to the range today and fired off my first ever reloads, man o man does it feel good to do that! I think I know what happened with these .38 loads. When it was time to fire these, I chose to use my Winchester 1892 lever-action. Still bothered by the bullet sinking in problem, I decided to load five rounds instead of ten and visually checked the OAL before chambering the round. The first three rounds went BANG, then I got a jam in the action, I had a hard time getting the stuck round out. Pulled the sucker out and the dang bullet slid down below the case mouth from the pressure inside the feed tube, just like the Remington rounds. That was the end of shooting those rounds out of that gun so I brought out my snubby. The rest of them went off with no problems as did all of my other loads in .45 Colt and .45ACP. I'm pretty sure the problem is the Powder through expanding die, Im almost positive I set the die too deep inside the brass. When I got home I loaded a dummy round and noticed if I pressed the bullet in the case before seating it with the die, (just pushing with my fingers) I could almost seat it myself. For some reason those Remington cases were looser than the Winchesters, I don't know how else to describe it. So, tomorrow I'll get back on the press and adjust the die and go from there. Thank you all for giving me your opinions and ideas. __________________ Your best weapon is your brain, don't leave home without it.

02-28-2011, 01:34 AM	#16
woolleyworm TFF Moderator/Host Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: SW Fort Worth Contributor Posts: 4,881	Re: Separating brass I always like to double/triple check everything if I run into a problem like this. Measure all ID and OD of the case to get comparison wall thickness and check the trim lenths; then check the bullets against each other too. Hope you can narrow it down, there IS a specific reason that is causing this. A difference in case length can cause your expanding die to overflare the longer cases, this still shouldn't cause the bullet to drop in the case. ( I would think, but stranger things have happened. ) __________________ . What are you gonna do, talk the alien to death? -- (on Sigourney Weaver's worry about Guns in Aliens) "Safety is something that happens between your ears, not something you hold in your hands." "I carry a small gun to compensate for my huge Blue press." .

02-28-2011, 07:20 AM	#17
jdon72 V.I.P. Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 340	Re: Separating brass you did size the cases, right?

03-01-2011, 02:46 PM	#18
noylj V.I.P. Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 113	Re: Separating brass If you are shooting wadcutters that extend beyond the case mouth, you need a roll crimp to help hold the bullet. I really don't know if carbines are made to feed full wadcutters. Full wadcutters are really made for revolvers (where you should seat the bullet so it extends a little into the cylinder throat) and special auto pistols (S&W M52 and custom 1911). Going back to the original post, you didn't reference wadcutters, just that you have sized and expanded cases the allow bullets to drop to the bottom of the case. The sizing die is designed to bring the case ID to well below bullet diameter. This way, no matter how thin or thick the case walls are, the expander will bring the case ID up to 0.001-0.002" below bullet diameter. This means the the expander should bring the case ID up to 0.355-0.356. For lead bullets, a slightly larger expander is needed otherwise the lead bullet will be swaged down and accuracy will be poorer and you might get leading. It shouldn't matter how far down the expander goes, other than you have to get to the case mouth flare/bell part of the expander die. This is why measurements would be so useful--to determine if the sizing die or the expander die is the cause of the problem.

03-02-2011, 06:42 AM	#19
DGG! V.I.P. Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Posts: 160	Re: Separating brass You need to spend $20 and get a cartridge gauge for your size cartridge. If your rounds don't easily drop in and fall out of it then your specs are off. Every cartridge I reload goes through this test. Also, it seems like your crimp may be a little weak if the bullets are falling into the case because of recoil forces.

03-03-2011, 12:29 AM	#20
upsguy V.I.P. Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: CROOK Co. Illinois Posts: 77	Re: Separating brass Now I'm really stumped. I've re-tried to figure this out and I'm not sure what's goin on. I took a once-fired case, resized/deprimed, re-adjusted the powder-thru expanding die so the bullet just sits on there. Not even going to the bullet seater, I can push the dang bullet into the case and watch it go down the brass. Ugh! These bullets are Winchester 130 gr. FMJ that were in the Winchester plastic bag 100ct. Can anyone suggest what my next step should be to figure this out? The brass seems too big to accept the bullet. I have to resize to get rid of the old crimp, then it seems like the bullet is too small... What gives? __________________ Your best weapon is your brain, don't leave home without it.

03-03-2011, 01:06 AM	#21
todd51 Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Central, Ohio Contributor Posts: 2,571	Re: Separating brass I don't know either what is going on. You said those bullets measured .357 diameter. After sizing a case those bullets will not enter the mouth of the brass and that is as it should be. But after you bell the mouth with the expander plug you can push a bullet clear down into the case. Well seems like the problem is with the expander plug. Either it is adjusted to where it is going way to far into the case or there is off chance it is not the right size. Have you disassembled the die and measured the expander plug? Sorry I can't just come up with a solution. __________________ Retired Praefectus Vigilum NRA Endowment Member

03-03-2011, 01:09 AM	#22
redwing carson Former Guest Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: western wyoming Posts: 734	Re: Separating brass I don't know what is going on here. However mic the Rem case before sizing. Mic the Rem case after sizing. Check the sizes agansit the Win cases. It sounds as if the Rem cases are springing back after sizeing. I have seen Milsurp and plated brass spring back. If this is the case you can always aneal the upper 2/3s of the Rem brass. It seems the Rem brass you have is too hard for some reason. Bass that has been work hardened or sized too much and storied for a long time can be too hard to size. RC

03-03-2011, 08:05 AM	#23
upsguy V.I.P. Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: CROOK Co. Illinois Posts: 77	Re: Separating brass You know... I was able to load some rounds this way, where I didn't force the bullet down and for whatever reason it stayed. I knew the crimp I put on it would hold it in place and actually shot about 20-30 rounds. I don't know if I got lucky or if it didn't matter, ignorance on my part... When I get home from work, I think I'll start investigating the brass measurements and the dies. These dies are brand spankin' new and I followed the instructions and have loaded a couple hundred of rounds between .45ACP and .45Colt with no problems. Thanks for helping out guys, I appreciate it. __________________ Your best weapon is your brain, don't leave home without it.

03-03-2011, 08:07 AM	#24
upsguy V.I.P. Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: CROOK Co. Illinois Posts: 77	Re: Separating brass I was thinking, if all fails, I'm just gonna go back to Cabelas and return the trouble-makin' dies... __________________ Your best weapon is your brain, don't leave home without it.

03-03-2011, 02:07 PM	#25
todd51 Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Central, Ohio Contributor Posts: 2,571	Re: Separating brass Well I still don't know what is going on but was prepping some new .357 Star brass and figured I would try to duplicate what you are experiencing. Here is picture of three new cases that have not been sized but have had the expander die used to bell the mouth. Neither the .358 SWC or the .357 JHP will enter the case any further than the belled mouth but when I put a .355 FMJ (for my 9mm) I can duplicate what you describe. So if I was you I would recheck the diameter of those 130 grain bullets. Still confused why this happens with the Rem. cases and not with the Win. cases. Don't know if this helps one bit but I am stumped. If you do find out what is going on please let me know. Todd __________________ Retired Praefectus Vigilum NRA Endowment Member Last edited by todd51; 04-23-2013 at 08:05 PM..