[Master Blaster]

I just bought a box of .357 125gr XTP bullets to load in .357 mag ammunition. I set up my dillon press which I have loaded abot 20,000 rounds on with no problems. I could not get a consistant crimp (meaning the bullet will push in or spin in the case sometimes).

So I took out my calipers and started measuring the bullets in the box of 100.

The size of these bullets varies from .356 to .357.

I think this explains my crimping problem.

I have ever had this problem with hardcast lead bullets, or with berry's plated bullets in any caliber.

Has anone had this problem with inconsistant sizing of hornady bullets?

I loaded a box of 185 gr xtp .45 bullets and had no problem at all.

Thanks

[kidcoltoutlaw]

do you seat and crimp in the same step.

[Master Blaster]

Dillon uses seperate dies for seating and crimping.

[Steve in PA]

0.001..........one, one-thousands of an inch causing a sizing problem????? Don't think so.

I've used alot of XTP's in .357 and .44 mag....never had a problem.

[Poodleshooter]

1. Where'd you get the brass?
2. Did you trim it to uniform lengths?

Almost every problem I've encountered while crimping .357 has been due to setting the crimp using cases that weren't uniform lengths. Set it using a long case, and you get zero crimp when you run shorter cases through.
I've loaded plenty of XTP's without a problem. I've got a bunch of 125gr XTP FP's on hand right now.

[Master Blaster]

Thanks for your replies, I figured out the problem, its not the size of the Bullet its that I have my belling die turned in too far, Last night I reduced the bell to the bare minnimum (it sort of looked like a spitoon before :rolleyes: ) and I lightened the crimp, and now they are holding in the case just fine.

Oddly i was belling more because I thought I needed it with the LSWC 158gr bullets that I am used to loading. I found that the same setting that works for the XTP also works fine for my Lswc bullets.

Problem solved, Dont over bell / expand the case.

[FCoelho]

Master Blaster - Out of curiosity, are you sizing the brass at all before you bell it? If you want a better hold of the bullet, you can size the case just far enough down where the bullet will be seated. Then you can do the minimum bell as you described.

[Master Blaster]

Yes I was resizing all the way to the shell holder.

I am using a dillon 550b and dillon carbide dies.

The belling was the problem, I seldom load jacketed bullets, and I had way too much flare.

I fired a bunch of my reloads at lunch today,
158 LSWC 5.0 gr unique 1.575 OAL a good low recoil target load.
125 gr XTP 7.6 gr unique 1.575 Oal

""""""""""""8.0 gr unique
'''''''''''''''''''''''''8.6 gr unique (1280 fps in speer manual) start load.

8.6 had a bit of recoil from my 2.25" sp101 this may be a good defense load.

the max is 9.5 I will try 9.0 next.

:D

[Steve in PA]

Bell the mouth of the case just enough so that the bottom of the bullet will just sit inside the case mouth. I have all my pistols dies set this way and I reload .380, .357, 9mm, .44mag and .45acp.