Never "crimped" a 9x19 round in my life.
I think some of y'all flare way too much.
Some of us are loading .358 boolits in 9mm.
Never "crimped" a 9x19 round in my life.
I think some of y'all flare way too much.
Just because something has always been done one way, doesn't mean there isn't a better way to do it.
It's not always the "stuck in the past" thinking when someone mentions what was used years ago. Many times the "new, modern, improved" methods or tools ain't. The "what did they use before..." question is used when referring to a tool that offers no improvement over "old school", tried and true, used for many bizillions of rounds methods/tools. I don't remember what RCBS die instructions said in 1980 and all the handgun die sets I purchase today are 3 die sets and I purchase a 4th die for crimping as I prefer Redding and Lee collet crimp dies over most stock roll or taper crimp dies. I started reloading with a Lee Loader and the seating/crimping was actually two steps and with my first die set ('71) I had too much trouble with trying to seat a bullet and crimp is simultaneously, so I separated the steps. I still separate seating/crimping even when using a single stage (it is much easier with a turret or my current press, a Co-Ax. but the press is not the reason to keep steps separate). I started separating the steps in 1971 and still do today as I feel I have more control of both steps and I prefer some after market crimping dies over stock seating/crimping dies and several years ago I tried an FCD, out of curiosity about a "new, improved method" and it now resides in a landfill somewhere in So. Oregon...As stated in Every topic where the Lee Carbide FCD gets mentioned someone always uses the phrase, "What did they do before this die!" which the same can be applied to a 4th die or fourth operation of crimping in a separate step. For decades pistol dies were all sold as 3 die sets and the set-up directions never instructed to crimp in a separate step. Why is that? Not even the first set of RCBS Carbide 38/357 with a roll crimp suggested a fourth step and that was back in 1980.
No problem.
Pre-resize your brass and prime separately and you can use your 3 station Pro 1000 with FCD:
Ta da!
- Station #1 - Flare case mouth and powder charge
- Station #2 - Seat bullet
- Station #3 - Taper crimp/FCD
And using pre-resized brass makes progressive reloading silky smooth with minimal effort and even produce more consistent OAL of .001" variance from less shellplate deflection - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...progressive-press.833604/page-2#post-10779806
So, Mr Zen. Did you ever get your problem resolved ?Apparently my 9mm seating and crimp die got out of adjustment. I had a very hard time extracting unfired rounds. Afterward, I did a plunk test with the barrel and indeed the rounds were maybe a millimeter from fully dropping in.
Same here, my Factory Crimp Dies sit lonely in the die boxes.I've never used a FCD on my 9mm.
The new reloader should stay away from the FCD for pistols until they learn reloading. IMHO of course.
Don't you find the Lyman case gauge to be more conservative than your chamber? I've got rounds that pass the plunk test in several different chambers, but are tight in the Lyman.I do this with my 10mm and .40s&w on my pro 1000. I resize and prime on my RCBS turret press, then load up the collator on the Pro 1000 with the primed cases. It does put the bullet seating position at the back of the press, and it's a little awkward. But if you remove the primer arm, it's not so bad.
As for 9mm, I just use my 3 Lee dies.
Consider belling the case less or adjusting the seating die down slightly, but raise your seating stem otherwise your OAL will be shorter than intended. It just takes time and a little fiddling. I've never used a FCD on my 9mm.
And as tedious as it may be, I plunk test EVERY round in the most finnicky chamber of the of the caliber I'm loading. I have a Lyman 8 hole case gauge, but I typically just use it to check resized brass.. especially .40..
I’m new enough at this to not understand why newbies should avoid the FCD. What’s the issue?
My first thought was OAL too long (1.145) and the bullets getting stuck on the lands, but didn’t see any indentations on the bullets (RMR 115 gr plated). The only other reason would be that I didn’t take enough of the flare out of the brass. so, I am going to reset the seating/crimp die and see if that fixes the issue..
If you're loading lead or plated bullets the CARBIDE FCD will swage the bullets down and cause you no end of grief. Also they promote sloppy reloading practices.
I’m new enough at this to not understand why newbies should avoid the FCD. What’s the issue?
I would heartily agree with this.The new reloader should stay away from the FCD for pistols until they learn reloading. IMHO of course.
Actually it is the opposite problem that it is causing. Swaging cast and plated bullets post-seating will often cause a loss of crimp and neck tension...which will often result in loss of accuracy, leading, and possibly bullet setbackSwage the bullet and possibly cause too much crimp?
I will do some measuring with calipers tomorrow to see if the case is out of spec either at the mouth or closer to the rim. I’ve made thousands of 9mm with these dies, so it must be a die out of adjustment - either the seating/de-flaring die or the sizing die.So, Mr Zen. Did you ever get your problem resolved ?
Don't you find the Lyman case gauge to be more conservative than your chamber? I've got rounds that pass the plunk test in several different chambers, but are tight in the Lyman.
Don't you find the Lyman case gauge to be more conservative than your chamber? I've got rounds that pass the plunk test in several different chambers, but are tight in the Lyman.
As stated in Every topic where the Lee Carbide FCD gets mentioned someone always uses the phrase, "What did they do before this die!" which the same can be applied to a 4th die or fourth operation of crimping in a separate step. For decades pistol dies were all sold as 3 die sets and the set-up directions never instructed to crimp in a separate step. Why is that? Not even the first set of RCBS Carbide 38/357 with a roll crimp suggested a fourth step and that was back in 1980.