.45 ACP bell

If the flared case won't fit in the sizing die you could make the mouth a bit smaller. One way is to carefully squeeze the mouth with a pair of pliers, carefully. Or you could roll the case between two hard surfaces to roll the OD down. You may need to resize and reflare, but you can easily save the brass.

There's nothing really mysterious about working with cartridge cases, it's just Metal Working 101. Everything from cleaning/tumbling (just like machine shop deburring finishing methods) sizing (swaging, forming tubing) to flaring (just like flaring copper/brass tubing for fittings) to it's all basic and pretty simple...

Try seating a bullet. If there's enough tension to hold the bullet just crimp it and shoot it. If not maybe run it up into the crimp die just enough so you can resize it and start over.

Two questions. Do you own a case trimmer? Do you shoot 45 GAP?

Don't know what die set you have but a taper crimp die has a wider more tapered opening than a sizer. Possibly run over-flared cases into the taper crimp die to remove some of the bell, resize and expand again??

Just resize it , I use the Lee M Die expander die , eliminates that bulge when seating the bullet , it doesn't flare the case but puts a step in the case that positions the bullet straight . When seating the bullet the case won't rub the side of the seating die like your experiencing . The bell should only be enough to hold the bullet in line , just run it up in your sizing die alittle ways to remove the bell.

Maybe try rolling it between to hard surfaces.
The bottom of a skillet might work for one.
Round jawed vice grips might work as well.

Sorry I missed the part you flared case didn't fit in the sizing die . As above posted the seater die may bring it down to resize in the sizer die

Back off the expander die for starters. You should seat and crimp in separate steps. Use you size die to reform the case that should do the trick. If the case won't go into the die the above steps will work but there is one other thing that may work if you have a rifle die in 308,30'06 you can use that to resize the case just remember to lube the case first. Used a 30 mauser steel die to resize 9 mm brass that my carbide die couldn't resize enough.

The only time a flare is "too big" is when the case won't fit in a seating die (other than case shortened life). If the case mouth is too wide to fit in a seating die, it probably is too wide to fit a sizing or crimping die. I have had "OOPS!" flares that for some fault of mine, that would scrape the ID of the seating die and wouldn't enter a crimp die either...

I feel I need to respond to 460 Shooter's reply concerning cutting 45 ACP brass down to 45 GAP. The GAP cartridge runs at much higher pressure than the ACP so hot GAP loads in ACP brass could cause problems. I got a batch of brass from a Glock match and found several ACP to GAP empties that had a definite a guppy belly. That prompted me to examine the cases more closely. The web and side walls of the GAP brass are much thicker than on the ACP brass.

Kp321 said:

I feel I need to respond to 460 Shooter's reply concerning cutting 45 ACP brass down to 45 GAP. The GAP cartridge runs at much higher pressure than the ACP so hot GAP loads in ACP brass could cause problems. I got a batch of brass from a Glock match and found several ACP to GAP empties that had a definite a guppy belly. That prompted me to examine the cases more closely. The web and side walls of the GAP brass are much thicker than on the ACP brass.

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Interesting, and good info. Thanks for replying. So powder puff 45 GAP loads would be all that would work I take it?

If you have a set of 45Colt dies size with that first. That will remove enough flare to allow it to go into the 45ACP sizer after. I am also remembering using a 30-30 die would shrink the mouth as well.

mdi said:

If the flared case won't fit in the sizing die you could make the mouth a bit smaller. One way is to carefully squeeze the mouth with a pair of pliers, carefully.

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+1 ^^^
I just go around the edge with a pliers.
Doesn't need to be perfect or clean.
When you can fit it up in the bullet seating die, any unsightliness goes away.
The final result looks 99.99999% the same as any other cartridge.

All this work for a few pieces of brass?

Throw them in the scrap bucket and go on with life.

I have found correcting mistakes to be part of the learning process. "For a few pieces of brass", isn't the idea, as anyone that reloads knows and tossing is easy (unless the few cases are the only ones left and the zombies are nearing the gate). "Saving" or trashing brass isn't always about money. I have about 900 45 ACP cases (which ain't much compared to some here) and I have a decent income so I don't need to save a few cases, but I would try to fix/reuse some of my OOPS! brass because for me it's a part of being a handloader...

I’ve done that, as suggested, rolling the case across my reloading bench pressing down with a hardwood block works for me. Didn’t take much pressure, shape just enough to get it to reenter either the size or crimp die, tape crimp in this case.

If you must have those pieces of brass just run them into your seating die. That should remove enough bell to get them into the sizing die. If it doesn't then run them through your crimp die.

BigGame said:

but the bell is too large to fit into my 45 ACP sizing die.

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If too big for the sizing die, probably too big for a seating die too...

Texas10mm said:

All this work for a few pieces of brass?

Throw them in the scrap bucket and go on with life.

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Especially with common as nails 45ACP. The Sarasota County range is often littered with those, 9s and 40s

In my area I find maybe 20-30, 9mm to 1, 45 ACP. For 40 S&W, maybe 10 to one. I'll take all those "common as nails" 45 ACP cases I can find.

BigGame said:

bell is too large to fit into my 45 ACP sizing die.

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Simply roll it between two hard surfaces -- bar stock steel/concrete floor (or whatever else you might find in the garage)