Lee Bulge Buster

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BiknSwans said:
I only use the Lee Bulge Buster on loaded .40 S&W ammo. I don't want to case check every sized case before reloading and then case check the loaded round again. Even the Lee manual indicates that you can bust bulges on cases or loaded rounds. It's less risky than seating a primer.

From the Lee manual:

Now slide a resized or loaded case onto the base of the push pin ( case mouth up ) and raise the ram to push the case completely through the die. The cases will accumulate in the catch container.
​
Using a case lube like One Shot or WD-40 dry lube makes bulge busting a lot easier.
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I do the same I only find a few loaded bullets that don't make it thru my Gauges Easily. Those I run thru the Bulge Buster. I also Make sure to check again for any case Damage after going thru the Bulge Buster. I don't use any lube though.
 
jmorris said:
I have roll sizers, to size the portion of the case regular dies cannot fix. Irons out any dents or dings created by the extractor or ejector.
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I don't have nearly the voracious appetite for 9MM brass that you do, my need is much smaller, since I don't play the pistol games. :)
 
CQB45ACP said:
Well a thousand pardons if that’s the case (pun unintended). I’ll check my manual too but aren’t we talking about potentially pushing the primer of one loaded cartridge with the tip of the bullet of the following cartridge? I don’t care what any manual says....I’m not doing that. Or is each one loaded and pushed through separately? I’ve never done other than empty cases so I don’t know.
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The Bullet ahead of the One you are pushing thru is already Loose and Free from the Die.
 
Used the Bulge Buster with 9mm Makarov FCD to recover 100 rounds today. Worked really well. It even took out some ejector dings on the rim that were hanging up on the barrel hood. Before running them through, all rounds would chamber, without resistance in my 3rd gen S&W, but not in my SA Ronin. Interesting thing is that almost all the rounds passed using a Dillon case gauge. Switched to a Wilson case gauge for much more reliable results. Don't know if I the Dillon gauge was bad or just designed that way.
 
Fishingted said:
I do the same I only find a few loaded bullets that don't make it thru my Gauges Easily. Those I run thru the Bulge Buster. I also Make sure to check again for any case Damage after going thru the Bulge Buster. I don't use any lube though.
Click to expand...
I am in the process of Gauging All my 40, 10mm, and 45 ACP that I previously Loaded. Had the 45 Gauge but Just recently got the 40/10mm gauge. Running about a 5-10 percent failure to go cleanly thru the Gauge on the 40. Less on the 10mm. Also the main amount of gauge failure of the 10 is from range brass. I am Pulling the bullets on those and discarding any 10mm Brass that I don't know the history of. All of my Own Brass started from New Star Line Brass. Some of those I had fired thru My M40 MOS with the stock Barrel. I have a 9 inch LW Barrel That Most of my Brass went thru. Also have a Alpha Wolf threaded Barrel That a Lot went Thru. I have Very Few Failures to Go thru the gauge in 45 But a few that have Very Minor bulges I have run thru the bulge Buster with Good Results.
 
Correct, the 9mm Makarov FCD is used to Bulge Bust 9mm Luger.
Fatelvis said:
Do any of you use the bulge buster on 9 mm brass? I'm asking because after firing my reloads, using range picked up brass, I had two out of 30 that wouldn't chamber because of what looks to be a bulged base.
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Warpiece said:
9mm isn't straight wall, so it doesn't quite work the same. Definitely shouldn't try to use a 9mm factory crimp die, but iirc some folks use the 9mm makarov crimp die with success
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Walkalong said:
No, I size all my 9MM brass, then check it all with a Wilson Case Gauge. If they won't fall in and out of it from their own weight, I scrap them. I get about 10% to 15% failures for range brass. After that, I only get the odd one now and again from my reloads. Some of the cases fail demonstrably (9MM Major cases maybe?), and some barely fail, go in but won't fall out, but I scrap them all.
A failed case, some fail worse (Demonstrably) I also
scrap the ones that go in, but won't fall out on their own.
View attachment 965700
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Walk- I check my 9mm the same way. My failure rate these days is about 10 percent. But before I toss the cartridge I run a cotton swab through the Wilson pistol case

gage and try it again. Sometimes some grit from my hands and the tumbler media causes the tight or no fit.

BTW A few days ago I picked up a few 9mm carts with the head stamp "redarmy." Now that intrigued me and I did not find that head stamp listed on my sources.
 
gifbohane said:
BTW A few days ago I picked up a few 9mm carts with the head stamp "redarmy." Now that intrigued me and I did not find that head stamp listed on my sources.
Click to expand...

Red Army Standard
From the Red Army Standard website:

Century International Arms, Inc. is pleased to introduce the Red Army Standard brand of ammunition to the American market!

Red Army Standard is manufactured by the same factories that produced billions of rounds of ammunition for the Red Army of the former CCCP (USSR) and her Iron Curtain regimes, with experience measured in generations, not years. Red Army Standard is available in many popular Warsaw Pact calibers such as 7.62x39mm, 9mm Makarov and 5.45x39mm.

Century International Arms, Inc.
430 South Congress Ave. Suite 1
Delray Beach, FL 33445
1-800-527-1252

There you go!;)

ETA....
Sorry, do not want to de-rail the thread!
 
gifbohane said:
I run a cotton swab through the Wilson pistol case

gage and try it again. Sometimes some grit from my hands and the tumbler media causes the tight or no fit.
Click to expand...
Yep, gotta keep them clean, I have to run a cloth in it occasionally.
 
I check my 9mm the same way. My failure rate these days is about 10 percent. But before I toss the cartridge I run a cotton swab through the Wilson pistol case.
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Seems to me like almost all of the “fails” are from imperfections caused by an extractor or ejector so they hang up on the rim. Not really a “bulge”, unless it’s brass from our SMG’s.

8F1418B1-82B5-406B-A691-A1F06BD3654A.jpeg

Most all of them can be fixed by just reversing the case in the gauge and giving it a twist, then it will drop in and fall right out.

CFD22819-820D-4073-A2B7-1EEDB0D9ABAC.jpeg
 
jmorris said:
Seems to me like almost all of the “fails” are from imperfections caused by an extractor or ejector so they hang up on the rim. Not really a “bulge”, unless it’s brass from our SMG’s.

View attachment 965878

Most all of them can be fixed by just reversing the case in the gauge and giving it a twist, then it will drop in and fall right out.

View attachment 965879
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I do get fails that look like that and to my surprise when I turn around the rim will actually inserts so far. I run those same ones thru the bulge buster and 98 percent of the time the go in the gauge perfectly. A little weird for sure but I had a bunch of 45ACP that did exactly like that. Those were already Loaded bullets. I check rims before I load just to make sure that they at least fit into the opening of the gauge before Loading. And as Part of my Primary Brass Inspection.
 
I thought I was the only one who did this.
jmorris said:
Seems to me like almost all of the “fails” are from imperfections caused by an extractor or ejector so they hang up on the rim. Not really a “bulge”, unless it’s brass from our SMG’s.

View attachment 965878

Most all of them can be fixed by just reversing the case in the gauge and giving it a twist, then it will drop in and fall right out.

View attachment 965879
Click to expand...
 
It’s good to be an ignorant noob. I’ve only been loading 15 months, haven’t a clue what most of you are saying, load only 45ACP and 9mm (about 15K rounds), and have never had these problems. The more I read and learn, the more trouble I guess I’ll have.
 
CQB45ACP said:
and have never had these problems.
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Generous chambers can do that for a fellow, sure did for me for quite some time until I got my tight chambered EMP and my fat reloads that had run in everything else locked it up tight as Dick's hatband.
 
Walkalong said:
Generous chambers can do that for a fellow, sure did for me for quite some time until I got my tight chambered EMP and my fat reloads that had run in everything else locked it up tight as Dick's hatband.
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I guess so. In 45, I shoot four different 1911s each of the semi-custom variety. Three of them have never eaten anything but what I loaded. So a I guess they’re used to it.
 
People aren't generally as hard on .45 ACP brass.

My EMP's chamber was right at .362 at the rear, the gauge will pass anything .361.

.3615 will go in the gauge and need a little bump to get out, and would likely run in the pistol, but I scrap anything that doesn't pass.

9mm-dwg-jpg.jpg
 
Walkalong said:
Generous chambers can do that for a fellow, sure did for me for quite some time until I got my tight chambered EMP and my fat reloads that had run in everything else locked it up tight as Dick's hatband.
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Yea me Too till I got My Springfield XDM 45 with a Match Barrel. Good thing it will eat any decently made ammo. But some Things it Just doesn't Care For. When My Brother and I Started Loading for it we got some Jams That were Very Bad!!! Same Bullets would walk Thru his Taurus 45 like a Dream.
 
Fatelvis said:
Do any of you use the bulge buster on 9 mm brass? I'm asking because after firing my reloads, using range picked up brass, I had two out of 30 that wouldn't chamber because of what looks to be a bulged base.
Click to expand...

I use it mostly for 40, 357 sig and 10mm, however, I did pick up a 9mm Makarov die for 9mm. I will say that for 40,357 sig and 10mm it fixes pretty much any case that doesn't gauge (pretty much it's always a "bulge" issue with those). For 9mm, I find it fixes 1 out of 10 that failed to gauge. I find most of the 9mm issues are with thicker wall cases like CBC, S&B and a few other off brand brass. Fortunately, the vast majority of those will chamber just fine even though they failed to gauge in my shockbottle (which is minimum saami spec). Since I had the bulge buster anyway, spending an extra $17 for the Makarov die wasn't a big deal, but I wouldn't recommend it if it's the only caliber you plan to bulge bust.
 
KB Hill said:
Used the Bulge Buster with 9mm Makarov FCD to recover 100 rounds today. Worked really well. It even took out some ejector dings on the rim that were hanging up on the barrel hood. Before running them through, all rounds would chamber, without resistance in my 3rd gen S&W, but not in my SA Ronin. Interesting thing is that almost all the rounds passed using a Dillon case gauge. Switched to a Wilson case gauge for much more reliable results. Don't know if I the Dillon gauge was bad or just designed that way.
Click to expand...

The Dillon gauge is not minimum saami specs. Cases that fail on my Shockbottle will pass on the Dillon. Fortunately my P320 barrel is even more generous that the Dillon, so if I have a round fail the Shockbottle, I bulge bust it, check it for any cracks/damage and then just check it in my Dillon. If it passes the Dillon I send it.
 
CQB45ACP said:
It’s good to be an ignorant noob. I’ve only been loading 15 months, haven’t a clue what most of you are saying, load only 45ACP and 9mm (about 15K rounds), and have never had these problems. The more I read and learn, the more trouble I guess I’ll have.
Click to expand...

It probably a combination of a bunch of things. Your guns might have loose chambers, you might only be shooting your own brass, you might just be lucky you didn't end up with any cases from an unsupported glock chamber or cases from 9mm Major rounds. It's good to gauge everything anyway. Even though I eyeball all my cases before tumbling, after tumbling, etc, I did manage to catch 2 out of about 5000 that had probably cracked after belling or seating the bullet. When they failed to gauge in my Shockbottle (just barely - they would have chambered), I inspected them saw that they were cracked.
 
packetloss said:
It probably a combination of a bunch of things. Your guns might have loose chambers, you might only be shooting your own brass, you might just be lucky you didn't end up with any cases from an unsupported glock chamber or cases from 9mm Major rounds. It's good to gauge everything anyway. Even though I eyeball all my cases before tumbling, after tumbling, etc, I did manage to catch 2 out of about 5000 that had probably cracked after belling or seating the bullet. When they failed to gauge in my Shockbottle (just barely - they would have chambered), I inspected them saw that they were cracked.
Click to expand...
I guess for contingency planning purposes I should anticipate and prepare for all these problems even though I’ve never had any of them...but, I won’t.
 
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