Problems

KY DAN · May 9, 2021

I am currently loading 357 magnum brass on my star progressive and am having quite the difficult time doing so.

I am using wet tumbled brass which was sized before cleaning so the only operations happening on press is mouth balling, powder charging, and seating and crimping. I will admit I never have cared for doing both at one time yet with the star I have litle choice in the matter as there is not a extra station aviable . Also sizing die is completely removed from tool head

I can feel excessive resistance and once I have the stroke bottomed out it's super hard to pull up. Also on some polls my xtp hollow points look like round nose projectiles with cavities closed in. While others look normal.

My xtp Mike's. 357 and my expander plug is .357 I can push the bullet in with finger pressure. Not right

My cases are buckling in the middle, I ran a lee loadmaster flawless for years and at this point I am starting to want to sell this star and buy another loadmaster.

Its a mess and I don't know what or.where to think

Hartkopf · May 9, 2021

How much powder are you loading and how heavy is the bullet? Any chance you are compressing the powder? New brass?

cfullgraf · May 9, 2021

Too much crimp maybe. That will crush a case in a heartbeat.

KY DAN · May 9, 2021

Brass used and all trimmed to same length

Bullet 158 grain hornady xtp

13.5 grains 2400

Howland937 · May 9, 2021

KY DAN said:
My xtp Mike's. 357 and my expander plug is .357 I can push the bullet in with finger pressure. Not right

This is happening after seating and crimping, or just after you flare and set the bullet before seating? XTP's usually need very little flaring from my experience. Too much flare can cause lots of crimping problems.
Too much crimp can cause crushed cases and hard pulls if it's at that step.

Soonerpesek · May 9, 2021

Is it possible the dies are inadvertently set up for .38 special...?
I only say that because of the buckled cases....

KY DAN · May 9, 2021

They are 38 special dies I reset them to accommodate 357mag.

KY DAN · May 9, 2021

Howland937 said:
This is happening after seating and crimping, or just after you flare and set the bullet before seating? XTP's usually need very little flaring from my experience. Too much flare can cause lots of crimping problems.
Too much crimp can as well.

Occuring After flaring, I have a very slight bell. Not a blunder boss style l, just enough to get started square.

jmorris · May 9, 2021

Take a case and lube the outside and inside the neck. Now see if it sticks.

If it does not, wet tumbling and getting the cases “squeaky” clean are the problem.

KY DAN · May 9, 2021

jmorris said:
Take a case and lube inside the neck. Now see if the expander sticks.

If it does, wet tumbling and getting the cases “squeaky” clean are the problem.

I believe that is a major part of my issue, I thought by sizing and the tumbling I could have the best of both worlds....... Nope.

I see visible streaks of brass on the expander plug, now to remove the build up

bullseye308 · May 9, 2021

I believe jmorris nailed it. Wet tumbling removes all the lube and you have squeaky clean cases that look great. They still need a little lube and most of your issues should clear up.

jmorris · May 10, 2021

KY DAN said:
I believe that is a major part of my issue, I thought by sizing and the tumbling I could have the best of both worlds....... Nope.

I see visible streaks of brass on the expander plug, now to remove the build up

A reread of the OP (and auto correct) cause me to edit, after you quoted me.

once I have the stroke bottomed out it's super hard to pull up.

Doesn’t sound like an expander because they often allow some movement of the handle before they stick at least with powder through expanders and those on bottle neck size dies.

However, brass transfer puts the odds on it being the problem.

WestKentucky · May 10, 2021

I had Avery similar issue a while back. Sounds to me like your crimping too early and the bullet being seated after crimp is buckling the case. Using 38 dies to load 357 makes me more sure that it’s your issue. Take your seat/crimp apart and reset it. Use a good round that fits your gun as a setup tool. Screw die body down to where your max stroke just barely puts any pressure on the case, and lock down the die body. Put your seater back in and set it up to seat bullets at proper length. You will have to fiddle with length a bit but that should get you going.

This is exactly why they used to sell kits with spacers to convert 38 dies to 357 dies.

WestKentucky · May 10, 2021

jmorris said:
A reread of the OP (and auto correct) cause me to edit, after you quoted me.

Doesn’t sound like an expander because they often allow some movement of the handle before they stick at least with powder through expanders and those on bottle neck size dies.

However, brass transfer puts the odds on it being the problem.

Makes sense to me. See above response. If you are cramming it in tight enough to reform the bullet nose then you are swaging up the size as well. It’s getting a very tight friction fit between the case and the die body.

Problems

KY DAN

Member

Hartkopf

Member

cfullgraf

Member

KY DAN

Member

Howland937

Member

Soonerpesek

Member

KY DAN

Member

KY DAN

Member

jmorris

Member

KY DAN

Member

bullseye308

Member

jmorris

Member

WestKentucky

Member

WestKentucky

Member

Similar threads