Brass is buckling

[thebluemax]

I did my first batch of reloads in 45 acp no problem everything went smooth. Now I'm working on the second batch of 50 and about every 2nd or 3rd round the case hangs up in the seating die and either the mouth deforms horribly or if the bullet seats theres a valley in the side of the case like the case is bending or other times it with seat with some of the wax from the bullet on the case and slight cut like fingernail or u shaped cut in the wall.

The dies are lee carbide. The cases have been tumpled, resized, decapped, trimmed, mouth flared, charged. What is going on?

 

[rcmodel]

Not enough case mouth bell.

The bullet is getting cut by the case mouth and wrinkling the case.

Put enough bell in them so you can start the bullets by hand and pick up the round by the bullet without the case falling off.

rc

 

[SASS#23149]

It sounds to me like you are running the press too fast and the shell is not aligned when entering the die,is that possible.

 

[Marlin 45 carbine]

ditto rc.

 

[NotSoFast]

I agree. Readjusting the appropriate die (mine is the powder die) to give a slightly larger flare is needed.

 

[The Bushmaster]

The first batch were longer then the second batch. Re-adjust your die...

[And ya often wonder why I sometimes trim .45 ACP cases]

 

[RoostRider]

Now I'm working on the second batch of 50 and about every 2nd or 3rd round the case hangs up in the seating die and either the mouth deforms horribly or if the bullet seats theres a valley in the side of the case like the case is bending or other times it with seat with some of the wax from the bullet on the case and slight cut like fingernail or u shaped cut in the wall.

It's kind of hard to understand exactly what you're talking about here, but the bold part makes me wonder if the case isn't over flared.... but the rest sounds like perhaps not flared enough....

Is there any chance your flaring die (powder stage on a progressive) is loose/malfunctioning, or that you aren't pulling the press all the way through each cycle?

Different brass will feel different in the press, and you shouldn't just go by feel for each cycle.....

Just some thoughts....

 

[thebluemax]

Anything is possible. I would say I'm likely not pullin the press all the way through each cycle.

A better explanation of the bold part would be the bullet/case doesn't want to go into the die. It's like everything is out of alignment. I try to eyeball and make sure everything is in line and it seems to be but still they need what seems like a lot of force to seat.

 

[jfh]

These are resized cases, aren't they?--that is, they've been run through the decapping / sizing die first....

on edit: OK, I see the cases are resized. Besides the other suggestions, look to see if 1) your press is mounted level, and / or if there is a granule of powder/junk/whatever on the shell holder, in the rim recess.

Jim H.

 

[RoostRider]

What press are you using?

 

[thebluemax]

It's a lee classic turret with auto advance. I took the auto advance out and it seems to work better now. I just manually move the turret by hand and eyeball to make sure everything lines up. It's a little more time consuming but it seems to have fixed the problem for now I think.....

I also took the bullet seating die out and cleaned it. I did the same to the flare/charging die.

 

[jfh]

I'd almost be willing to bet

that your press is not installed perfectly level--that it pitches forward, towards you. Add to that the fact that you are learning how to stroke, and the result is that when you index the press, the case can 'slip' slightly, throwing it out of alignment with the die above.

Verify that your bench is level--and that it is stiff enough so that flexing will not also cause case movement in the shell holder as you stroke.

For now, try this: Rotate the shell holder, so that you have to insert the case 'at an angle'--and see if that helps. If it does, that suggests that the case is moving in the shellholder during the indexing stroke. If it does not, it suggests that dirt in the shell holder rim is canting the case when you insert it into the shellholder. Clean the shellholder, inside the slot that holds the case.

I can have this same misalignment problem on my (standard) turret--and it is because my benchtop is not perfectly level (and for reasons not covered here, I cannot readily change it to perfectly level). For me, the problem is only with the taller / smaller-diameter cases, like 357 Magnum and 10mm, and it can occur when I have trying to work at higher production levels (say 200+ rounds per hour).

What I have done is learn to do a slight 'movement' that is now a habit, and fully integrated into my 'muscle memory' for reloading. I simply push against the case with my (left) thumb as I start the stroke to guide the case into the die mouth. This does take some dexterity and practice, BTW--you don't need to pinch that thumb between the ram and the die--or worse, get it in far enough to cut it on the rim and die. But, once you slowly get the feel for it, it can become habitual, and there is no significant hazard

Also, be sure to review the indexing adjustment when you put the rod back in. IMO, using auto-indexing when loading handgun cartridges (i.e., most straightwall) is the best way to work--but setting up the indexing and learning the stroke for smooth operation does take some practice.

Jim H.

 

[The Bushmaster]

Or it needs to be have the turret timing adjusted...