First Reloading Session - NOT So Good!!

[ajeaton]

I don't have a question, just an interesting story.

My first reloading session did not go so well. I have a Hornady LNL AP press reloading .45 ACP. My die setup went as follows: decap/resize, expander, powder charge, powder cop, and seater. I setup each die in order, and everything went well until I got to the seater die.

I am using RCBS carbide dies. All other stations setup well enough but I could not get the bullet to seat properly. I would slowly adjust the die further down but could never get the bullet to seat right. I would pull the bullet and the bottom was just smashed. Instead of the bullet pushing down into the shell, the bullet was just staying at the expanded bell and just mashing up.

I had been doing so much research and reading about reloading, I think I had overloaded my brain with too much info. I was overthinking everything.

I discovered, that on my particular set of RCBS dies, that the bullet seater plug does not come inserted into the seater die, it come in a sealed bag. :banghead:

See the problem now? I was trying to seat with no seater plug installed, and instead was just crimping the hell out the bullet to the point of mangling the poor thing.

So guess what, installed the seater plug, and it worked like a champ. So, you live, you learn, you mash a few bullets.

 

[ColtPythonElite]

Eh, it happens....Last week, a buddy who had never reloaded came over to load up some .45's. I sat down at my L-N-L and explained each station and gave him a brief run thru. I loaded a few for him to watch and then sat him down to load on his own. He was going slow, watching each station and closely monitoring his power charge like I told him. I was standing next to him cleaning a gun. After a while, he asked why the loaded round hopper had so much powder in it. I looked over and realized he had been out of primers a couple of dozen rounds.

 

[ajeaton]

Nice.

 

[Flatbush Harry]

Sounds like you pulled a guy-type move and never read the set-up instructions. Had you done so, the lack of the seater plug would have made itself obvious. Glad you finally got it.

FH

 

[GLShooter]

I take the dies apart when I get them and clean them with brake cleaner to get any preservative off the dies and to make sure the bleed hole is open on the sizer die.

Parts not installed become very obvious when you break the die set down.

Greg

 

[Seedtick]

Parts not installed become very obvious when you break the die set down.

Also very obvious when you mash a few bullets.



Seedtick

 

[Sunray]

"...trying to seat with no seater plug installed..." That'd do it. There should be more than one seater plug too. One for RN's and one for SWC's. Isn't critical, but the RN seater will put a wee rounded edge on cast SWC's. If you buy a .38/.357 and use cast or swaged WC's, the RN seater won't seat the bullet properly though.
Rifle dies should have a seater for RN's and Spitzers too. You can tell which is which with either handgun or rifle seaters just by looking.

 

[Hardtarget]

Experience!...its a wonderful thing. I've been loading a long time. I pick up a bit of experience every time I try something new. As long as we don't blow up guns, its great!

Stick with it, its fun.

mark

 

[flashhole]

Your experience is also an example of why it is good to learn on a single stage press.

 

[BeerSleeper]

That's not necessarily in the instructions. I loaded 1000 9mm before I figured out the extra piece in the die set was the flat nose seater plug. I was using the correct one for the RN FMJ's I was loading, but only by dumb luck. I read the manual cover to cover, and unless I missed it, there was no mention of which seater plug to use for which bullets, or when/how to change them.
This was with a Hornady die set.

 

[Hondo 60]

I just shudder when I think back to my first box or two of reloads.
I didn't know of anyone in my family or friends who reloaded,
so I did it by book learning & reading here & elsewhere on the internet.