Just fired my first batch.. questions

[sph33r]

This weekend I received my Lee Classic Turret Press.. set it up and got to work. I noticed a few problems, maybe someone can clear this up. I'm loading .45acp only.

The expander.. I set it up like the instructions say. Screw it down until it touches the shell holder then back it out 1 turn. I can get the powder charge to work fine, but then I can't get the shell back out no matter what I try. I actually had to take the entire die out and beat the shell out. I assumed I had the expander adjusted too far down so I backed it out more and more until it doesn't hold on to the shell. I'm a little worried that it's not expanding the case neck well enough though. Did I do the right thing by backing it out more? I have the powder through expander, pro disk, and powder riser installed. This kind of dovetails into my 2nd question..

I'm having a heck of a time trying to get the bullets to be pressed in right. This might go back to the expander not working or something. I am loading both 200gr LSWC in .452 and 200gr plated RNFP. The lead bullets seem to seat ok, just a little shaving of lead at the neck. The plated bullets don't want to seat right half the time. I had 10 seat fine, but there were about 5 that went in crooked despite me trying to set them straight on the shell. This of course destroys the shell and bullet. I had a couple that jammed themselves into the die and I had to disassemble the die to get them out. I'm obviously doing something wrong here.

Shooting your first reload is quite an adventure.. I pointed the gun at the target, turned my head and pulled the trigger Once that one went bang, I felt a lot better and shot the rest. I love the feeling of not spending $0.28 per round now.

 

[Shoney]

Welcome to TFL

Some thoughts.
I adjust the belling die such that it expands the case mouth only enough for a bullet to get started without it touching the sides of the bullet. Adjust the die from the top down, by putting a case in the ram at full up position, screw the die down until it just touches the case , then by trial and error adjust it downward until a very light bell is achieved. I don’t understand why the shell holder on your press did not pull the case out of the belling die????

Lead or plated lead require light crimps. I find it best to seat & crimp those bullets in separate operations. If your crimp is set to be heavy, the case may bite into the bullet on it's downward travel, shaving a bit of lead off the bullet or leaving a small thin layer above/over the case. Since the cartridge is supposed to head space off the front lip of the case in the chamber, the shaved lead may prevent it from fully chambering.

Bullets seated at improper angles may be caused by the wrong plug on the seating stem of the die. There are different plugs for round nose, hollow point and wad cutters. Or there may be a build up of wax on the plug. Check to make sure.

 

[Walkalong]

After adjusting your expander purchase a Hornady seater with the sliding sleeve, or if you want to spring for the big bucks, get a Redding seater.

http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=257081

http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=734166

 

[DaveInFloweryBranchGA]

sph33r,

Did you clean the inside of your dies with some denatured alcohol and a q-tip on the inside as you were setting them up? If not, I suggest you go back and do that first. While you're doing that, inspect the internation parts for burrs, etc. just in case your die has a manufacturing flaw. I suspect the drag you're experiencing with your expanding die is preservative placed on the dies to prevent rust after manufacture.

Regards,

Dave

 

[sph33r]

No I didn't do that Dave.. thanks for the suggestion. I'll try that tonight .

 

[benedict1]

It sounds like you haven't got the dies installed properly--go to the Lee website and watch these five videos, in this order, to set up your dies correctly. (The bullet seating issue has to do with case mouth expansion as Shoney has noted, but this should not be a big problem--this assumes no flaw in the powder-through expander die as noted by Dave--)

1.) http://www.leeprecision.com/html/HelpVideos/videos/Die Adjustment general explain-1.wmv

2.) http://www.leeprecision.com/html/HelpVideos/videos/Sizing Die Adjustment-1.wmv

3.) http://www.leeprecision.com/html/HelpVideos/videos/Expanding Die adjustment-1.wmv

4.) http://www.leeprecision.com/html/HelpVideos/videos/Bullet seating die adjustment-1.wmv

5.) http://www.leeprecision.com/html/HelpVideos/videos/Carbide Factory Crimp adjustment-1.wmv

Let us know what happens.

Edit: You don't need other dies, unless you prefer to buy another brand. The Lee dies will work just fine and expand, seat, crimp and post-size your rounds, if setup is correct.

 

[WildeKurt]

Just set one up myself

I just setup the same press myself this weekend. Did the expander just as the instructions stated. However, I approached the belling of the case very cautiously. Turn the die in a bit, try it, a bit more try it again eventually getting just enough expansions to set the bullet on. No problems. I'd check the inside very carefully.

 

[FieroCDSP]

+1 on the cautious approach with expanding. Experience will help you figure out how much is just right for a bullet type. As for seating, I've never had a problem with seating except when doing the crimping in the same stage. I take only enough time to make sure the bullet sits firm in the case before seating. If it's tilted slightly, it'll straigten itself out as it seats. Maybe the 45 is different from the 40, though.