Need help with .38 wad cutters

[namvet68]

I just bought a thousand Precision Delta 148gr. Hollow base lead wad cutters.
I am loading with Lee dies.
I can't get the bullet to seat past the last lube groove without putting a big crimp on the case(crimp from the seating die).
If I don't fully stroke the press I can get just to the lube groove without crimping the case.
I didn't see on the Lee website where they make an insert for flat bullets. Does anyone else make such a thing or am I just doing something wrong?
Help, please:banghead:

 

[rcmodel]

Your seating die is adjusted too low in the press and is crimping the case before the bullet is fully seated.

Back off the seating die, then readjust the seating stem to the seating depth you need.



An easy way to determine where the crimp starts is run a sized but not belled case up in the press.
Then screw the sizing die down over it until you feel the crimp taper in the die contact the case mouth.

Then lock the die lock ring, and adjust the seating stem.

rc

 

[ljnowell]

^^^^^ What he said. You just need to screw the die out a little. I use the same die set and load WCs all the time.

 

[namvet68]

Thanks guys, I knew it had to be something simple

 

[ATLDave]

What the other two guys said.

Another way to explain it is that the seating die does two things, and has two controls for setting. The die seats and the die crimps. The height of the die in the press controls the crimp and the bullet seating depth simultaneously. The bullet seating plug only controls bullet seating depth. So if you screw the plug down almost all the way, you can seat flush with the case mouth without doing ANY crimping whatsoever, provided you back out the die enough. Since I crimp in a separate step, that's what I do. If you want to seat and crimp together, rc's directions will get you about there.

 

[namvet68]

I will go back and check the depth of the die like rcmodel recommened. I have not gotten any crimp when I load round nose bullets so I thought I had it set right, but when I ran the plunger in it really folded the mouth of the case.

 

[earplug]

watch out for different types of brass

I was having problems with PMC brass and my unsized tumble lubed Lee 148 grain BBWC. The brass was to thick and would bulge. Ended up using the LEE factory crimp die that worked fine. Added a step when I was trying to skip sizing bullets.

 

[rcmodel]

when I was trying to skip sizing bullets.

If you were squishing bulged loads with a Lee FCD??

You were sizing bullets, undersize.

After they were loaded!!

The only place the case bulge can go is to squeeze the bullet undersize inside the bulged case!!!

rc