New Federal Primed 45acp Nickel Brass Questions

[atonguis]

Hello Everyone,
I was in a local store and ran across bags of New Federal Primed 45acp +P Nickel brass. They were bag counts of 500 for $100.00, It seemed like a good deal so I got a few bags. Now here are some questions/problems I am having.

1. First thing I noticed when taking them out of the bag is that they all have this black shiny ring inside the top of the casing about 1/8-1/4 wide. I guessed it was some type of sealant to help hold the bullet or to waterproof the round? I have never bought new nickel brass before and have never seen this. So, since they were new I figured I didnt have to do anything to them except charge and seat bullet (I did check case length before starting and they were all on spec.). Not sure if I needed to flare the mouth a little before seating I tried to flare a few and made a mess with that black crap coming off and sticking to case edge and the ball inside die. So, I took some of my Hornady 230gr RN FMJ and tried seating without flaring and they worked beautifully. Then used seperate TC die to finish up.

2. Then I tried to seat some Bayou Bullets 230gr RN (These are lead with that green coating and can be loaded to jacketed specs) but they cause a bulge in the case at the base of the bullet I have spec'd the bullet and most are .452-.453 I think the .453 is just a mis-read on my part. Even when I use reg brass and flare the case mouth they still cause this bulge. The Seater die I am using is the Redding Comp Seater (an awesome die)

Is this bulge normal? The Nickel brass is hardly a bulge but the Brass casing is a noticable bulge. I am seating to 1.260-1.265

My pistol is a Glock 21 2nd Gen that I shipped off to Aro-Tek in 1996 and had the competition package done to it. Shoots great almost no recoil at all!

I have the Wilson chamber gauge and the brass ones that bluge at base of bullet will not drop in untill I run the taper crimp on them. Is this safe? I can take some pics if yall need to see what I am talking about?

My apologies for the long post and any insight would be greatly appreciated.
Thank You

 

[tlen]

Case bulge at the base of the bullet is normal and not a concern if cartridges chamber or pass a case gage. Cartridges should always be taper crimped but crimping will not affect the bulge, only case belling. As a last step, I now run all my cartridges through a Lee FCD. The FCD removes any detrimental defects including case bulge and any sliver of lead that may form during bullet insertion and/or crimping.
BTW, I prefer standard brass cases as my experience is they tend to last longer. I will pick up nickel plated cases at the range to reload but see no reason to buy them over standard brass cases

 

[rfwobbly]

If they drop in the gauge after the TC, then you're good to go.

 

[atonguis]

They do drop in the Wilson case gauge after I taper crimp them, but not before.

So that bulge at the base of the seated bullet is ok?

Does new primed brass need to be flared?

I found this on Lee's site:
Bulged cases

Bulged cases are usually caused by the sizing die squeezing the case down too far in diameter for the bullet used. Measure the case mouth inner diameter after the case has been sized, and after the case mouth has been flared. It only needs to be .001 to .002 under bullet diameter for a tight bullet fit.

If the case mouth inner diameter is less than .001 -.002 inch under bullet diameter, the bullet will push out more on the weakest side of the case as it is seated. This is because cases are rarely the same thickness and/or hardness all the way around the circumference of the case mouth. The fix is an oversized sizing die, or smaller bullet diameter.

Bulged cases are cosmetic only and pose no danger in shooting.

 

[Slamfire]

Not sure if I needed to flare the mouth a little before seating I tried to flare a few and made a mess with that black crap coming off and sticking to case edge and the ball inside die. So, I took some of my Hornady 230gr RN FMJ and tried seating without flaring and they worked beautifully. Then used seperate TC die to finish up.

The sealant will be gone within the next firing or two. I flare my case mouths, but just enough to accept lead bullets without shaving. Flaring and crimping both workhard the case necks, so to extend case life as long as possible, as necks will crack, I just flare the minimum needed. But I need to.

I have the Wilson chamber gauge and the brass ones that bluge at base of bullet will not drop in untill I run the taper crimp on them. Is this safe? I can take some pics if yall need to see what I am talking about?

I taper crimp my case mouths to 0.469"-0.470” I got that number from Wilson Arms, copied it, and it works.

 

[atonguis]

Thank Yall for your help

 

[jeepmor]

I have nickel plated 45 cases in my reloading stocks that have worn half the nickel off they've been reloaded so many times. Haven't split a 45 case yet.

The primary use of nickel cases is for corrosion resistance and why you see them in a lot of service duty defense rounds that may sit in a magazine for a long time and get exposed to weather. Nickel cases won't tarnish.