40s&w Die Setup

[kmr007]

Just wondering if anyone else shares this setup or has any experience with it. I am planning on purchasing new dies. I have a Dillon 550b (4 die setup). The setup I want to try is with the use of a Hornady Custom Grade Nitride 3 Die (decap die, expand die, seat & taper crimp die) with a Hornady case activated powder measure. Here is how it would be setup on the press;

Station 1 - Decap and Resize
Station 2 - Case mouth expander/bell (usually powder drop on Dillon)
Station 3 - powder drop/no PTX involved
Station 4 - seat and taper crimp

I am use to seating the bullet then adding a taper crimp on separate stations. This time it would be all in one and instead the case belling and powder drop would be on a separate station.

Any thoughts or experiences with this setup?

[bigchinner]

I remember when I had the single stage RCBS and I would
1. deprime and resize and prime
2. expand the mouth
3. seat and taper
now with my RL550 and seat but the taper is another die, #4 because the RL doesn't have a expand die but a funnel that flares the mouth and drops powder.

[kmr007]

I remember when I had the single stage RCBS and I would
1. deprime and resize and prime
2. expand the mouth
3. seat and taper
now with my RL550 and seat but the taper is another die, #4 because the RL doesn't have a expand die but a funnel that flares the mouth and drops powder.

What dies are you using, Dillion's?

[bigchinner]

actually lee-set of 3 carbide but since I'm not using the expanding die, I bought a crimp die just for the .38 and the 9mm for the last station.

[kmr007]

actually lee-set of 3 carbide but since I'm not using the expanding die, I bought a crimp die just for the .38 and the 9mm for the last station.

I use a similar setup with the Lee 4 Die Pistol Set but I just tried setting up the 40S&W and it seems they are short. The dies have to be screwed in so much that there is not enough room for the locks.

[JTROKS]

Sounds like an ideal set-up considering 4 available stations.

[stilly]

I use a similar setup with the Lee 4 Die Pistol Set but I just tried setting up the 40S&W and it seems they are short. The dies have to be screwed in so much that there is not enough room for the locks.

You can not lock them from underneath upside down?


Round and round you turn me? Upside down...

[kmr007]

You can not lock them from underneath upside down?


Round and round you turn me? Upside down...

Never tried that. I will shortly. Have you used the Hornady dies before? I always found that setting up the seating die that has a crimp is difficult. That's the reason why I went with Lee on my prior setup, to separate the seating and crimping on different stations. The Hornady has a taper crimp built in with the seating.

[Fordtrucks]

If I remeber correctly, most seating dies have a taper crimp built in. Even ur current set of lee's. I know my lee .40sw set has the taper crip on the seating die, and yes they also come with the fcd.
Check youtube for instructions. I just use a factory round that's at my desired COAL and set the dies to that. Works well. And feeds fine. But it is more likely to crunch a few cases till u get it dialed in just right.

[kmr007]

If I remeber correctly, most seating dies have a taper crimp built in. Even ur current set of lee's. I know my lee .40sw set has the taper crip on the seating die, and yes they also come with the fcd.
Check youtube for instructions. I just use a factory round that's at my desired COAL and set the dies to that. Works well. And feeds fine. But it is more likely to crunch a few cases till u get it dialed in just right.

You're right the Lee Deluxe 4 Die set, seating die, does have a crimp feature if you screw in the die body further in. That's the issues I am having, they allow no room in a Dillon. The instructions say to screw in the die until it touches the shell holder/plate. By the time it screws down there is hardly any threads left on the die body.

[bigchinner]

I am actually using a rcbs crimp die for the last station. If that doesn't work, I think you can probably use the bullet seating lee die and also turn it and adjust it to crimp for you too. I think the 3 die set was supposed to do that anyway, because for a long time I used the single stage and loaded thousands of perfect rounds for my 40 cal like that. I shot all of it through my glock 22 without a hitch. The rcbs crimp die for my .38 special does go down a little farther than I would like. I think it's being held by only a couple of threads on the locking bolt. Dillon would like you to buy theirs even though the RL550 is supposed to use standard dies. If you must, maybe purchase just a taper die.
Emergency case only.

[Pardini]

why dont you use the case expander set up on the powder measure?