Brass case buckling?

[ngnrnlo]

Can anyone tell me what I am doing wrong? I have loaded hundreds of 308s on my Forster coax with no problem.
I just reloaded my first 45ACP, and this is what happened. I am using the basic 3 die Redding set. I used once fired (by me) Sellier and Bellot cases. After decapping and wet tumbling, I full-length resized it, flared the top 1/3 inch, primed it, filled with 6.0 gr Unique, and used a 230 gr FMJ precision delta bullet. I calibrated the seating depth by turning the die a little bit more each time, and went from an OAL of 1.30 gradually down to 1.27. This first one came out beautiful. The next three, not so good. The brass case seems to have buckled on one side (see picture). It looks like the die is seating the bullet eccentrically.

Any ideas what I should do?

[Kwikvette]

Die set too low?

I had the same thing happen when loading .223; shoulders crushed for a few rounds while a few others made it ok.

[maxx03]

This can happen whenn the seating die is set to seat and crimp at the same time, if that is the case, it is recommended to use a separate crimp die.

[TexasJackKin]

Check to make sure you are not over crimping.

[ngnrnlo]

The Redding seating die I am using crimps at the same time. I have no control over the amount of crimp. Is there a different technique when seating with such dies?

I you make the photo larger (it has enough resolution), you will see a black material over the rim of the case. Could that be scraping from the metal jacket? And could this mean I need to flare more? Although I was surprised how much I had to lower the flaming rod in the die, to get 1/3 in flaring.

[aspenvalley]

If you have a seat and crimp die you should be able to change the amount of crimp by changing the depth of the die in the tool head. The die crimp section should be tapered. You would then have to adjust the bullet seating pusher to get the correct seating depth and OAL.

[aspenvalley]

What do you mean 1/3 in of flare. I only flare enough to not shave lead when seating the bullets. To much flare and you will over work your brass and chould lead to issues seating the bullet having to take the flare out? How much effort does it take to seat the bullet on the ram? My Lee die seats and light crimps with not much effort.

The factory crimp die can take more effort depending on the brass thinkness and hardness but you not doing a FCD.

[ngnrnlo]

If you have a seat and crimp die you should be able to change the amount of crimp by changing the depth of the die in the tool head. The die crimp section should be tapered. You would then have to adjust the bullet seating pusher to get the correct seating depth and OAL.

Thanks. i 'll play around with adjustments some more tomorrow.

[ngnrnlo]

What do you mean 1/3 in of flare. I only flare enough to not shave lead when seating the bullets. To much flare and you will over work your brass and chould lead to issues seating the bullet having to take the flare out? How much effort does it take to seat the bullet on the ram? My Lee die seats and light crimps with not much effort.

The factory crimp die can take more effort depending on the brass thinkness and hardness but you not doing a FCD.

This is how much flaring I did. Notice the line at about 1/3 in below the rim of the case. Too much?

[otteray]

Your taper crimp should be absolute minimal, just enough to remove the flare and allow the round to chamber.

[aspenvalley]

When I flare it's only 1/32 at most but my Lee die puts a much more aggressive angle to the flare. I would go with what your flare die calls for.

[AandO]

USE THE DIE RINGS THAT CAME WITH THE PRESS and buy plenty more......


Is there slop in the Die ring area? Redding die rings are smaller I used only Forster Die rings on my Co-Ax which I no longer have.

Probably not the issue but I'd recommend either the Forster or Hornady die rings on the Co-Ax to eliminate slop.....

[ngnrnlo]

OK. Dumb question of the day. Should I shoot them with that case dent, or should I take it apart and throw away the brass?

[edit] nevermind. I dropped them into a .45 barrel, the case bottom of the dented ones protruded 0.05" more than the undented one.

[Archon_g24]

Do you have a case gauge?

If you measure your cases, i bet the ones that are getting crunched are longer than the case you used to setup the seating/crimping die.

[bazineta]

This is how much flaring I did. Notice the line at about 1/3 in below the rim of the case. Too much?

That looks like quite a lot; what you're looking for is enough to get the bullet base in there. You don't need a ton, just ensure that the base is in so that the bullet sits straight on the way into the seating die.