Lee die bulging brass

[DesertGunner]

I just got some Lee 40S&W dies in and I was setting up my press with them. I was running single rounds through to fine tune all the dies, and I notice that the depriming/sizing die is causing bulges at the bottoms of all my cases. This is a noticeable bulge that you can feel with your fingers, but the outside diameter must be ok, since all the rounds have chambered with no problems.

Any suggestions?

[bohoki]

uh ive never seen a die cause a bulge

caliper one before and after and see if it is really making one

it may just be that the sizing stops slightly higher than the top of the shellholder and your gun or the gun that fired the brass has a bit of a large chamber

a couple companys make a system to push through the cases eliminating the excessive stretching a loose chamber causes

[eaglemike]

Ummm, have you measured your sized cases with a micrometer? It's nearly impossible to size a case all the way down with a normal reloading press - there are special roll sizers to do this. The .40 case only tapers .001 inch top to bottom (specification, reality can be different). If you don't have one, borrow or buy a micrometer and measure things. If there is a problem with the dies Lee will likely replace it with minimal fuss. If the case was fired in a gun with a large chamber the cases can swell more, and this can potentially lead to conditions like this. Do you have a case gauge? Were these fired in a Glock at some point? (see "Glock bulge") Dillon dies have a larger radius at the bottom of the sizing doe, so sometimes this will leave less evidence since the size change is less apparent. Did you tumble the case to clean them prior to sizing?

[DesertGunner]

Except for a few stragglers from the range pick-ups, these were not fired from a Glock. Yes these were tumbled. I'll mic the cases in a few minutes and post the info.

[DesertGunner]

Just sized brass:
Base: .424
1/4" up: .418
1/8 from top: .417

Loaded round, after going through FCD:
Base: .424
1/4 up: .4185
1/8 from top: .422

These were fired from an HK P2000. I checked the brass bucket more carefully and did find a few with bulged cases, so I resized one that did NOT have a bulge for these measurements.

[DesertGunner]

Edit: looking at the specs again, I see that this isn't really a bulge, but the case is getting pushed inwards in the middle.

[J-cat]

That's what dies do, they swage the case diameter down. What you are seeing is normal.

[Fishslayer]

That's what dies do, they swage the case diameter down. What you are seeing is normal.

^^^ This. The difference is most noticeable with cast boolits that are generally .001 greater diameter than jacketed.

[Innovative]

Handloading the .40 S&W ....

DesertGunner .....

I recommend using a Wilson Case Gauge for handgun ammo - especially .40 cal. cases. It checks case width and ensures that your handloads will ALL chamber. "Glocked" cases have a bulge near the rear of the case, and this has nothing to do with your dies. It is usually caused by a Glock barrel not supporting the case at the rear.

Redding makes a "push-through" die that's designed to fix those bulged cases. Lee also makes a similar "bulge remover die" specifically for the .40 cal. If you decide to get one . . . . the carbide version is much easier to use. Hope this helps.

[DesertGunner]

Upon review of my Hornady manual, I saw that the "bulge" is actually the spec diameter, and was kind of freaked out that the dia dropped in the middle of the case so much. I feel better now, and cranked out 50 to feed the gun tomorrow to try it out. Don't expect ny problems....

[Innovative]

Quality - Quality - Quality

DesertGunner ......

If you're seeing the slightest case bulge (and even if you don't see it), I strongly recommend using a Wilson Case Gauge on your handloads.

Some handguns (like the Glock) can fire when not fully locked in battery, and firing a bulged case usually damages the handgun and can cause serious injuries.

Unlike the .45 ACP, the .40 caliber is a high pressure round. Spend a few bucks and make your handloads safe. It only takes ONE bad round to get hurt.

[DesertGunner]

Again, I'm not shooting a Glock. I loaded a box of 50 and fed them through my Hk, with zero problems.

[Innovative]

Just helpful information ....

DesertGunner .....

In post number 4 you mentioned "Except for a few stragglers from the range pick-ups" .....
I was just wondering if any of those straggler rounds might have been bulged. Like I said, it only takes ONE bulged case to cause a big problem.

AND . . . .

Glocks aren't the only handgun that can fire when not fully in battery, and they aren't the only handgun that can bulge a case either. However, they are one of the biggest causes of bulged pistol cases, and the high chamber pressure of the .40 caliber makes it one of the most likely cases to rupture.

I've seen several butchered .45 ACP barrels in the 1911 that would bulge cases, and they only have about 1/3 the chamber pressure of a .40 caliber. This is just good information for anyone to know when reloading the .40 caliber.

Due to extremely thin brass, it is possible (even common) for crimp dies to bulge .38 Special brass, but I've never seen any die cause .40 caliber cases to bulge.