.40 S&W Reloading Issues

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Moparman485

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I would recommend getting a Lee factory crimp die. I will remove case bulges as well as putting a good taper crimp on the round.
Would the Lee crimp die get rid of the bulge at the base of the projectile? I have the Lee crimp die for rifles and for a few other pistol calibers I load and they only contact the case mouth, but not the case body. I don’t see how a Lee FCD would affect the bulge at the base of the projectile is all.
 

Duckhunter39480

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Would the Lee crimp die get rid of the bulge at the base of the projectile? I have the Lee crimp die for rifles and for a few other pistol calibers I load and they only contact the case mouth, but not the case body. I don’t see how a Lee FCD would affect the bulge at the base of the projectile is all.
I have had similar problems with pistol calibers/straight sided rifle calibers. I did three things that helped/eliminated the problem for me. 1) inside champher the case mouth to ease the passage of the bullet into the case, 2) take special care in aligning the bullet into the case mouth in seating operations so that the bullet is not "tilted" and remains straight, and 3) in cases where this does not work I run the loaded case back through the sizer die. My experience was that the slight bulge was only happening when the bullet was slightly angled when it entered the case.
 

Moparman485

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I have had similar problems with pistol calibers/straight sided rifle calibers. I did three things that helped/eliminated the problem for me. 1) inside champher the case mouth to ease the passage of the bullet into the case, 2) take special care in aligning the bullet into the case mouth in seating operations so that the bullet is not "tilted" and remains straight, and 3) in cases where this does not work I run the loaded case back through the sizer die. My experience was that the slight bulge was only happening when the bullet was slightly angled when it entered the case.
That’s actually a dang good idea. I didn’t think about trying to run them back through the sizer as a “just in case”. I’ll give that a try (gotta get these berry’s/grapes in the ground then change my mums first) but I’ll jump straight to that after. I have no attachment to the .40 cal so if I have to abandon it, so be it, but I like this idea. What actually would seem to do what I need by knocking off the “muffin top” at the base of the bullet. Thanks!
 

swampratt

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You stated it is contacting 1/2 way up the case.

Now that got me to thinking.
My buddy got a Kimber 45 and right above the chamber where the bullet sits good old Kimber took a punch and hammered 45ACP there.
Hit it hard enough to dent the chamber in that spot and the rounds would not seat well.

Thin aluminum cases had no problems.
I honed the chamber and fixed that much known Kimber issue.

What the heck are some of these gun manufactures thinking.
That goes through my head every time I have to fix some issue that should not be an issue.
 

Cat City Slim

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Would the Lee crimp die get rid of the bulge at the base of the projectile? I have the Lee crimp die for rifles and for a few other pistol calibers I load and they only contact the case mouth, but not the case body. I don’t see how a Lee FCD would affect the bulge at the base of the projectile is all.
The pistol models also straighten out the base of the case.
 

Cat City Slim

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That’s actually a dang good idea. I didn’t think about trying to run them back through the sizer as a “just in case”. I’ll give that a try (gotta get these berry’s/grapes in the ground then change my mums first) but I’ll jump straight to that after. I have no attachment to the .40 cal so if I have to abandon it, so be it, but I like this idea. What actually would seem to do what I need by knocking off the “muffin top” at the base of the bullet. Thanks!
The factory crimp dies for straight walled pistol calibers has a carbide sizing ring which trues up the case, does the same thing as running back through the sizer.
 

swampratt

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Now on that carbide crimp die if you are shooting cast bullets and sizing them a certain size many times that carbide ring will squeeze the round
to the point that all your effort of sizing to .001 or so over groove will be wasted.
Found that out with my 45acp.
I had mad a lot of loads without running the case through the carbide crimp die. Like 2000 of them and they were very accurate.
130 yard gallon milk jug accurate.
I then began loading for other 45's for buddies and my 2000 rounds would not chamber in a couple of them so I ran them through
the carbide crimp die and made them fit.
My accuracy went to car door at 130 yards.

Fail.
 

foghorn918

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I run all my tumbled and clean .40 brass through a redding g-rx push through die, then tumble again before reloading. Adds some extra steps, but I have shot thousands and thousands of reloaded .40 rounds, all being shot through my glock 24 so that might make some difference too
 

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