Lee Factory carbide crimp die- Squeezes bullets too small!

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swampratt

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I have used the Factory crimp die many times in a few calibers and with different brass cases and my pistols shot excellent.

A few days ago I got into a jug of A-USA cases that I primed and prepped years ago to load.
45acp.
Now I stuck in a powder coated bullet and seated it and then ran it through the Lee factory carbide crimp die and did NOT crimp it just iron out the case mouth flare.

Well that brass has some spring back and when i pulled the round out of the carbide die
the bullet was seated .300" longer.

Actually almost came out of the case.
I grabbed the bullet and pulled it from the case with my fingers.

OK got to measure the bullet as it was .4525" Now it measures .449"
OUCH!
I measured that particular die and it is .002" smaller than another die I have.
The cases are .001" thicker than my R-P cases also.. so tolerances are stacking up.

I checked a Hornady XTP after running a case with it through the same die and it got
sized to .449" also.

Something to look for if you use that Factory carbide crimp die.
I have a few 45acp Lee dies and maybe I grabbed a small one.

Either way it is something I thought I would share.

Yes .4525" cast powder coated bullet I honed my sizer die out a bit for a couple 45 barrels
that slugged large.
 

swampratt

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It is not crimping just squeezing everything smaller.
But Yes i have thought about just touching the carbide die.
Then thought out of the 3 sets of 45 dies I have I could possibly just use one of the seater crimp dies
and see what that does adjust all the way out.

I also did a plunk test without any crimp or carbide die action and the rounds plunk in all the way just fine.
And fall right back out.
I still have not made it to the range to test the loads.

Maybe tomorrow
 

HFS

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What are A-USA cases?
I remember reading about A-MERC ammo or something like that (cheap stuff that was sold in clear plastic packaging rather than in boxes).
The Internet consensus was that brass was terrible, I think???
 

Craig3

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What are A-USA cases?
I remember reading about A-MERC ammo or something like that (cheap stuff that was sold in clear plastic packaging rather than in boxes).
The Internet consensus was that brass was terrible, I think???
wasn't that the 9mm that had a shelf in it to prevent setback?

To the OP are you on earned about your bullet moving from recoil or just feeding reliability?
 

Dumpstick

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The Lee Factory Crimp die for handgun cartridges is completely different from the Lee Factory Crimp die for rifle cartridges.

The die for handguns will squeeze the cartridge down to SAAMI minimum external specs. That's what it's designed to do.

That's also why I don't use it.
 

swampratt

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are you on earned about your bullet moving from recoil or just feeding reliability?

No it feeds just fine once I got the depth correct for which bullet I am using.
Talking in my 1911.
My Hi-Point will eat anything due to a much better designed feed ramp.

The issue is as soon as I ran a CAST powder coated already with an already seated bullet through
the Carbide ring on the Lee factory carbide crimp Crimp die it pinched down the case to the point my Lead or Jacketed bullet shrank to .449" diameter.
At least the part of the bullet in the case.
As you know cases will spring back a tiny bit and the slickness of the powder coated lead and lack of springback of lead would allow the bullet to just fall out of the case.

More of a warning for those using the die.
I just have this one die that measures a bit smaller than my others.
It measures .470" inside the carbide ring.
I had been using a .472" one.

Only time I really needed to pinch the case down to minimum SAAMI specs was for a Kimber a friend has.
I have not had this 1911 of mine very long and only tested it on 3 outings with different loads so far.

Heading to Lexington WMA gun range this morning to test some more.
 

swampratt

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NON crimped and Non carbide sized after loaded rounds shot best.
Now to play with powder amounts.
My cast loads were way too hot.
None of the loads with AA#5 would put the brass in the same place on the ground.

May go back to my old standby Bullseye powder.
 

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