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Q re: full length depriming & resizing of 40SW

noobloadernoobloader Member Posts: 7 ✭✭
edited September 2010 in Perry Shooter Competition Shooting and Reloading Forum
Hello all,

First time poster.

I am noticing that while using my lee handpress and the lees carbide die (deprimer and full length resizer) I am seeing that my cases have a minor bulge on the bottom of the case on most if not all of my brass. I have not done anything other than deprime and clean my brass I wanted to get some input re my cases before i do anyhting more and possibly expose myself to danger.

I have reread my Lee loading manual (the book not the sheet that comes with the dies)and couldnt find a section on point.

please help.

Thanks.
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Comments

  • charliemeyer007charliemeyer007 Member Posts: 6,572 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I suspect that the problem is your gun. I have seen lots of 40 brass that has primers that are smeared and cases that are bulged. Some guns don't support the head of the brass very well and bulge at the extractor notch or have really loose chambers. Your case life will be short from work hardening. I really like my lee carbide die sets. I have given away 3 of the hand presses. Make sure the die just touches the shell holder at the end of the stroke. Sharpie mark several factory loaded rounds and fire them with the mark orientated the same way. Compare the bulge. Some brands of brass are way better than others.
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  • Hawk CarseHawk Carse Member Posts: 4,381 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    It's not really a bulge, it is just the area that the resizing die did not reach. The shell holder is .125" deep and the die has a bit of a radius on the mouth so you can get aligned and started without too much trouble. So there is some amount of the case wall that is not getting resized. If they load ok and go back in the gun, you are OK.
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  • noobloadernoobloader Member Posts: 7 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    That is the thing, this brass i bought off of gunbroker. Lot of 2500 unsorted.

    So, im probably noticing shell bulge due to unsupported brass in this firing process?
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  • noobloadernoobloader Member Posts: 7 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by charliemeyer007
    I suspect that the problem is your gun. I have seen lots of 40 brass that has primers that are smeared and cases that are bulged. Some guns don't support the head of the brass very well and bulge at the extractor notch or have really loose chambers. Your case life will be short from work hardening. I really like my lee carbide die sets. I have given away 3 of the hand presses. Make sure the die just touches the shell holder at the end of the stroke. Sharpie mark several factory loaded rounds and fire them with the mark orientated the same way. Compare the bulge. Some brands of brass are way better than others.


    Thanks for the input. I very much appreciate it.
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  • noobloadernoobloader Member Posts: 7 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by Hawk Carse
    It's not really a bulge, it is just the area that the resizing die did not reach. The shell holder is .125" deep and the die has a bit of a radius on the mouth so you can get aligned and started without too much trouble. So there is some amount of the case wall that is not getting resized. If they load ok and go back in the gun, you are OK.


    Alright. right on, thank you for the help.
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  • midnightrunpaintballermidnightrunpaintballer Member Posts: 2,233 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    How many times have you loaded and fired this brass? If the bulge you're referring to is like a ring around the case right above the groove, then I get the same thing after I've reloaded my brass between 5-10 times depending on how hot I've loaded them. It's nothing unusual, it just means it's worn out and time to throw out that brass. If you load it anyway, it will cause the worst jam you can imagine. Trust me!
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  • leeblackmanleeblackman Member Posts: 5,303 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    You'll find some shooter's like to use an EGW sizing die on the brass, which slightly under sizes it kinda like a small base size die but for a pistol. I also noticed that Lee and Redding both have push thru size dies for the .40sw that are supposed to remedy base bulge. However its a solution to a problem that really isn't a problem...
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  • Tailgunner1954Tailgunner1954 Member Posts: 7,734 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    IF your "bulge" is fairly even all the way around the case, than it's from the sizing clearance as noted above.
    IF it's on one side only, than it's from a unsupported chamber (prior to sizing, the case would have looked "pregnant") and further use of that case should be discontinued
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  • Pistollero1050Pistollero1050 Member Posts: 1,197 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    If you don't bell the mouth of the case enough you can bulge the case towards the bottom. Also why not stop playing at reloading and get a real press, like a rock chucker or a turet press min.
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