bullet not crimping?

[BOB FRONSEE]

Hi, I reloaded about 50 9mm and about the last 20 you can push the bullet into the shell by hand. I'm putting the completed shell between my pointer finger and thumb and pushing the bullet in.

[SMSgt]

More info would help. Brand of brass, brand of bullets, brand of dies, etc.

[BOB FRONSEE]

It's a Lee pro 1000 press and the dies came with the press.
The bullets are RMR 115 gr and the brass is once fired Federal.

[Tu_S]

Guessing the seating/crimping die is loose and moved. Have you measured the COL?

[AlHunt]

I assume the dies are adjustable on a Lee 1000, so that's where I'd start.

You could have varying case lengths, too. Most people poo poo the idea of checking case length on 9mm and I'm usually castigated for suggesting it, but if you don't check, you don't know.

[stansdds]

Semi-auto pistol ammo is taper crimped, crimp does not hold the bullet, case neck tension holds the bullet. Sounds to me like the expander die is over expanding the case or the bullets are under sized and it could be a combination of both conditions.

[2wheels]

Originally Posted by stansdds

Semi-auto pistol ammo is taper crimped, crimp does not hold the bullet, case neck tension holds the bullet. Sounds to me like the expander die is over expanding the case or the bullets are under sized and it could be a combination of both conditions.

This. You only want to expand the case just enough to get the bullet in before seating it. Them taper crimp it just enough to take the bell out.

[Funflyer]

Check your expander plug also. Lee dies tend to have the worst finish in the industry and I've had more than a few that caused problems. The expander may be shaving brass and becoming larger in diameter with more use. Sounds odd but take a look at the pic below of some Lee universal expander plugs. The two on the left show how bad they shave brass after only a few cases. The one on the right is after I refinished/polished one. That one can now go all day without tearing up brass.

[STORMINORMAN]

Originally Posted by Funflyer

Check your expander plug also. Lee dies tend to have the worst finish in the industry and I've had more than a few that caused problems. The expander may be shaving brass and becoming larger in diameter with more use. Sounds odd but take a look at the pic below of some Lee universal expander plugs. The two on the left show how bad they shave brass after only a few cases. The one on the right is after I refinished/polished one. That one can now go all day without tearing up brass.

Although I've never had any problems that even approach that of the OP's (God forbid!) you can probably guess what my next-sitting-in-front-of-the-tube project is going to be...?

(HINT: It involves the use of a drill, some Mothers and some 600 grit paper)

Cheers!

P.S. Never had any problem with an M-type die, either.

[Nevada Ed]

No biggie............

You just need to screw the sizing die down another 1/8" and then....
bell the case, seat a bullet and taper crimp to remove the belling, then
see if the bullet will stay in place.

Not all dies or expanders have the correct Dia. for "Your" pistol and you need
to adjust it to shape the cases, to work in your chamber.

The picture below shows what happens when I bell those cases.

I use a large washer, as a spacer, to size just the top 60% of my cases
that have this problem.

Good luck.

[mikld]

On 380 ACP the crimp does not keep the bullet in place and often over crimping will loosen the bullet/case tension. I have reloaded thousands of semi-auto rounds with Lee dies and rarely had a problem. My 380 sized with Lee dies and "powder through" die (no "expander") for flaring the mouth (because of my old fat fingers I used a bit more flare for the 90 gr bullets to put them in straight.). I would suggest measuring a case after sizing and seeing how much smaller the case is than the bullet (pin/plug gauges would be great). You should not be able to insert a bullet without a flare. If the case mouth it too big, recheck your sizing methods and measure your bullet's diameter and try different brass. I normally don't crimp, just use a taper crimp die to "deflare"..

[Jackcpat]

I’ve used Lee dies for years with no issue. Does your press set up use a crimp / post sizing die to finish up. I use a Single stage RCBS so my set up will differ from yours

[BOB FRONSEE]

Thanks everyone, I think I got it figured out.

[stansdds]

Originally Posted by BOB FRONSEE

Thanks everyone, I think I got it figured out.

Ok, don't leave us hanging, what was the issue?

[BOB FRONSEE]

The picture that Nevada Ed posted is what mine looked like so I did what he said to do and it's working great now.