I recently started reloading .45acp, with a set of Lee dies on a Rockchucker single stage press. I was using Penn cast bullets, 200 gr. SWC. I noticed a bulge in the cases where the bullets were seating, and I was peeling off a little ring of lead when I seated and crimped the bullets. There is a slight bevel at the base of these bullets, which allowed me to seat them. I measured the lead bullets, and they measured right at .452, where they are supposed to. So then I measured the inside diameter of two recently fired cases from this first batch of reloads, at the case mouth, and got .455 and .457. Seems OK. Then I took two (work in process) cases from the batch I have been working with, which had been sized and decapped in the Lee full length sizing die, run through the expander die, and been primed. I measured those right at the edge of the case mouth, and also with the calipres inserted about half an inch inside the casing. On the first one, I got .451 at the mouth and .446 inserted deeper, the second one showed .449 and .440 respectively. Less than the diameter of the bullet.

It also occurred to me that maybe a thorough cleaning of the sizing die might make a difference. The cases I am working with, I tumble cleaned several years ago, and then put Dillon case lube on them with a pump spray dispenser, putting them in a sealed plastic food container, shaking them around a bit, and then letting them sit all this time. I mention this because the case lube feels fairly thick and somewhat sticky as I handle the casings. I wondered if I might have crudded up the interior of the die, effectively reducing the inside diameter. So I cleaned the inside of the sizing die with Ballistoil and pipe cleaners, and ran five casings through it. They all measured between .444 and .446 inside diameter at the case mouth, too small.

I am not a highly experienced reloader, am I doing something wrong? The problem seems to be with my sizing die. I am not aware of any way to adjust it, is the answer to go out and buy another die set, maybe a different brand?
Any thoughts or suggestions?

__________________
Ed