38 special lswc problem

[davebell18]

I am loading 158gr lswc with bullseye. I am using many different brands of brass and am having problems with the bullets not going down into the cylinder of my revolver. I thought that it was a certain brand of brass that was doing it but its not. I loaded just Winchester brass and about half of the bullets would not fit down into the cylinder where the other half slid down perfect. Seemed like the tip of the brass had a larger diameter or does. I talked to a buddy at the range and he told me to take the punch out of the deprimmer die and run them up there a short ways. It works! However this takes a lot of time and was wondering if there is another way around it. Thanks

 

[358156hp]

It sounds like you might be overdoing the case mouth belling step. The case shoul only be flared just enough to allow the base of the bullet to enter the case without shaving lead from it. If this step is overdone, you will create a ring in the case just below the crimp that's too large for the case to fully enter the chamber. Try experimenting with the case flaring a bit. I once had an expander reduced in diameter a couple of thousandths to help create higher bullet "pull", and reduce the amount of flaring a bit.

 

[davebell18]

Are you talking about the flare die? If so I have mine set up with the least amount of flare. I am able to set the bullet on top of the brass and push it in very little with out any lead getting shaved off when I seat it.

 

[amazingflapjack]

I use a Lee Factory Crimp Die last for revolver ammo. Ends problem-makes a better all around shooting bulley.

 

[CGM]

Sounds to me like you may have oversized lead bullets which are bulging out your brass just enough so that they wont go thru the cyl. This has happened to me often when I use .358 wadcutters.

As you already found out, you can resize the loaded round in your press but, it's a major pain. Best thing is to get bullets that are sized .357.

 

[LouisianaJoe]

I use a Lee Factory Crimp Die last for revolver ammo. Ends problem-makes a better all around shooting bulley.

You beat me to it. I use them for almost all handgun loads.
This also cures the problem sometimes encountered when loading brass that has been fired in other guns.

If you have load the cartridges a lot, also check the length of the case. If it gets too long, that can also cause problems.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

Are you crimping the rounds after you seat the bullet? It sounds like you are not removing the bell... .38 Special ammo is the easy stuff to load... Any pictures of that loaded ammo that won't fit into the cylinder?

 

[Norsky]

Check the diameter of your LSWC bullets using a mic. You may also notice that some of the cases are bulged more than others, these would be the cases that would not seat properly in the cylinder. If the diameter of your bullets are different, then the bullet manufacturer is not sizing them consistently. If you are casting your own bullets, then obtain a sizer, even the one from Lee (reasonably priced) would work.

 

[Bruce51]

The real problem here is that some cases are simply thicker towards the center. Winchester cases will bulge in the center if WC's are forced down below the case mouth. Espescially their plus p cases.

Remington cases work very well with wadcutters.

If you resize a case with a bullet you are also reducing the bullet diameter.
I've done this and then removed the bullet and found they were .355 or under.
They may bump up when fired but that is not really condusive to accuracy.
You will also loose case tension and may end up with a bullet walking out of the case.

You need to determine which cases will accept a fully seated WC without expanding the case beyond the size which will fit your chamber.
Mike the ones that fit at the mouth and center of the case. Then using only a unprimed case of other brands seat a wadcutter. If they require extra force to seat or bulge the case then don't use that brand.
Also keep your gun handy as as an instant go no go gauge for fit.

Bruce

 

[Rule3]

Where exactly are you seating the bullets before you crimp? If you seat the bullets too deep and the case mouth is a bit past the cannelure when you crimp it will bulge the case mouth over the top edge of the groove causing it to jam up in the cylinder.

Even if you seat to the center of the cannelure some dies will push the bullet a bit deeper when it crimps.

A picture is worth a thousand words and possible reasons.

 

[sjmjax]

And then there is this problem...

If you set a heavy crimp [and you're not using a Lee Factory Crimp Die which resizes the cases after crimping] based on a randomly selected case that happens to be short, when you crimp longer cases you'll get a bulge that may cause chambering problems.

I know it's not a popular practice on this board but it's the reason why I trim or at least sort my cases by length.

I find typical .38 special cases to vary quite radically in length.

.030 or more is not uncommon. That makes a huge difference in crimp and can collapse and bulge a case.

 

[Steve in Vermont]

Just wondering, do you seat and crimp in one operation? When I returned to reloading I found the same problem you described with various brass and bullets. Separated the operations and eliminated the problem.

 

[Fkimble]

Sounds like over crimping causing a bulge just below the crimp. Back off your crimp. With Bullseye, all you really need is to remove the flare from the expanding step. Different brands are slightly different in length and even different cases of the same brand can be significantly different length.

 

[JohnnieB]

FWIW: I run all the .38spl/.357mag lead I buy through a Lee .357" sizing die.
Most of it goes through easy, but some takes a little more oomph on the handle and a few go through the die like fat goes though a goose.
So I'm pretty sure there are some minor inconsistencies in size (and roundness) in the same batch.
Noticed same with different manufacturers and calibers.

Probably not worth the effort for my limited shooting and reloading abilities, but these tired old eyes and shaky hands need all the help they can get.

 

[OKFC05]

I run all the .38spl/.357mag lead I buy through a Lee .357" sizing die.

My K frames favor .358" lead, and sizing to .357" opens their groups up considerably.

 

[jibjab]

I second post #11

Revolver brass can vary in length, I encounter case length variations after sizing from 1.141"- 1.157" with factory .38 spl brass. I trim it all to 1.142" problem solved, and consistent crimps every time.

If you set the seat/crimp die on a short cases, it will over crimp on the longer cases thus buckling the case mouths and increasing the diameter beyond spec.

Post sizing is a way to fix poorly loaded ammunition.

If you don't have time to do it right, when will you have time to fix it later ?

 

[davebell18]

I use the lee 3 press turret. I do seat and crimp my bullet in the final die. I do see the difference in the different lengths in brass but it still does the same thing with the exact same length brass of the same make. I do crimp the lswc in the crimping grove and when I do it still looks to be in the right spot. I do not have time right now to put up pictures but I will try to do that first thing Saturday. I think i have answer all of the questions so if i missed any that are important please re ask and i will do my best to answer. Thank you for all the help thus far.

 

[GyMac]

I use a Lee Factory Crimp Die last for revolver ammo. Ends problem-makes a better all around shooting bulley.

I know some people don't like the Lee FCD, but I use them in all my pistol reloading. They work great.

 

[hawgleg]

Just wondering, do you seat and crimp in one operation? When I returned to reloading I found the same problem you described with various brass and bullets. Separated the operations and eliminated the problem.

Big thumbs up. I run all kind of different headstamped brass and never worry about length.

 

[davebell18]

The 3 on the right go down into the cylinder smoothly. I just ran them through the 3 stages and did NOT run them through the deprimer stage with out the pin in. The brass that was used was Winchester, R-P, and PMC. The bullet on the left does not fit into the cylinder. This brass is Winchester. Can anyone see what is wrong? Thanks

ImageShack Album - 3 images