Reloading .45acp

[usmc99]

So I jut go into hand loading last summer. Got a pretty good setup going on so far and have turned out some great 300 wsm loads. Now Im going to expand into .223/5.56, 45acp, and .40. Ive been looking over the die sets for pistol and have come up with a question that appears to be matter of opinion depending on who you talk to. The RCBS 3 die set does the bullet seating and crimp in the step on the same die. Any opinions on if this is the way to go or do you guys prefer seating in one step then putting the crimp on with a crimping die in another step? This will be done on a single stage rock chucker and I wont be doing thousands of rounds per year.

 

[packer58]

I personally run the RCBS three die set on my ammo master progressive. IMO go with the three die set...........it will save you one step in the process with the same result.

 

[usmc99]

I personally run the RCBS three die set on my ammo master progressive. IMO go with the three die set...........it will save you one step in the process with the same result.

So you seat and crimp in the same step with those dies correct?

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[Musket Man]

I have the Hornady 3 die set and they have worked well for me. I like how the crimp sleeve floats and aligns the bullet. If your case lengths are pretty consistent you shouldnt have any trouble seating and crimping at the same time.

 

[packer58]

That is correct, but.........if you want to seat the bullet in one step and crimp in another you can still do this with the same 3 die set. It's just a simple adjustment of the die body, so in reality you can seat all your bullets with one die setting and then go back and crimp after adjusting your die body down.

 

[usmc99]

Thanks for the info fellas. Exactly what I was looking for.

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[packer58]

Your welcome, Musket brought up a good point when reloading straight walled pistol cases. Once you set up the die for crimping on a single case you need to be aware that the die is now adjusted for all your cases that have the same C.O.L (case overall length). If some of your cases have "grown" in length you will either have a very tightly crimped bullet or could bulge the case slightly, more that likely both. Straight wall cases don't generally have a tendency to grow much but should be checked and trimmed as necessary.

 

[Colorado Cowboy]

I reload thousands of straight wall pistol calibers every year (.45 colt & .38 spec). I use RCBS Carbide Pistol 3 Die sets. I crimp and seat bullets in the same operation. One thing you have to be careful of is too much crimp as it "works" the brass and causes case splits starting at the neck. Everyone is spot one about oal case length. If you get used brass from different sources, check the length carefully.

The other day I had a .38 Special case separation during a Bulls Eye pistol competition shoot. Kinda surprised me as I watch my case prep pretty close. But after really thinking thru my prep and loading process, I discovered a couple of other cases that had minute cracks near the rim. I have probably reloaded some of these cases a hundred times or more! I removed the whole lot (about 500 cases) and put them in my recycle container. I have 1000's of pieces of brass and had just been using the same ones over & over. I shoot competition and reload thousands of rounds a year, so you have to be very systematic in you case prep and loading procedure.

 

[Sawfish]

I prefer a four die setup with all handgun cartridges. After cleaning cases, I inspect, deprime and prime cases by hand. Station #1 (carbide) resizes the case; Station #2 expands and charges the case via a Dillon case actuated measure; Station #3 seats the bullet; and Station #4 applies the crimp. Separating the functions into different stations allows me to pinpoint any problems that may arise during the loading process, and facilitates making any adjustments when changing bullets. My preferred dies are Redding or RCBS because of their customer service, but I also use Lyman, Hornady, C-H and Lee. It is important to note that all dies do not size the same i.e. all 9mm dies are not created equal. There are small differences in sizing due to the latitude within SAAMI specs., tooling wear, etc.. Matching a particular die to a particular pistol can save a lot of heartaches when experiencing function problems in semi auto pistols. Not much of an issue in revolvers. I use a Hornady Projector press because of its additional die stations, but a turret functions just as well, if you have the extra time. I have used this method for many years and many thousands of rounds, as I have found that it works best for me,