not enough neck tention

[krallstar]

Mornin, I have a few problems here. Using indoor range lead, pan lubed with simple green. Sized to .357. Lee .356-125 6 cavity. When loading into case. After i can push bullet in further with some pressure. Lube seems abit sticky. Used 1 bullplate and 4 oz of beeswax. After sizing bullet seems kinda slippery. Question can i water quench range lead and will it make a difference in hardness. I have never had commercial bullets press in further by hand.

[Char-Gar]

1. Water quenching your bullets will not help your issue.

2. Properly crimping your rounds will help you issue.

[runfiverun]

water quenching will make them harder.
but the case tension is your problem, you might just have the issue because you sized them to 357 i'd bet the store bought ones are 358.
you could also be doing something else along the way in the reloading process.

[krallstar]

With cast bullets bought on line came sized at .357 i don't get the set back at all. Using taper crimp casing crimped to .377. I think the lube on the bullet is to slick i tried a boolit without lube and no set back.

[kevmc]

What size are the boolits dropping from the mold?
If .356 as mold is listed, .357 die won't be sizing at all.....
What caliber? 9mm or .357/.38

[krallstar]

The mold is dropping between .357 and .358 I used the lee .358 sizer to round them out. They come out the sizer at .357 The lube in the groove seems good but forward of that and the base band still have some lube on them. Even after wiping they seem very slick. I just pulled a boollit to see if they were swaging down in the case. They are not. The store bought boolits have lube just in the grooves. Some how i need to get the lube only in the groove.

[Rattlesnake Charlie]

"Lee .356-125" makes me think this is Lee's "356-120-TC". Especially since there is no mention of a crimp groove. I have one in 6-cavity also, and it drops them large enough I use a .358 on my sizer. It does make contact on all bearing surfaces, and all my 9mm's chamber with it loaded at that size. My Lyman M-die thru power expander measures .354. You might see if you need a smaller expander. Sizing larger is also an option if loaded rounds still chamber for you.

[krallstar]

It's the Lee 90457 Lee .356-125 2r . Lee 6 cavity block produces a .356 diameter 125 grain Round nose bullet suitable for cartridges like 9mm Luger, 38 Super Auto, 380 Auto, etc. I read here they drop out around .358. Weight drops at 130 with my range lead

[leeggen]

Kralstar
are you useing a micrometer to measure diam. of boolits or are you just reading that it is that size? Reason for asking is the statement above where you state you read on here that they were coming out to such and such. Slug the barrel and size accordingly. Just to check you say you size to .357 but you use a .358 sizer, haven't heard of a die sizing smaller than marked. As r5r stated you may be doing other things that need correcting. Back up and recheck each step (each step) in your process. Believe you have several thing going aray at the same time.
CD

[krallstar]

Using a micrometer and a digital caliper. Every lee sizer i have sizes just under stated size. I plan on opening this up a little. Was hoping it would remove the excess lube from in front of the grease groove. Barrel slugs to .355.5 The only problem i am having is i can push bullet deeper after seating. I think the lube is causing this problem. I have been reloading for 25yrs or so. These are my first shot at casting. All comm bought bullets i have used have 1 grease groove, The lube is only in that groove on these and not on the body. Mine there is some still on the body just in front of the groove and on the base band.

[Mohavedog]

You need to know exactly the boolit dia and inside case dia by measuring with micrometer. Shoot for .0015 to .002 interference fit. Then after seating taper crimp enough to take the belling out of the case mouth. You will know when you haven't crimped enough when the round won't pass the plunk test into the bbl chamber. Also, you may be swaging the boolit to smaller dia when seating into the case. Pull one after seating and recheck the dia again. What brand of loading dies are you using? Lee factory crimp dies may swage down the boolit.
Good luck, Mohavedog

[Wayne Smith]

Using a micrometer and a digital caliper. Every lee sizer i have sizes just under stated size. I plan on opening this up a little. Was hoping it would remove the excess lube from in front of the grease groove. Barrel slugs to .355.5 The only problem i am having is i can push bullet deeper after seating. I think the lube is causing this problem. I have been reloading for 25yrs or so. These are my first shot at casting. All comm bought bullets i have used have 1 grease groove, The lube is only in that groove on these and not on the body. Mine there is some still on the body just in front of the groove and on the base band.

Basically what you are saying is that the boolit, at those points, is smaller than the sizer, thus allowing lube to stay. If it did not happen with the store bought boolits they are of a different design and diameter.

[fredj338]

Check your expander size, something isn't right. I have never had a lead bullet w/ any type of lube setback, the larger dia precludes it in most calibers. Make sure you are not over crimping, this can cause a loss of case neck tension.

[krallstar]

At those points i measure .357 but the lube has left a film that is still there. Very slick. I am using rcbs dies and taper crimp in another step with a dedicated taper crimp die. OAL is set at 1.165.0 i Think maybe i need to add more beeswax to the lube.

[Char-Gar]

Slick lube is not your problem.

[462]

Have you tried your push test with a non-lubed boolit?

[cainttype]

Sounds like an under-sized bullet. Lube on the sides, out of the grease groove? Are you measuring these bullets BEFORE lubing?... Lube on the sides will give you a false measurement, larger than the bare unlubed bullet.

[303Guy]

Have you tried your push test with a non-lubed boolit?He did say he has. A dry boolit holds fast, a lubed boolit moves. My question is, is it a problem? Do the boolits move back on firing? (The ones in the mag).

If that lube is so slick I want to know what it is! Beeswax and bullplate. What exactly is in bullplate? Two-stroke oil?

I use friction to hold paper patched boolits fast - very little neck tension - so I'd expect minimal neck tension could hold a non-slip boolit and let a slick boolit move under some force. Not saying the lube is the problem though, just that it is exacerbating minimal neck tension.

Oh, I'm trying to use lube alone to hold the boolit, even with a small clearance (clearance is not good because of alignment in the neck).

[rsrocket1]

Are you sure your decapping/sizing die is screwed all the way down? Did you try seating a bullet in an un-expanded case to see how it fits?

are you flaring just enough to bell the mouth or are you trying to expand the case the full length of the bullet?

Remember, the 9mm is a tapered case and if you expand a little too much, the boolit will simply fall into the case.

[milprileb]

Slick lube is not your problem.

Can we go back to Step 1: Adjust crimp die (taper crimp die) and see if that stops bullets moving to rear when you press
on a loaded round. If so, go shoot your bullets and then if accuracy is off, the other suggestions chasing sizing die, slugging bore are relevant.

What is not talked to but is important is ask is : Are you using a Lee Carbide Crimp die ? If you are, it will taper crimp but it will swage down your bullets and make for undersized bullets in the process. If your crimp is set light and bullets are being swaged: you got a witches brew that guarantees you can push bullet into case by hand and also set up conditions for huge problems in pressure and of course terrible accuracy.

[243winxb]

This> Sounds like an under-sized bullet. Lube on the sides, out of the grease groove. Or the expander diameter is to large.

[243winxb]

Sounds like an under-sized bullets. Or the expander diameter is to large.

[462]

Have you tried your push test with a non-lubed boolit?
He did say he has. A dry boolit holds fast, a lubed boolit moves.

Thanks, I missed that.