Need some sized brass measurements

[osteodoc08]

Can someone please post the dimensions of their sized ACP brass at the case mouth and base. I've about had it with my sizing die. I don't think it's sizing down enough and was the reason why I've had so much trouble.

My case mouths measure .469-471 outside diameter after sizing. This could be why I've had so many issues loading for 45acp. The bullets and boolits just push right down with thumb pressure unless there is a firm crimp but then the boolits are being swaged down. Measurements made the brass seem oblong instead of round too.

Back to RCBS for me if I'm right. Using hornady dies. The neck tension was so poor even without using the bell die, that I had a boolit get stuck in the slider guide part on the seating die and pulled out of the case.

[Love Life]

Are you using a taper crimp die?

[osteodoc08]

Yeah, but in order to secure the boolit, it's having to crimp way too much. I'm asking about sized brass by itself. If I size, no bell/flare, there isn't even enough neck tension and I can easily press the boolits down into the case with finger pressure. It will then require an extra firm crimp to keep in place.

Sooooo, I'm asking what everyone is getting for their sized case mouth.

[wallenba]

Sounds like the brass is too thin. Remington brass?

Starline= .466'', case wall= 0.010''

Winchester= .467'', case wall= 0.011'' both with Lee FL

[osteodoc08]

R-P, Win, CCI, Speer, Etc

[Love Life]

Are you using an M-Die? Have you measured your expander?

[ffries61]

with Dillon sizing die I get about .4675" - .468" at case mouth, about .471" -.472" just above extractor groove, but Dillons with the big radius on opening don't size down as far as others, I ran one thru a Lee sizer , it came out .4685" (mouth) and .470" (base)

Fred

[wallenba]

You may need to size them bigger than you are doing now, before seating and crimping. A taper crimp will size the boolit down a few thou at the case mouth in the process.

[osteodoc08]

Took winchester brass. OD max was .472 and inside max was .452 at the case mouth AFTER SIZING! No frigging wonder I'm having so much trouble and the boolits and bullets kept sliding down. AND my caliper reads about .0005-.001 small when compared to my micrometer. Ugh. Luckily I've got an RCBS set at my parents house and I'm going down there tomorrow. My boolits were sized .451

I'll call Hornady Monday.

[petroid]

Not to argue with your sized brass measurements but .451 sounds too small for your boolits. How does your throat slug? A fatter boolit may be in order, in which case your case sizer may work just fine for cast boolits if not for jacketed.

[cbrick]

??? Does a .453" or .454" boolit chamber?

I assume you had/have a reason for sizing .451", would you share that with us?

Rick

[osteodoc08]

Not to argue with your sized brass measurements but .451 sounds too small for your boolits. How does your throat slug? A fatter boolit may be in order, in which case your case sizer may work just fine for cast boolits if not for jacketed.

I was using my friends star sizer. They mic'd at .45150" They were free and I wasn't about to complain. They've shot well for me in the past. I personally size my .452 on my LAM2.

[Gtek]

Really well used brass, spring back?

[osteodoc08]

Fairly new. Some 1x fired. I tried several brass pieces and all the same.

[cbrick]

Have you tried .453 or .454 boolits? If so did they chamber ok?

Rick

[osteodoc08]

Have you tried .453 or .454 boolits? If so did they chamber ok?

Rick

My .452 SnL do just fine with loading, but that was using the RCBS dies that I left at home. I'm gonna grab them today to see if there is a difference.

[geargnasher]

It may come as a shocker, but a few of the newer plastic pistols I've played with shot much better groups and leaded less sized .451". Now, if they're throated the way I like them (read: .453" throat entrance with a nice, gentle taper into the rifling), then I use boolits more like .4525".

As for brass, if the ID of the neck after sizing (and expanding/belling the mouth) isn't at least two thousandths smaller than the boolits going into it, you can get a KABOOM when they pound back into the cases under recoil in the magazine. Ask me how I know. Titegroup gets a little claustophobic when case volume is suddenly cut way down.

My Lee carbide die puts the ID around .448" with most brass, depending on thickness of course. I taper-crimp only enough to get them to feed and chamber reliably, which often means there's a tiny bit of bellmouth remaining. Crimp does nuttin' to retain the boolits unless you're lucky enough to have a roll-crimp die for .45 ACP and roll the mouth enough to gently bite into the boolit.

Gear

[osteodoc08]

***UPDATE***

It was indeed the sizing die. I borrowed my late fathers Dillon sizing die. It sized it down a few thousandths more (forget specs) than the Hornady and all was right with the world. No more set back issues, no more trying to crimp the heck out of them to keep the boolit in place. Everything went slicker than goose poop on a hot summers day on the front lawn. I'm actually kinda relieved. I've wasted hundreds of boolits, primers, cases, etc, trying to figure out what the heck I was doing wrong. Even sold off (perfectly good) plated bullets thinking they were the issue. I was starting to go crazy a little trying to figure out what the heck *I* was doing wrong.

Calling Hornady tomorrow.

[Slow Elk 45/70]

Good for you...try, try & try again good luck Jim

[osteodoc08]

Good for you...try, try & try again good luck Jim

Called Hornady and they are sending me a return authorization label. Very curteous and fast. No complaints with Hornady. They are also sending me a small part for my press as well.