Lee 9mm FCD sticking/clicking.. Also swags my cast down 003 no matter light I set it

[taymag]

For some reason one day this just went away on my single, I was so happy and now I have my LnL setup and the damn click/sticking is back. Any idea why this would be? I took it apart and cleaned it and there was quite a bit of brass shavings, I figured that was the problem but it wasn't

It seems like no matter how I set it, it either does zero crimp or too much. When I pull rounds that weren't crimped they are .357 consistently, but even the lightest crimp puts pulled bullets at .352

Since it seems so sensitive I feel like its not possible to use since if mixes brass might vary .002 that would swag my cast bullet down to at least .355

Any help here? This is the only hold up I am having, other than that the press is awesome

[Moonie]

Lots of us here do not use the pistol FCD's for exactly this reason. The rifle RCD's work great thought, but they do work differently.

[taymag]

Lots of us here do not use the pistol FCD's for exactly this reason. The rifle RCD's work great thought, but they do work differently.

What are most people using as an alternative? Just lightly crimping with the seating die? I was under the impression that was a no-go but I never really tested it with cast

[Sgtonory]

I use any brand of taper crimp die.

[taymag]

I use any brand of taper crimp die.

Seat and taper crimp in the same step?

[runfiverun]

2 steps.

[taymag]

2 steps.

Alright.. Amazon Prime here we come [smilie=b:

[Pine Baron]

What are most people using as an alternative? Just lightly crimping with the seating die? I was under the impression that was a no-go but I never really tested it with cast
I use light crimp with the seating die for all 9mm. Takes a light touch and trial and error. Try this first. YMMV

[taymag]

I use light crimp with the seating die for all 9mm. Takes a light touch and trial and error. Try this first. YMMV

I was going to give this a couple tests tonight (still ordering the taper though). I don't trim any 9mm brass, wouldn't the crimp vary quite a bit if my brass does at all? I feel like the difference between crimping the bell perfect and no-good would be pretty close with seat crimping and case length. Maybe I'm wrong and people over-exaggerate it, from the get go I've used a separate crimp step so never messed with the seating crimp

[Pine Baron]

Yeah, I don't trim 9mm or separate brass, just use the seat die to take the flare off the mouth, then "push" test, check in a Wilson case length tool, and plunk test in the barrels of the guns I shoot them in.

[dkf]

I was going to give this a couple tests tonight (still ordering the taper though). I don't trim any 9mm brass, wouldn't the crimp vary quite a bit if my brass does at all? I feel like the difference between crimping the bell perfect and no-good would be pretty close with seat crimping and case length. Maybe I'm wrong and people over-exaggerate it, from the get go I've used a separate crimp step so never messed with the seating crimp

I don't see much variation with the taper crimp die on handgun brass. Like said here you only want to use a light crimp to remove the flare. Lee has collet crimp dies that work pretty well but they have none for 9mm. Don't know if the .357mag collet crimp die would work with 9mm.

[DougGuy]

Yes to the "push test" while you are figuring out crimp, remember that 9mm is high pressure, 35,000psi, and if the crimp OR neck tension is loose enough to allow the boolit to be set back in the case while feeding from the magazine, MAJOR problems can occur. Pressure will go through the roof with just .010" setback. JUST a word of caution..

Collet crimp wouldn't work for a cartridge that headspaces on the case mouth like 9mm.

[JeffG]

I used to use the Lee seating die then the Lee TC die, not the FCD. I've since gone to a Hornady TC seating die, which works well too. In any case, I trim my 9mm brass occasionally because I want to have consistent TC. Not fun to do a lot of brass but it ensures consistent crimp.

[runfiverun]

holy cow I can't even imagine trimming all my 9m brass.
I can't even keep head stamps separated.
trimming 20-25k brass that tiny would take me forever.

[trapper9260]

I user the FCD and i have no problems it.There is one of my guns for do it like every one else dose would not chamber right .It was in that one gun not the others.After i use the FCD I had no more problems.

[mdi]

Look at how an FCD for pistols work, IIRC; it uses a floating crimping sleeve with a carbide sizing ring near the mouth of the die. No matter how you set the crimp, the sizing ring is going to swage/size the case to a specific diameter. Many people don't have this problem but yours seems to slim down your specific reloads down to where the bullets come out .003" smaller (starting bullet diameter and case wall thickness contribute). This is why my FCD now resides in a landfill somewhere in So. Oregon...

[JeffG]

Hahaha, well, I don't have 20-25k! It was only about 600, that have been trimmed twice in about 18 loadings. I have new stuff waiting, whenever this batch decides to give up the ghost. I've been losing 1-2 per 100 since about load 12.


holy cow I can't even imagine trimming all my 9m brass.
I can't even keep head stamps separated.
trimming 20-25k brass that tiny would take me forever.

[Down South]

I use two steps., Seat in one and crimp in the other.
The best info I can offer you is to knock the carbide sizing ring out of the FCD with a punch and use it for a seating die. I have several of the FCD's and all have had the carbide sizing ring knocked out of them for the exact reasons you are experiencing, sizing my boolits down.
If you are loading jacketed rounds then you are OK. Cast is pretty much always over diameter of a jacketed round. The FCD is notorious for swaging cast boolits down to a point they will lead a barrel.
Actually, The FCD is designed to correct problems that proper and correct reloading should never encounter.

[HeavyMetal]

how old is your Lee FCD die?

years ago i was disappointed in one I bought and went years without looking at the FCD die again!

About a month ago I bought a deluxe die set for the 45 ACP and was delighted to find out Lee had actually changed the design!

no longer does the pistol FCD die seat boolits! The taper crimp section is now a hollow steel piece with a good amount of taper to it, if you adjust the die per new directions most of your issue should go away.

notice I said most!

If you can find a copy read Ken Water Second Pet loads story for the 9mm, it is loaded with all the stumbling points the 9mm is famous for and the reasons they occur: case in point is case length, Ken found 9mm case would vary as much as 20% in the same 50 round box of ammo he purchased as base line to establish his "expansion ring" measurements before he started any load testing!

I'll suggest you take a good hard look at the age of your current FCD die ( if it has a bullet seating set up scrap it) and then sort your brass by head stamp and try again!

HM

[6622729]

Yeah, I don't trim 9mm or separate brass, just use the seat die to take the flare off the mouth, then "push" test, check in a Wilson case length tool, and plunk test in the barrels of the guns I shoot them in.

I don't trim 9mm brass and am still working on getting all my 9mm separated so some is random and some is by head stamp. I use the FCD without issue. Good accuracy and no leading in a Glock 19. The big thing is to keep checking for setback by push testing during the loading session. I check a couple in the beginning and unless I feel a change, I keep loading. I drop most of them in a Wilson gauge as I go. I have no issue with the Lee FCD for 9mm. They're very inexpensive. Why keep screwing with the one you have? Start over with a fresh one.

[Moonie]

I have a separate crimp die for all my pistol calibers, seat in one step, crimp in another. I do not use the FCD for pistol cartridges, I've had too many problems with it reducing the size of my boolits under grove diameter, especially 9mm.

[Down South]

I have a separate crimp die for all my pistol calibers, seat in one step, crimp in another. I do not use the FCD for pistol cartridges, I've had too many problems with it reducing the size of my boolits under grove diameter, especially 9mm.
It will work if to take away the primary use of it, resize a cartridge to spec. It's a problem that any decent reloader should never encounter to begin with.
If you have ran the brass through a sizing die as all of us do in the first stage, resize, punch out primer, any deformity should be already taken care of.
I bought into the idea of FCD's yrs ago. I discovered the same thing as most of us casters did. The FCD will swage a cast boolit down to jacketed bullet specs. "This is not always the case but it is problimetic to many of us wanting to run boolits oversize compared to jacketed bullet diameter." Some folks don't have any problems running cast through a FCD.
Most of the time we need to run our cast boolits +.001"-.003" in diameter larger than jacketed bullets.
I probably have three or four FCD's. What I did was to install the FCD in a single stage press. Take a good punch and knock the D@mm carbide resizing ring out of the die. It then makes a great boolit seating die without the problem of swaging your cast boolits down.

Just my $.02.

[Shiloh]

You may have to go with an M die or get a custom expander. Buckshot turned one out for me .003 oversize for a progressive press.

SHiloh

[CPL Lou]

All I use my 45acp factory crimp die for is sizing my fired cases.
I decap before tumbling then use the FCD to do a minimum sizing before loading. Adds an extra step, but makes great match ammo that way.
Using it AFTER seating a boolit guarantees an undersize boolit !

CPL Lou