I shot my 3rd gen 23 last week and after reading this thread I when back to the brass that I resized and they do not show any sign of a bulge. I stuck them into a case gauge that is very tight and had no problem with them fitting in and dropping out.
I have a Lee Bulge Buster kit and Lee Factory Crimp Die for 45ACP and 380ACP. I also have a carbide Redding G-Rx set for 40 S&W. The Redding is an excellent tool and a pleasure to use. The Lee system works. I run my range pick up through them. I got the 45ACP after I had a few sized cases fail in a Lyman case gauge. Problem solved. I guess I got the 308 for the heck of it. For range pickup, I remove primers, tumble with stainless steel, and run through the bulge buster or G-Rx. So far with my firearms I do not have to run any of my brass through these dies, only range pickup.
This post really needs to be made into a sticky. It explains it all perfectly, right down to the function and cost of the dies. And links to the parts. What's not to love. Bullwolf, 2 thumbs up my friend. Audie...the Oldfart..Originally Posted by Bullwolf
The Lee Carbide Factory Crimp Die, true to its name has a carbide ring inside.
The Lee Carbide FCD is simply a lower price point made die, and there's nothing wrong with it.
The Redding GRX system is a higher price point push through size die, and it's very high quality like most Redding dies are. Both will do what you are looking to do, (bulge bust 40) however the Lee Carbide die is MUCH cheaper initial investment.
http://leeprecision.com/reloading-di...tory-crimp-die
The brass colored ring at the bottom of the image is the carbide ring in a Lee Carbide FCD in image above.
The Lee Carbide FCD is normally used in conjunction with a Lee push through sizer kit press insert, or shell holder pusher.
If you reload, you likely already have a Lee push through sizer kit with a shellholder "push rod" that you can use, and would only need to purchase a Lee Carbide FCD (as sugested by Audie...the Oldfart) If not, you can purchase the complete "Bulge Busting kit" from Lee with the pusher, and pick up a Lee Carbide FCD Seperately.
Here's a link to the whole Lee bulge busting kit from Titan Reloading.
Of course the inexpensive Lee Carbide Factory Crimp Die - the heart of the bulge busting unit is sold separately, so you would also need to purchase a Lee Carbide FCD (with the internals removed) to push the 40S&W brass all the way through.
Lee bulge buster kit = $14.99
http://www.titanreloading.com/index....ter_name=bulge
Lee Carbide 40S&W Factory Crimp Die - $17.24
http://www.titanreloading.com/lee-cr...ory-crimp-die-
So your looking at $17.24 for the 40 S&W Carbide FCD and your ready to go, if you already have the shell holder push rod from a Lee push through Lube and Sizing kit.
If you don't already have a pusher you can borrow, pick up the Lee bulge busting kit for an additional $14.99.
Total - $32.23 for both which is still a pretty decent deal.
Conversely, here's a link with a review regarding the use of the Redding G-Rx die system which does the same thing, only at a higher price point.
http://www.gundigest.com/ammunition-..._fixglockbulge
Links below to the Redding G-Rx Push Thru Base Sizing die
http://www.redding-reloading.com/ind...arbide-die-set
http://www.redding-reloading.com/ind...ase-sizing-die
While Redding does not show prices on their website, I happen to have a Redding 2015 catalog and price list in my possession.
Item No. 96150 G-Rx Carbide Sizing Die* = $119.00
Item No. 96040 G-Rx Steel Sizing die* = $56.50
Item No. 96010 Optional Bottle Adapter = $14.90
Item No. 96020 Large 32oz HDPE Bottle = $9.60
* Includes Shellholder Pushrod
Your going to spend at least $119.00 for the Carbide Redding G-Rx sizing die before shipping. You can't even get the Steel G-Rx sizing die (lube required) for the cost of the entire Lee Carbide bulge busting system.
I will say that I do own the Lee Carbide Factory Crimp Die in 40S&W, and for the price it's a bargain for what you intend to use it for.
Redding makes EXCELLENT dies, in my opinion they are the top shelf brand of reloading dies. I absolutely cherish the Redding dies that I own, but in this case I don't think it's worth the extra cash just for a push through sizer/bulge buster application to purchase the more expensive Redding G-Rx Carbide die.
Other opinions may be much different than my own, but there you go.
- Bullwolf
Sinclaire lists the Redding die kit for $36.99. I don't remember where I bought mine but that is what I paid for it 2 years ago. Mine is not carbide but many have had the carbide ring break in the past. I've run 50,000 thru mine without a hitch and the bore looks brand new.
My reloading supply house sells the redding carbide sizer for $70.00 Now I would think glock would have fixed the embarrassing bulge case issue by now. I do not yet have a 40 S&W but have a boat load of brass I cannot sell because no one wants to fool with it. not even sure if I really want one.
Why should Glock care? They build their guns for first run ammo. I shoot a match chambered .40 STI Edge. My brass is marked with "my stripe" and I try to recover only my brass at matches. If I end up with unmarked brass it goes through the Case Master Jr. before being reloaded. It's a push through sizer on an arbor press. I wouldn't have bought one; won this one at a USPSA match. For plinking most any ammo is good enough. For matches I want every round to be mechanically perfect. If I didn't have the Case Master Jr. I would use one of the press mounted push throughs.
David
Sometimes life taps you on the shoulder and reminds you it's a one way street. Jim Morris
I had the Bulge Buster kit at some point. I lost the bin, along with the bins for my bullet sizers. Whenever I have to use these tools, which is not that often, I just rig up a collector from a cup or something.
To use the 40SW FCD as a Bulge Buster, you need the 1. pusher stem (which you can buy from Lee for $3.00, or you can make from a cut down 9mm case filled with epoxy, set in your regular 9mm shellholder), and 2. you need an insert that goes in the die to prevent the cases from hitting and catching on the threading for the crimp ring. You can roll up a piece of paper and stick it in the top of the FCD. 3. Then you need a tub to collect cases. An empty fast food cup or butter container can do the trick. Or you can even just stick a rolled up printer paper into the top. This will take care of issue 2 and 3. It will hold about 11 or 12 cases, when full. Then you pinch it, hold it over your case bin, drop the full "mag", and reinsert into the top of the die.
Trust me when I say that you aren't looking closely enough...
I have seen over 100K glock fired 40 cal cases.
Most if not all have the bulge.
They were all once fired and all from Glocks.
I know this because I have access to all the brass fired at the state police range.
if I were to toss the ones with the bulge, I would end up with no brass.
When you look at a fired primer you will see a small rectangle around the firing pin. The firing pin looks like a teardrop not a round circle.
I will try and take a picture of what I am talking about.
I use a Lee FCD and it works great.
Don't like being hammered by the Cast Boolits Staff, then don't be a nail.
The rules are simple to follow.
That's just 1/3 the brass from one month
Don't like being hammered by the Cast Boolits Staff, then don't be a nail.
The rules are simple to follow.
The rectangle is due to the shape of the striker channel on Glocks. I've seen that on every caliber. They all load fine for me.
Yep.
They are load fine for me also but I know that I must use a FCD with glock fired rounds
Don't like being hammered by the Cast Boolits Staff, then don't be a nail.
The rules are simple to follow.
I guess I'm the only one worried about the cat.
Lol............................
I've tried a couple of methods. I tried pushing through a regular Dillon sizing die but it got pretty tight near the head. Magma Engineering alters a Dillon die by diamond honing it to remove the taper that Dillon builds in, according to the guy at Magma with whom I spoke. It's used in the Case Master Jr. of which I wrote earlier. Trust me, you do want to use case lube. The difference is dramatic. I use Dillon's lanolin based lube or the homemade version of it. It takes very little but makes a huge difference. I usually lightly lube about 10% of the cases and mix them in with the unlubed cases. The residual lube lasts a few cases. With the Case Master Jr. I put my Dillon case feeder on the CM Jr. and that really speeds up the operation. The only brass that doesn't go through the Case Master Jr. is that which I know has been run through my gun, identified by my distinctive colored stripe.
If you have THAT much brass, maybe so. I shoot .40 brass until it cracks and have NEVER had one crack in the bulge area. They always split at either the mouth or in the side of the case just below the mouth. When they split bad nothing happens. If you reload a split .40 case and shoot it again nothing bad happens. I haven't but someone I know has. You can identify a cracked case very easily if you drop the brass a handful at a time on a wood surface. There is a distinctly different sound produced by cracked brass. I can even hear one in the Dillon media separator among a few hundred good cases because the sound is so different. All unknown range brass goes through the Case Master Jr. and none of it has ever given me any trouble. All of my .40 is match ammo run through an STI Edge. I'm loading to 945-950 fps with a 180 grain cast boolit to make USPSA major and get around10 reloads out of a case before they fail.
David
Sometimes life taps you on the shoulder and reminds you it's a one way street. Jim Morris
Cool. I agree that if your gun has good support, bulged brass isn't a bother. Particularly if it smells like once-fired. But if your own guns are doing the bulging, and you have to debulge every loading, there is then a legitimate concern that the case may fail in a BAD spot.If you reload a split .40 case and shoot it again nothing bad happens. I haven't but someone I know has. You can identify a cracked case very easily if you drop the brass a handful at a time on a wood surface. There is a distinctly different sound produced by cracked brass. I can even hear one in the Dillon media separator among a few hundred good cases because the sound is so different.
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