Lee 45 ACP die set

[OldBearHair]

Discovered that the bullet seater in the Lee 45 ACP die set had been reworked and was off center happily pushing the nose of each boolit a little off center......Made a new one on the lathe and cut the hole in the end with a 40 degree roatary file on center. Now it will accept round noses, SWC style, Truncated, and I think do a good lineup on a wide meplat. Please comment on the way I am reloading whether it is ok or not. I set the die with just enough crimp to straighten the case with the locknut hard to move. I seat the bullets first by putting a horse shoe looking washer .040 under the locknut and tighten maintaining straight in line. Then adjust for COAL and load the boolits. Then back off the bullet seater and remove the horseshoe washer and lock the die down and do the "crimp" removing the belling only. Does that sound about right? Thanks for your response.

[tazman]

Seating and crimping in separate steps is the best way to do it. I use a Lee FCD to do the final crimp so I don't need to keep adjusting the seating die. You could also use a taper crimp die instead as a final crimp die and never need to adjust your seating die except for changing boolit profiles.
I am using a Lee Classic Cast turret press with a four hole turret so I have room for all the dies at once. It sounds like you are using a single stage press.

[OldBearHair]

An old LYMAN purchased in a pawn shop in Harlingen Texas circa 1960s I think it was $15.00 and still going strong. I do seat and crimp in separate steps. Run them through seating and run them through again with the horse shoe (it hangs on a string on the back of the press) washer removed. Yeah Tazman if I could have used foresight back then as good as we can use hindsight, I would have had a lot different set up now plus a lot of other good stuff, Huh. LOL

[tazman]

The turret I have works faster but it doesn't work better. Your ammunition will be at least as good as mine. Your system will work fine.

[Binky]

With pistol cart. that roll crimp, I roll crimp with the die set and call it good. For 45 acp, 10s, 40s & 9s I use the seating die and then followup with a separate TC die. Works for me. If you turn out good, accurate rounds, with whatever process you use. Then you are doing it right!