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Thread: what am I doing wrong?

  1. #1
    Boolit Mold
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    what am I doing wrong?

    for the life of me, I cant load for shotgun, balloon necks every time. what am I doing wrong?

  2. #2
    Boolit Master

    Hamish's Avatar
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    1. Pictures
    2. Components description
    3. Equipment used
    4. Detailed, step by step description of what you're doing.

    No one can help you unless you can show and describe the problem and how you got there.
    More "This is what happened when I,,,,," and less "What would happen if I,,,,"

    Last of the original Group Buy Honcho's.

    "Dueling should have never been made illegal in this country. It settled lots of issues between folks."- Char-Gar

  3. #3
    Boolit Mold
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    Nov 2017
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    how about an example?
    just this morning
    lyman shotshell handbook, 5th edition, page 142
    federal gold medal plastic 12 gauge 2-3/4 inch
    1-1/2 ounce shot
    26 gr 800x
    WAA12R
    zero wad pressure
    shot sits a full 1/8 inch too low, the crimp just caves in
    https://imgur.com/a/SsqLoKO

    I used a pacific dl-110 but a MEC grabber has the same effect

  4. #4
    Boolit Master

    Hamish's Avatar
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    Without messing with the equipment there are several things you can do. Add shot/ decrease powder until your crimp flattens out. ( Watch your reloading data. ) Add undershot cards. Add a few pieces of puffed wheat on top of the shot. Add a cheerio under the shot. ive not read of it being used but, a few grains of rice would likely be very good.

    It looks to me like your crimp is not set deep enough. If the crimp around the inside edge were deeper, it would flatten out the dishing in the center. If you are happy with the depth, personally I would play with either an undershot/overshot card of cardboard or one of the other things above.

    Next most obvious choice would be an 1/8" taller wad if you have one.
    Last edited by Hamish; 02-24-2020 at 02:52 PM.
    More "This is what happened when I,,,,," and less "What would happen if I,,,,"

    Last of the original Group Buy Honcho's.

    "Dueling should have never been made illegal in this country. It settled lots of issues between folks."- Char-Gar

  5. #5
    Boolit Buddy
    Join Date
    Mar 2005
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    381
    You say this happens every time. Adding fillers or using overshot cards may help but I find them tedious. Find the easy permanent solution.
    First: I'd double check weight of powder and shot. If correct then check alternative wad possibilities.
    Second: I'd check pre crimp die - set so a pencil will not enter the shell opening. If good then
    Third: I would lower the crimp die bit by bit. May have to adjust for different length shells.
    If it were easy my wife would reload for us more often.
    Just because change doesn't make a difference doesn't mean that change is bad.

  6. #6
    Boolit Mold
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    I'll give it a try

  7. #7
    Boolit Grand Master


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    I've never seen a 6 point crimp on a Gold medal hull. If you are using a Federal hunting hull, they have a lot more capacity.

  8. #8
    Boolit Mold
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    you know it would be nice if they just labeled the darn things
    Lyman's doesn't show anything close except gold medal

  9. #9
    Boolit Master


    Walks's Avatar
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    Too much wad pressure
    I HATE auto-correct

    Happiness is a Warm GUN & more ammo to shoot in it.

    My Experience and My Opinion, are just that, Mine.

    SASS #375 Life

  10. #10
    Boolit Mold
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    Nov 2017
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    nothing I can do about that unless I can turn off gravity

  11. #11
    Boolit Mold
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    I got out the grabber press and got the crimp die adjusted, they crimp fine now. that just leaves the question, what are they?

  12. #12
    Boolit Grand Master


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    Cut the hull off flush with the metal head and post a picture. More than likely you have a hunting hull often listed as the .090" basewad hull.

    If it was a gold medal, it would be obvious. They are stamped.

  13. #13
    Boolit Mold
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    https://imgur.com/a/DTAc9Un
    one on the left *is* a gold medal
    the right one is the type in question

  14. #14
    Boolit Grand Master


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    Well that certainly does look like a gold medal basewad.

    Have you weighed your shot and powder, not just what the charge bar says?

    If everything is correct, then the only option is a spacer. They don't have to be difficult. I would say the best way would be a 20 gauge 1/8" felt wad in the bottom of the shot cup. A very simple trick a lot of guys use is to throw a cheerio on top of the shot. That often gives you just enough to crimp.

  15. #15
    Boolit Mold
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    there is another option though
    "I got out the grabber press and got the crimp die adjusted, they crimp fine now"

  16. #16
    Boolit Grand Master


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    How deep did you have to crimp? To take up 1/8" of gap with the crimp could cause problems.

  17. #17
    Boolit Mold
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    https://imgur.com/FyFEpZK
    looks... like a reload
    the ones I was doing before weren't going to the center.

  18. #18
    Boolit Grand Master


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    You were definitely missing space in that first picture. I guess another possibility was that at first you were crimping too far, and causing the wad legs to buckle. Winchester wads do buckle easy.

    Whatever you did, that picture in post #17 looks good. Nothing wrong with that.

  19. #19
    Boolit Mold
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    I'll make a small run and give these a try, if they work, I've got a fair few. if not, I'm only out a couple bucks in shot and powder

  20. #20
    In Remembrance bikerbeans's Avatar
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    Fold crimp problems are why I roll crimp every shotshell. Of course I ain't loading 20k trap loads a year.

    BB

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check