Lee Carbide FCD alternative to knocking out the ring

[prs]

Maybe I am a genious, but nobody else seems to be telling me such:oops: But I have not noticed this alternative to knocking out the sizing ring in the CFCD before, then again, maybe I am blind (even my eye doc tells me that).

I have reloading/hand loading since 1976, but only been loading 40 S&W for a short time on a progressive reloading machine. I use my own cast lead boolits exclusively and I prefer to seat at one station and crimp on the next. But, as others have found on this cartridge and other cartridges with lead pills, the Lee Carbide Factory Crimp Die (CFCD) can and often does size the seated lead bullet as it crimps, then the brass that was previously very tightly stretched over the boolits rebounds a bit leaving that previously very nice retention grip greatly compromised. That retention or case to boolits grip is very important to efficient powder ignition and burn and thus consistency of performance of the round.

So, I noticed some of our members mentioning having knocked the carbide sizing ring out of their CFCD so that they can just use it to crimp without the post sizing. That is OK if you don't mind sacrificing the ring and if you never intend to rum copper condom pills. But this morning that little light bulb came on over my head. Why not use the body of a 45 Colt Lee CFCD with the crimp insert for the 40 S&W? The 45 Cold sizing ring will not come even close to sizing the brass or boolit and the crimp insets are the same exterior diameter. So that is just what I did and it workded perfectly.

I imagine, but have not yet verified the same concept will work with .357/.38 and other straight walled cartridges.

prs

[Catshooter]

prs,

You are a genious! That's a good idea.


Cat

[RobS]

A person can also use the powder through die as an alternative if they dont' have another die set around. The powder through dies are probably the cheapest of all the Lee dies.

[odfairfaxsub]

just buy the daggon 3 die set and just use the bullet seat die and run it down until you get what you need because that die will never size too much guarenteed as long as you pay attention.

[geargnasher]

The seater die in my Lee 4-die carbide set is lousy for crimping. It doesn't really have a crimp restriction, but just some sort of place where they stopped boring the hole. In fact, it won't crimp at all with J-words, only the oversized cast, and barely enough to remove the bellmouth at that. Someone mentioned the PTE die with the FCD insert for factory crimping without the sizing problem of the ring, I never tried it since I already neutered my FCD, but did compare the die bodies and they seem to be the same where the crimp insert or expander plug goes. Lee sells the PTE dies separately for most of their pistol calibers, and they're cheaper than the FCD, so that would be the best route.

Gear

[prs]

Thanks for the idea of using the powder through expansion die body, that takes care of the problem when I don't have a larger caliber die handy. Maybe we are all smart fellows or something like that....

prs

[mdi]

Not .40 S&W, but 45 ACP; I just tossed the FCD and use an RCBS taper crimp die. I've not had any chambering probs. with my cast RN .451" bullets in my 1911 or Ruger P90...