Bulge buster: before or after loading?

[Boolseye]

Hey folks,
I am new to the bulge buster but I find that I’m needing it in 45 ACP and possibly other calibers. I wish to know whether you in the community run your cases through after loading as complete cartridges, after sizing and before loading, or before sizing.
-BE


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[Sig556r]

after sizing before priming

[merlin101]

Before and after, I've had some cartridges that the bullet wasn't centered properly and have a slight bulge, no prob just run it thru the BB and there ya go! All fixed and ready to go, keep in mind this is just plinking/range/blasting ammo if it was for any other purpose I'd fix it properly.

[onelight]

Just the factory crimp die (not the collet version) will often for auto pistols make them work if the problem is not in the bottom 1/4 of the case.

[Zingger]

Just the factory crimp die (not the collet version) will often for auto pistols make them work if the problem is not in the bottom 1/4 of the case.

What he said!!!:goodpost:

[RED BEAR]

I don't use them so excuse my ignorance. Doesn't running them through after loading size down your bullet.

[gwpercle]

I don't use them so excuse my ignorance. Doesn't running them through after loading size down your bullet.

They sure do !
Bust the bulge before reloading the case is the proper way...after loading is just a quickie fix ..
and not a proper one .

[onelight]

I don't use them so excuse my ignorance. Doesn't running them through after loading size down your bullet.
It depends on the size of the bullet for autos
I have 2 sets for revolvers 357 and 44 you can push a sized case in by hand and remove it and you can’t feel it touch the case where the bullet is for up to 359 or 431 the largest I have tried the reports of it sizing bullets at least close to standard size are exaggerated at least in my 2 samples.

[Boolseye]

I do think about the swaging effects (same as using the fcd). I’m going to continue experimenting to find what works for me.


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[gnostic]

I'd be wary of a case that my normal size die wouldn't size to spec. A case with a large bulge wouldn't be a candidate for a top notch handload. Over the summer, I picked up from the ground, a five gallon bucket of 45 cal and 9mm brass at no cost. Why bother with brass that may not even be safe to load?

[onelight]

I'd be wary of a case that my normal size die wouldn't size to spec. A case with a large bulge wouldn't be a candidate for a top notch handload. Over the summer, I picked up from the ground, a five gallon bucket of 45 cal and 9mm brass at no cost. Why bother with brass that may not even be safe to load?
:goodpost:

[mdi]

I don't use them so excuse my ignorance. Doesn't running them through after loading size down your bullet.

Yep, which, besides unnecessary, is the major complaint of FCDs for handgun cartridges...

My thinking; a bulge buster is for swaging/repairing a case, so I'll do the repairs before I load the case. When I reload, I start off with good components so have no need to correct a problem after I assemble the components...

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

Bulge buster: before or after loading?
I do think about the swaging effects (same as using the fcd). I’m going to continue experimenting to find what works for me.

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The Lee Bulge Buster is the Lee Carbide FCD with a couple extra parts.
I use the Lee Bulge Buster on all the 40S&W range brass I acquire (before any other case prep), as it is an unknown if they were fired from a gun without a fully supported chamber, if I find one that is extremely difficult to push through, it likely had a large bulge and I'll reject those. 45auto is a lower pressure round and is much less likely to have that issue, so I don't take the time to bulge bust those.

[M-Tecs]

Never used one so no comment on them. This is from Lee .

"About this item
Description
Lee Bulge Buster Kit and appropriate Lee Factory Crimp assures your mixed brass is bulge free. This push through die adapter will quickly remove the annoying bulge rings that shell holder constrained dies simply can't reach. The Bulge Buster Kit includes: extension sleeve, push through punch, catch container and complete instructions. Works with these rimless cases: 380 ACP, 10mm, 40 S&W, 41 AE, 45 ACP, 45 GAP, and 45 Win Mag. NOTE: 9mm cases are not able to be used in the Bulge Buster because it has a slightly tapered case and the rim is not completely flush with the case. Glock Cases: We do not recommend "fixing" cases fired in pistols with unsupported chambers, because there is no way to make them safe once they have bulged. The case wall is thinned where it bulges, and resizing the outside of the case back down to the correct diameter does not restore the case back to its original thickness. If this case is fired in a pistol with an unsupported chamber again, and this thinned section of brass happens to line up with the unsupported part of the chamber, there is a high probability that the case will rupture.

Features & details
Assures your mixed brass is bulge free
Works with these rimless cases: 380 ACP, 10mm, 40 S&W, 41 AE, 45 ACP, 45 GAP, and 45 Win Mag. NOTE: 9mm cases are not able to be used in the Bulge Buster because it has a slightly tapered case and the rim is not completely flush with the case"

[Boolseye]

That was what I was wondering. Bulge busting before any other stage sounds much more appealing than interrupting the process with it.


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[onelight]

I like the factory crimp (not the collet) in auto pistol rounds because it deals well with different length cases and thus eliminates having to sort by length to get an acceptable crimp and a side benefit is they chamber and fire in all my guns chambered for that round even the tight cylinders on Ruger convertibles if I see a case with an obvious bulge after sizing I pitch them. Different strokes we get to make the choice.

[tomme boy]

I questioned Lee about the safety of the bulge buster when they first came out. At first they told me it was not a problem with the 40 cal brass. About a month later this above warning was issued on the site. Seems they do listen a little.

[fast ronnie]

No .40 Smith gets loaded here without going through the bulge buster. I first decap, then tumble with pins, regular size die, then use the bulge buster before loading.

I've not had a problem with .45's, though.

[stubshaft]

+1 although I run them through the bulge buster before doing anything including tumbling.

[noylj]

After cleaning and before sizing.
If you bulge bust a loaded round, you can swage down a lead bullet (just as you can by using a Lee FCD for its intended purpose). The carbide ring on the FCD is designed to bring the case dimensions to below the minimum chamber dimensions. The sizing die takes the case down below the maximum case dimensions (and sometimes even below the minimum case dimensions).

[onelight]

After cleaning and before sizing.
If you bulge bust a loaded round, you can swage down a lead bullet (just as you can by using a Lee FCD for its intended purpose). The carbide ring on the FCD is designed to bring the case dimensions to below the minimum chamber dimensions. The sizing die takes the case down below the maximum case dimensions (and sometimes even below the minimum case dimensions).
:goodpost:
Exactly , when I compare OD on the case my handloads 401 cast loaded with FCD (not collet) to Winchester 180 they are within .0005 OD the factory dimensions are duplicated.
The revolver FCD dies I have are more generous and do not even touch the case at the bullet on what I load .357-359 or 429-431 you would need to check the results if you don’t want factory size loads if you do they work.

[Boolseye]

Excellent discussion, thanks all.


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[Bayou52]

1. Decap,

2. Wet tumble or wash,

3. Size,

4. Bulge bust,

5. Flare,

6. Prime,

7. Charge and bullet,

8. Check loaded round in headspace gauge,

9. Shoot, collect brass and repeat.

Bayou52

[LabGuy]

1. Decap,

2. Wet tumble or wash,

3. Size,

4. Bulge bust,

5. Flare,

6. Prime,

7. Charge and bullet,

8. Check loaded round in headspace gauge,

9. Shoot, collect brass and repeat.

Bayou52

Interesting, I de-prime, wet tumble, bulge bust, then size...

[rockshooter]

after sizing and before belling
Loren

[David2011]

I use a different tool to accomplish the same thing. It may not be completely relevant since it’s for .40. I’ve never had any .45 ACP range brass that was bulged from firing. All .40 range brass gets run through my Case Master Jr. before I will use it. With some case and boolit combinations I can see where the boolit has bulged the brass after loading but it still chambers easily with the exception of wadcutters in military .38 Special cases. Those cases start getting thicker at the cannelure. Trying to get them down to the nominal OD would swage the boolits way undersized.

Edit: Forgot to answer the original question. I run the cases through the Case Master Jr. before anything else other than a light cleaning. IME .45 ACP cases last almost forever. I’ve shot tens of thousands of .40 cases, all previously fired when I got them. Many had Glock bulges. All .40 cases split eventually, usually after 7-10 reloads at USPSA pressure levels. That’s about 100 FPS lighter than factory loads. Not one ever split in the area of the Glock bulge. For me they literally always split lengthwise between the web and mouth. The mouth itself almost never splits. Nothing bad happens when they do split.

[Walks]

I bought the Redding GR-X Carbide Sizing die for .40S&W when it first came out.
Before the Lee bulge buster conversion to work with their FCD came out. It solved the problem with cases fired in a Glock with a factory bbl.

Since then I've replaced all factory bbls with aftermarket bbls that give more support to the rear of the case.

I did buy the Lee FCD in 9mm Makarov and the bulge buster. Lee USED to recommend it for bulge busting the 9mmLuger. Lee no longer offers the 9mmMakarov FCD.

And since My 9mm Glock bbl is the aftermarket conversion for My .40 Cal Glock, I've never had a problem with the Glock smile in the 9mmLuger. So I've never used it.

I did buy the .45ACP FCD & tried Sizing .45ACP with it. It did seem to work almost as well as the Redding set up.
And as with the .40 & 9mm, the after market bbl solved the Glock smile.

The way I used to do it was;

Tumble in untreated corncob
Inspect & sort cases
Size & decap
Bulge bust
Sonic Clean & dry
Hand prime cases
Then load on Hornady L-N-L Progressive
using Lyman M-die, Hornady Powder drop,
Hornady bullet seating die, RCBS Taper Crimp.

Never put any cases into a size die without cleaning them first.
Never understood the concept of decapping cases, then cleaning them, then running through the Size/Decap die. Wasted effort, just an extra step.

I find a sonic cleaner removes all traces of lubricate and leaves them Really Shiny.

[DocSavage]

My range used to let the Coast Guard for qualifying with handgun,rifle and shotgun they left their empty cases in buckets. The 9 mm brass had a bulge from the M9/92fs chamber I used a 30 Mauser steel full length size die to remove the bulge. The die reduced the bulge and the head dia was a couple of thousandth smaller but the cases all functioned fine. I don't use a bulge buster on my 40 S&W or 10 mm one pistol has a fully supported chamber Ruger 10 mm and the other is an older is a S&W 610.

[Lloyd Smale]

I usually run 500 at a time through the bulge buster then load them on the progressive press. If I was using a single stage (GOD FORBID) id size them first with a carbide sizing die. It would just make them that much easier to run through the bulge buster. My take on lee factory crimp dies. I like them if used properly. Just enough to put a light crimp on a bullet. If your ammo needs to go through one to run in your gun your doing something wrong or theres something wrong with your gun. That much sizing after a bullet is seat is just turning your 452 bullet into a 449. As to being safe a bulge buster doesn't put metal back where it no longer is but if your worried about the brass being thin, every time you shoot your gun your brass is getting thinner. Most of us toss it either when its splits or the primer pockets are so sloppy a prime wont stay in. Ive size obviously bulged lots of once fired brass in a bulge buster and it was happily working still 10 reloads later.

[Steve E]

The only BB I have is in .40/10mm and I use it for 40 S&W & 10mm range pickup brass or when I buy once fired brass and I clean cases and use the BB die at the first stage in the press.

Steve..........

[JeepHammer]

I'll go with after cleaning and before sizing.
The case might not wind up sized correctly if pushing the bulge out deforms the case.

The orifice die is going to push the bulge up or down, depending on which way you run the brass through.(probably should be head first so the bulge gets pushed towards the mouth)
Pushing that bulge out after sizing will sometimes screw up the sizing, the brass has to go somewhere...

While I'm not a huge fan of orifice dies (bulge busters) it's MUCH cheaper than a case roller.
The Case Pro 100 does a nearly perfect job, but it starts about $1,200 and you can toss a LOT of brass that doesn't size correctly for $1,200!

Speed gunners live & die by the clock, so many use a Case Pro (including me), if the case is cracked it 'Chirps' like a cricket, and NOT getting cracked cases is worth something (don't know it's $1,200 worth).
Machine gunners like them too, no failure to chamber issues.

'Joe Average' will have good results with an orifice die, just a little lube goes a long way, and the results are very passable, and it's not $1,200+ out of the budget.
I always found the brass easier to resize, and got more consistent results when I did the bulge first, then sized.

[onelight]

Well JeepHammer sounds like you have the background to know. :smile:Thanks for the post.
I don’t need them bad enough to salvage them so if I can see a bulge after sizing I pitch um. I seem to find as many bulged 9s as I do 40s

[JeepHammer]

I do quite a bit of milbrass, and civilian brass for clubs.
Milbrass is always fired through sloppy chambers, so it's always bloated if not bulged, and what I do has to fit in any chamber of a specific caliber... That means SAAMI specification instead of 'Plunk' test since I have no idea what chamber in specific it's going into after loading.

The die plate roller gives me a restored extraction rim & groove, the lower case bloating/bulges are removed and the lower case is returned as close to SAAMI as you can get.
When the lower case bloat is removed (pushed up) any top down common die can form the top end of the case...

Pushing the stretched brass up allows you to trim it off (if necessary) while pushing it down can fracture the case at the head/floor and causes intrusion into the extraction groove in extreme cases.

For $1,200+ for a Case Pro or expense of another case roller, you can scrap a LOT of questionable brass, so the cost/benefit it's there for small volume shooters.
When I'm doing 10,000 or 15,000 a day, a case roller makes sense, load the bin and let the machine run.
When you are doing 100 in a batch, the orifice die makes sense, simply because at 100 a batch you can inspect each & every case by 'Eyeball Mk I' and be correct.

Around 5,000 cases you will go blind, around 10,000 cases you will get an overpowering urge to shoot yourself in the head with a nail gun! :(
Want to keep your sanity, go electro-mechanical in high volume, there is economy in volume and you might actually make a few bucks if the machines are fast enough...

A hundred in a batch (loading block) I find relaxing. That's the way I started and I still enjoy it.

[onelight]

15000 cases would make a big pile.
I feel like I’m rich when I look my 15”x20”x 8” plastic box full of prepped cases.
When I started loading I used the same 100 45 colt cases for 2 years.

[JeepHammer]

200,000 to 250,000 cases in a bulk bin.
More if it's pistol brass.

https://i1298.photobucket.com/albums/ag58/JeepHammer1/IMG_0994_zpsmed3vvnx.jpg?width=480&height=480&crop=1:1,smart

On the left roller cart,
Case/neck qualifier. Mangled cases, necks less than 95% open, steel cases rejected.
Left on bench (middle) is the case roller that restores rim, groove, takes the bloat out of the lower half of the case.
Right is deprime, swage, cursory size/trim, then final sizing dies.
Case falls out as close to SAAMI as you can get.

What's not shown is the annealing machine between case roll & sizing/trimming.
I won't shoot crap, so I won't sell crap.

https://i1298.photobucket.com/albums/ag58/JeepHammer1/IMG_1189_zpsab6tn3fn.jpg?width=480&height=480&crop=1:1,smart

Not a lot need to go this route, it's most certainly not for small volume, but it does OK when compared to a $50,000 Camdex machine that doesn't take lower case bloat out.

Everyone's process will be different depending on volume & equipment.
What works best for me is a screen on the mouth of the mixer (not shown),
10 to 15 gallons of brass, soap & water,
Steel pins/chips if heavily tarnished or muddy,
Drain water/pins/chips through screen,
Throw walnut shell right on the DAMP brass, both polishes & dries it out,
The screen out the Walnut, dump brass in buckets for processing.

Case qualifier will do about 3,000/hr, although I don't run the case roller or press past about 1,500/hr
The press/dies just last so much longer.

Case qualifier, the tumble the buckets with lube sponges, keeps the lube out of the case bodies.
I can re-lube in buckets at any time, depending if they go through annealing or not which bakes the lube dry.

I'm sure it's not perfect, but working on the process has sure cut a lot of time & lifting for me...

[onelight]

You probably load more in a week than I have in my 50 years of loading.:holysheep:

[JeepHammer]

I only load my own ammo, I just recondition cases for sale or clubs that load their own.
Clean, Qualify, take the bloat out, anneal, size/trim if that's what the customer wants.
Too little profit and too much liability in loaded ammo, not to mention government red tape.

Exactly zero liability or red tape in cases.
*YOU* prime the case, *YOU* load the case, *YOU* seat the bullet, it's entirely *YOURS* in the liability department.

[Boolseye]

Cool. Looks like you found a niche. I've tried making money casting, gunsmithing etc. but I end up just loading for friends and rolling my own, primarily.

[sparkyv]

I ALWAYS check loaded rounds in a cartridge gauge (don't ask me why) and so there's no point in bulge busting for me until after I've loaded up and gauged my rounds. Any loaded rounds that don't cleanly plunk get bulge busted.

[onelight]

Boolseye just curious about your 45s I have not run across 45s that are budged , my chambering problems 45 acp range brass comes from short cases that do not get enough crimp to fully remove the bell ,(I am not going to trim them all the same length) which is the primary reason I use the FCD I can set it so they all work in all my guns my WW white box loads :bigsmyl2:

[JeepHammer]

I ALWAYS check loaded rounds in a cartridge gauge (don't ask me why) and so there's no point in bulge busting for me until after I've loaded up and gauged my rounds. Any loaded rounds that don't cleanly plunk get bulge busted.

If it works for you best, then that's the way for you to do it.

I take bulge, 'Smile', bloating out as a prophylactic measure.
Going through the dies doesn't hurt non-bulged cases while automatically removing the bulge from ones that have bulge.

*IF* I had to do every case by hand, I'd reconsider... Depending on volume the time consumption might be way too much...

Every loaded round I produce is gauged. Period.
If it fits a SAAMI gauge, it fits the chamber, no questions asked.
If there is a failure to feed, it's NOT the ammo that way,and for those of us that sometimes race the clock, that's a HUGE deal...


Boolseye just curious about your 45s I have not run across 45s that are budged , my chambering problems 45 acp range brass comes from short cases that do not get enough crimp to fully remove the bell ,(I am not going to trim them all the same length) which is the primary reason I use the FCD I can set it so they all work in all my guns my WW white box loads :bigsmyl2:

With .45 ACP it's usually someone that got WAY too aggressive with a Dremel tool on the feed ramp to get 'Smiles' or bulges in cases.

I've made that mistake myself in my younger years...

As for crimping, have you tried reducing the size of the case body expander?
Reducing the mouth flair/bell a little so more of the non-flaired case can grip the bullet?
This allows the case to get more tension/grip on the bullet and often reduces or eliminates the need for crimp.

The taper 'Crimp' *Should* leave a nice, square edge on the mouth of the brass so it headspaces correctly in the chamber.

Since you aren't overworking the brass, it often lives much longer...

[Outpost75]

I'd be wary of a case that my normal size die wouldn't size to spec. A case with a large bulge wouldn't be a candidate for a top notch handload. Over the summer, I picked up from the ground, a five gallon bucket of 45 cal and 9mm brass at no cost. Why bother with brass that may not even be safe to load?

^^^THIS^^^

Localized work-hardening caused by ironing out these bulges in oversized chambers which don't adequately support the case head, is likely to induce incipient cracks and is setting you up for a KABOOM!

When the fired brass looks 3-months pregnant something is WRONG!

[onelight]

As for crimping, have you tried reducing the size of the case body expander?
Reducing the mouth flair/bell a little so more of the non-flaired case can grip the bullet?
This allows the case to get more tension/grip on the bullet and often reduces or eliminates the need for crimp.

The taper 'Crimp' *Should* leave a nice, square edge on the mouth of the brass so it headspaces correctly in the chamber.

Since you aren't overworking the brass, it often lives much longer...
My bullets are a tight fit but I am sure I bell some cases more than I would back in the day when I sorted by length so the the bullet will start in the short ones if I have the factory crimp die adjusted correctly even with random mixed cases all chamber and have plenty of case mouth to headspace 0 misfires 0 leading in 9 , 40 , 45 & the occasional batch of 380 . The bullseye guys would probably cringe at my process ,, but I have a good time . I set my OAL with the barrel with the tightest throat and work up the powder charge and use the load shoot in all my guns in that caliber. They will all shoot 5 in 1 hole at 7 yards except for some of the small da only pocket guns when I do my part.
If I was loading for hunting or competition I would take more steps to get a better load for a specific gun at much longer range.
I use mainly Hi-Tec coated bullets or my cast. I use .356 , .401 & .452 I no longer have any Glocks but have other guns with the same type rifling .

[JeepHammer]

Localized work-hardening caused by ironing out these bulges in oversized chambers which don't adequately support the case head, is likely to induce incipient cracks and is setting you up for a KABOOM!

When the fired brass looks 3-months pregnant something is WRONG!

Overworking the case mouth to failure point is much more common than pushing a bulge back causes failures, if at all.
It's MUCH more common to crush the mouth down, over flair/bell, the over crush again with excessive crimp.


My bullets are a tight fit but I am sure I bell some cases more than I would back in the day when I sorted by length so the the bullet will start in the short ones if I have the factory crimp die adjusted correctly even with random mixed cases all chamber and have plenty of case mouth to headspace 0 misfires 0 leading in 9 , 40 , 45 & the occasional batch of 380 . The bullseye guys would probably cringe at my process ,, but I have a good time . I set my OAL with the barrel with the tightest throat and work up the powder charge and use the load shoot in all my guns in that caliber. They will all shoot 5 in 1 hole at 7 yards except for some of the small da only pocket guns when I do my part.
If I was loading for hunting or competition I would take more steps to get a better load for a specific gun at much longer range.
I use mainly Hi-Tec coated bullets or my cast. I use .356 , .401 & .452 I no longer have any Glocks but have other guns with the same type rifling .

I hear you!
It's what works for YOU.

I was simply making some common suggestions.
If you have already tried and it didn't work, then crimp is the way to go.
Short/light bullets don't have a lot in the case to begin with, so a smaller case doesn't have nearly the same effect as say with longer rifle necks/bullets.

[Outpost75]

[QUOTE=JeepH[/QUOTE]


But mouth splits DON'T blow up the gun OR injure the shooter!

https://www.ssusa.org/articles/2018/10/2/kaboom-the-consequences-of-a-blown-out-case/

[JeepHammer]

But mouth splits DON'T blow up the gun OR injure the shooter!

https://www.ssusa.org/articles/2018/10/2/kaboom-the-consequences-of-a-blown-out-case/

Didn't see where a bulged case caused the failure.
It did specifically say the guy loaded well beyond published limits and was trying to see what it took to blow out a case...
I guess he found out.

If I were shooting well into +P or beyond, I believe I wouldn't be using many times reloaded random brass anyway, just a disaster waiting to happen.
Can't call it an accident, since the guy loaded well beyond published tables intentionally...

[David2011]

^^^THIS^^^

Localized work-hardening caused by ironing out these bulges in oversized chambers which don't adequately support the case head, is likely to induce incipient cracks and is setting you up for a KABOOM!

When the fired brass looks 3-months pregnant something is WRONG!

As mentioned previously, I full length size range .40 S&W brass with a push-through Magma Case Master Jr. I used to shoot a lot, up to 50K rounds/year and hope to shoot much more again with my relocation to the Houston area. Haven't seen too much that looked 3 months pregnant but think I would toss it. I've shot a LOT of range brass after resizing. All .40 S&W brass cracks lengthwise eventually but every crack I've seen, even from Glock bulges, is lengthwise on the brass and that is a non-event. Absolutely nothing bad happens. One guy I know claims to load it once mode after cracking. I didn't pursue the comment to determine if he was serious but he may have been nor how he kept up with how many times he allegedly reloaded cracked brass.

The amount of .40 brass I've seen split at the mouth is tiny- counted on one hand.

Point is, I have personally never seen a circumferential crack or blowout on any pistol brass. Doesn't mean it doesn't happen; just my personal experience. I have never seen ANY problem with .45 ACP brass. I bought a big lot of once fired .45 ACP many years ago but the batch I've actively used shows no signs of wearing out other than the headstamps getting hard to read. Almost all of the .45 ACP I shoot is powder puff loads.

[David2011]

With .45 ACP it's usually someone that got WAY too aggressive with a Dremel tool on the feed ramp to get 'Smiles' or bulges in cases.



Thanks. I've been curious about the source of bulged .45 ACP. Even Glock doesn't seem to be a problem with .45s. I just break the sharp corner of the ramp/chamber and polish it glass smooth with a very tiny radius.

[JeepHammer]

Thanks. I've been curious about the source of bulged .45 ACP. Even Glock doesn't seem to be a problem with .45s. I just break the sharp corner of the ramp/chamber and polish it glass smooth with a very tiny radius.

Polish and remove material are two entirely different things.
I had to learn that the hard way in my younger days...
Being a 1911 fan, but being broke I had to do my own work, and I made mistakes.

'Breaking The Ridge' or 'Lip' doesn't mean seeing how much you can take off/radius down.
'Relieving' the chamber doesn't mean making it a funnel shaped oval.
At 18 I knew just enough to be dangerous... :(

-------------

The only pistol brass I've ever seen blown out was someone WAY over maximum charge loads.
Those times it wasn't me for a change! ;)

[Boolseye]

Boolseye just curious about your 45s I have not run across 45s that are budged , my chambering problems 45 acp range brass comes from short cases that do not get enough crimp to fully remove the bell ,(I am not going to trim them all the same length) which is the primary reason I use the FCD I can set it so they all work in all my guns my WW white box loads :bigsmyl2:

It hadn't ever happened before, but I did get a few cases that were sticking near the case head, and running them through the buster (as loaded rounds) allowed me to chamber them. In general practice I don't bother with the BB for my .45 rounds. As you say, it's generally not enough crimp that causes problems...or the occasional bulge from boolit seating. Some people seem to think that loading practices should be perfect and every chamber should always run your rounds without a hitch, but that is just not reality as I know it.

[onelight]

It hadn't ever happened before, but I did get a few cases that were sticking near the case head, and running them through the buster (as loaded rounds) allowed me to chamber them. In general practice I don't bother with the BB for my .45 rounds. As you say, it's generally not enough crimp that causes problems...or the occasional bulge from boolit seating. Some people seem to think that loading practices should be perfect and every chamber should always run your rounds without a hitch, but that is just not reality as I know it.
It's nice to have some options that make for a simple fix.