problems with my loads

[Sonoma2k2]

hey guys i am having problems with my 38spl loads. I got a lee TL358158 mold swc. the bullets turned out fine. I cant not for the life of me figure out what i'm doing wrong.

I adjust to the die to seat the boolit to proper depth.check.
trying to adjust the crimp "what in gods name goes wrong here i got no clue"

the empty shells slide in the cylinder nice and smooth. A loaded shell is like "nope i aint going in" The case doesn't appear to be bulged. It gets real tough down towards around 1/4 of the case let to slide in. I have became extremely frustrated as i want to shoot my gp100 more and more. Is it the crimp holding me back? anyone got a picture of their load i could possibly see? thanks for the time and suggestions.:veryconfu

[44man]

hey guys i am having problems with my 38spl loads. I got a lee TL358158 mold swc. the bullets turned out fine. I cant not for the life of me figure out what i'm doing wrong.

I adjust to the die to seat the boolit to proper depth.check.
trying to adjust the crimp "what in gods name goes wrong here i got no clue"

the empty shells slide in the cylinder nice and smooth. A loaded shell is like "nope i aint going in" The case doesn't appear to be bulged. It gets real tough down towards around 1/4 of the case let to slide in. I have became extremely frustrated as i want to shoot my gp100 more and more. Is it the crimp holding me back? anyone got a picture of their load i could possibly see? thanks for the time and suggestions.:veryconfu
Only two things to do that. The crimp is too much and you ARE bulging the brass below the crimp or the boolit is too large and is expanding the brass when you seat.
You really need barrel and throat measurements to fit the boolit diameter.

[theperfessor]

Maybe you're overcrimping a little. Too much (roll) crimp can cause the neck right behind the roll to swell a few thousandths. If a chamber is tapered a little the small end will be at the neck area, and of course that is where most of the firing residue will accumulate. Combine these and you will end up with cartridges that won't go in all the way.

Maybe make up a dummy round w/less or no crimp and see if it will go in. Or better yet mike your cases and see where they're fat.

If your not sizing your bullets that may also be part of problems.

[theperfessor]

44Man -

I was typing mine, didn't see yours. Great minds....

[fryboy]

ummm assuming that the cylinder is clean... it's as above ,the boolit/case combo is too fat/long or ur over crimping them ,have u mic'd the boolits ? some molds throw fat ( alloy can also have an effect on size) one extremely likely thought is i fur crimping when ur seating , some times it works ok and some times it doesnt and the amount doesnt have to be able to be seen but measurements should catch it if it's there

[Sonoma2k2]

thanks for the input gentlmen. My friend said that i seem to be over crimping. the boolits are sized to .358. I am so use to loading 9mm with a taper crimp is my problem i guess. live and learn.

[mroliver77]

It is also possible that the bullet is hitting the "throat". Some loads require the boolit to enter the throat when chambered. If boolit is too large in diameter this will stick them also.
J

[JIMinPHX]

I was thinking along the same lines as mroliver77. Try dropping one of your sized boolets through the cylinder throat. If it gets stuck & you can't push it through there easily, then you may need to seat to a shorter depth & reduce your powder charge or else size to a smaller diameter. When sizing for a revolver, the dimension of the cylinder throats is just as important to consider as the barrel dimensions.

[DIRT Farmer]

When I was shooting bowling pins I went to taper crimp in 38 spl and never looked back. I know that roll crimp is for revolvers but I never had a boolit move that I saw and I dumped several in my hand. The ability to get the loads to drop from a speed loader was the main reason for going to taper crimp.

[JIMinPHX]

The only time that I've personally seen the NEED for a strong roll crimp on a revolver round was when shooting fairly warm .44 mags out of a snubby. Without a strong roll crimp, the boolits would pull out under recoil so far that they would jam the cylinder.

[lwknight]

It is also possible that the bullet is hitting the "throat". Some loads require the boolit to enter the throat when chambered. If boolit is too large in diameter this will stick them also.
J
38 spl.s in a gp-100. Not a chance.

[Blammer]

try it with no crimp

[Echo]

Actually, last 1/4" sounds like un-sized, or insufficiently-sized base of the case. Were the brass used for HOT loads before you reloaded them? Sometime .38 brass will expand just in front of the rim, if fired in roomy chambers, with really hot loads.

[lwknight]

The OP said "
the empty shells slide in the cylinder nice and smooth. A loaded shell is like "nope i aint going in" The case doesn't appear to be bulged. "

How can partially sizing brass make it not chamber when it was chambering before sizing?

[runfiverun]

like blammer suggested try one with out the crimp.
if it goes, seat and crimp in separate steps.
remember case lengths do vary and the bulge could be one slightly longer.

[Ed Barrett]

The OP said " "

How can partially sizing brass make it not chamber when it was chambering before sizing?

Remember it may not be going in the same chamber it came out of, I've owned several revolvers that had a lot of difference between chambers. make sure to check all the chambers

[Changeling]

If you slug the barrel and throat and measure the slugs with a quality instrument you will get measurements that will let people give you the correct answers rather than guess. You will need to do this anyway if you want to find the ideal measurement to size your bullets to.

[HORNET]

I've also encountered something similar with a .357 Blackhawk using Military .38 brass. Any boolit diameter over .355 wouldn't chamber all the way in the Blackhawk but would in a Security Six. The brass got traded off, the problem went away. Tight chambers, fat boolits, thick brass- not a good match in that firearm.

[watkibe]

I hated it when I used to have this problem. I have the same mold, by the way. My solution ?
I size all bullets, even tumble lubes which Lee says don't need it.
After the bullet is seated but not crimped, I run the cartridge through a Lee carbide factory crimp die; this die not only crimps, it "post-sizes" the case to minimum dimensions so it will absolutely chamber.

[azcruiser]

think of crimping a case like you were to squeeze a balloon with your hand it bulges above and below the squeeze. If the crimp is to far down the case it won't go in the cylinder if its to far up it doesn't close the expanded case and won't fit in the cylinder . Sounds to me like its to far down or is crimped to much.First take a sized case see if it fits if yes then seat a bullet see if it fits if not turn down the crimp die till you feel resistance try again if it doesn't fit turn down die 1/2 turn try again till it fits, Lock die lock ring and you should be set . PS I load and can't type

[Rockydog]

Sounds to me like your die is out of adjustment. If you have it screwed down too far you get a heavy crimp but what also happens is that the bullet is not yet fully seated before the crimp starts to bite into it. As you continue with the downward force on the bullet the length has to go somewhere. The top of the case is confined by the walls of the die leaving the only place for the brass to bulge down near the base where the case wall and base meet.

There are two solutions. Back your die out a bit at a time and screw your seater in a bit at a time. At some point you'll reach a point where you get a lighter crimp and the bullet will be seated where you want it. OR Back your die out a full turn or more, adjust the seater to put bullets exactly where you want them, seat all your bullets, back the seater stem out to where it will no longer touch the bullets, adjust the die downward to get the exact crimp desired and crimp all your loads. This second process is a bit tedious with a single stage loader, guys with a progressive may seat in one station and crimp in another, but it's the one I use for all of my hunting and PD loads. It also allows me to get the heavy crimps I need for .357 loads without experiencing what you've been seeing with your .38s. Been there, done that, got the T-shirt and feel your frustration. RD

[BOOM BOOM]

HI,
See if boolits will push through the cylinder mouth.

[casterofboolits]

Two things gome to mind that will cause the condition you are experiencing.

First, to achieve a uniform roll crimp, the cases must be of uniform length. Trimming is a must.

Second, seat and roll crimp in seperate operations. It adds a bit more time to overall loading time, but pays off in much more uniform ammo. :Fire:

[Sonoma2k2]

Got my problems fixed. I admit it came to lack of experience. I was trying to adjust crimp and depth at the same time. The loads go in nice and smooth now. I thank all you guys for your help. This is the best site for sure.