whiterabbit88

Im new to the forum, so be easy on me :wink: And I'm also fairly new to reloading. And I'm especially new to cast bullets. I'm trying to reload some .45acp with the Laser Cast 200grn. When I'm done with the seating/crimping step there (to me) seem to be an excessive amount of bullet lube pressed out of the case all over the nose of the bullet. Does anyone have any suggestions how to stop/slow this down? If not is there any special techneek to removing the lube from the nose? The dies I have (RCBS) seat and crimp in one step. Am I maybe trying to crimp to deep? I am going to try to bell the case a bit more the next time around to see if that helps, but like I said I'm pretty new to all this. Thanx in advance for any suggestions

solvability

Are you shaving any lead when you seat the bullet? Generally I do not worry about wax lube on the nose - is it interfering with chambering? I think you could use mineral spirits and a cloth rag to clean them, but I do not.

whiterabbit88

UPDATE: last night I loaded 250+ rounds with a little more bell on the mouth of the case, this made a BIG difference.

Solvability: no, I dont think I am shaving any lead. Yes, 1 out of 150 rounds did not chamber because of lube build up. This build up was on the case however.

Another Question: How do I measure the proper taper crimp on the case mouth??

Thanx

N-Frame Guy

a proper bell on the case mouth will reduce the problem. Taper crimp should ALWAYS be applied in a seperate step from seating.

AZ Pete

You really don't need to separate the taper crimp from bullet seating. It does make things easier, but handloaders have been sucessful with the combination crimp/seating die for a long time.

Since the .45ACP head spaces on the case mouth. The proper amount of taper crimp is essential. Too little and the bullet may not be secure in the case, and be pushed further into the case during chambering...which will lead to increased pressure and perhaps a failure to feed. Too much taper crimp (with cast lead bullets) and you can swage the bullet (squeeze some lead forward, and burry the case mouth in the bullet), so that the lead prevents or interferes with the case mouth making contact with the end of the chamber, resulting in a failure to completely chamber.

So, when you adjust your taper crimp, start with little visible crimp, and work from there. I find it best to adjust so that the finished ctg. seats into a case gage. Wilson case gages are not expensive and are invaluble for checking your handloads for proper finished dimensions. You can get case gages from Dilon Precision, Midway, Midsouth etc.

N-Frame Guy

Depending on the bullet design and seating depth, taper crimping can be ok or can cause big headaches. As the bullet is still being progressively pressed deeper in the case as the crimp is applied, you can end up with bullet material (lead) displaced in front of the case mouth. This will cause chambering problems.
You can generally roll crimp a revolver case in the same step as bullet seating because there is a crimp groove that prevents the mouth from shaving the lead.