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January 24, 2009
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Well folks, I'm a perfect example of why when starting out on a new endeavor, it may be a good idea to read multiple books with many pics…instead of one book, with few pics, like I did.
Yeesh…not to mention I did one of the steps in reverse.
First I tumbled my brass (I started with a batch of brass I got from a yard sale a long time ago, that has been reloaded a LOT…wanted to screw up on that stuff first). Then, using the sizer die, that got 'em straight & punched out the old primers in one whack. So far, so good.
Then I pressed in new primers, using RCBS's cool hand primer tool…yeah, I decided later that it's a good idea to run the cases through the expander die before I punch in my new primers, just in case any crap falls into the primer hole.
Ok, so now I'm at the expander die (this should be done before the new primers, not afterward...duh). The book sez to expand the mouth just slightly, so the bullet can rest on top of the case…no mention of how far down to set the expander depth. My first case ran the expander about ¾ of the way down…wait a sec, THAT doesn't look right.
(no pics, but that thing now looked like a .50 caliber shell...sorta/kinda/oops)
Before I buggered up any more cases, I decided to switch to the seater die & see how it looked. The bullet darn near fell into it's desired OAL just by dropping it into the case. Uhhh, yeah, I doubt this is even close to being correct. Down comes the press arm with the case obviously complaining the whole way. That thing came out of there looking like a fat man in spandex leotards!!
Here's the first five tries from left to right, as I continued to back off the expander. The 2nd one was after I backed off the expander at least six full turns…and they look worse in person, too. (stop laughing) 
I continued backing off the expander, until I decided what the book meant by "just slightly"…it means just that, JUST SLIGHTLY!
I was also trying to determine how deep to set the seater die, for a good crimp…it was too deep, hence the wrinkled cases. Not one of these has a prayer of chambering into a revolver (I tried), now I need to buy a bullet puller. Yay, more tools!
I've also decided that I should get a case length trimmer, because some of these cases are a couple thousanths longer than others. I'm sure that being reloaded a whole bunch is the reason for that.
A couple hours later, I finally had an idea of what I was doing & have my first batch-o-50 reloads! Okay, so there's only 41 that are useable.
Man, am I glad I didn't start with any IHMSA head stamped cases!!
Being one of those guys who "assembles it first THEN reads the instructions", I now have a beginner's reloading book headed my way from some eGouge seller…because chances are, there's other stuff that may prove helpful.
Dans Club
May 17, 2009
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Ah, Charger you didn't mention putting in any powder………….did ya? And I resize, decap and insert the new primer on the first station (sometimes I will use the hand primer tool if I want to watch a movie but now I have a TV next to the laboratory so I don't hand prime much any more) then I expand the case neck with the new primer already inserted. Then I put in the powder (you did, right?) seat the bullet then go back and crimp last.
I read the front section of my Speer manual thoroughly before I started and I was a big help, and also the literature that came with the dies. I am a directions reader, maybe too much sometimes.
You'll need a bullet puller so you can put in some powder down the road.
I may be wrong but I don't think you'll need a case trimmer as the COAL isn't that critical with revolver ammo. I believe rifle is the most important and then auto is also.
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Range Officer
Range Officers
May 2, 2009
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I can give lots of advice, but the biggest one is if you are going to crimp cases, you HAVE to make them all the same length with the case trimmer.
SHOOT
November 14, 2009
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I've been loading 45 Colt and 44 Mag with a Dillon 550.
First Station = Resize, deprime, and prime
Second Station = Expand case mouth and drop powder
Third station = Seat Bullet
Fourth Station = crimp
I don't check length on pistol ammo. As for crimping, I really don't care if the case is .001 or .002 longer or shorter, any crimp will do for me.
Nice try, it's always fun and good to learn.
Happyness is a Hot DW and a pile of used brass!!! Rich
January 22, 2008
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jaggman said:
You'll need a bullet puller so you can put in some powder down the road.
I like that one Jaggman! 
My Dad and I bought a reloader years ago and never got around to using it before he pasted away. Then a year or so ago a guy at my club was doing the NRA Reloading Class. I attended it and I was off and running.
CF you're a brave man for sharing those pics. If you had put one of your Dan's with it I would have made sure it was the cover of the 2011 calender! 
December 12, 2009
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Welcome to RCBS Dies...LOL!!! My 444 Marlin did the same thing ( not nearly as bad )., But still could see the bullet bulging out. So I ordered a Lee sizer die, and the bulge is gone. I still use the neck expander and bullet seater RCBS dies, But never again for full length sizer. I have seen the same problem with other calibers and RCBS too. Mostly long straight walls are the worst.
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Dans Club
February 9, 2009
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I have had the best experience with redding dies to date, For what it is worth, but do own RCBS in many sizes
A man cannot have too many SuperMags
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January 24, 2009
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Jody said:
CF you're a brave man for sharing those pics. If you had put one of your Dan's with it I would have made sure it was the cover of the 2011 calender!
Nah, this is bad enough.
Jaggman, you're right, I forgot to mention powder. I used H110 in these .44's, then this evening, I tried my luck on some .357's with Unuque powder. There's quite a bit of difference between those two.
Well, after reading these replies, I guess I didn't screw up as bad as I thought at first, by expanding the cases after priming. The way the RCBS instructions lay it out, I figured that by expanding with the primers installed, I may risk breaking something loose from the inside walls of the case, that may end up in the primer. As a precaution, I tapped each case face down before dropping the powder.
I fully expect some FTF's for whatever reason & would honestly be surprised if they all went bang.
Thanks for the input, guys.
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May 2, 2009
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About 95% of my dies are RCBS and they all work FINE... I have almost every brand of die made, and a few some of you have never even heard of. There are no magic dies, it is the guy using them. Take care of your dies and they take care of you. Keep them clean on the inside and lubed--polish the inside if you are Anal like me! Brass is also a factor--some is MUCH harder than others, and doesn't size the same way. Loose chambers make for more sizing pressure--carbide is a wonderful thing .
As far as CF's bulged cases--simply a matter of having the die body screwed in to deep... Into the crimping stage too early and too deep. It takes a lot of practice/experience/luck to properly do the bullet seating and crimp on one operation. I usually seat all my bullets and then go back and crimp them all for the final stage--less aggravation and the same amount of time. And by the way--that looks like one hell of a heavy crimp... keep an eye on the primers for excessive pressure if the other 41 have the same crimp.
SHOOT
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January 24, 2009
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Thanks Shoot, I'll keep an eye on the primers. The other 41 do have a lighter crimp, I decided that trying to get a good crimp on a bullet with no crimp relief line was giving me the crumpled case grief.
I backed off both the seater & the die body, to start fresh. Then I seated a bullet to where I wanted it, then backed that off & screwed the die body pregressively deeper until I got a reasonable crimp with no case distortion. Once I had that, then I snugged the seater screw against the bullet. The next 40 went nice-n-smooth.
I did the same method this evening with some .357's & had zero wrinkled cases. If these fire ok, the I plan to do the rest of my .44's & .357's before I try my luck on any SuperMag cases...I'd be really sad if I buggered up any of my SM cases.
March 25, 2008
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for those of us that are into reloading I sure we/I have had the same buggers plus some you haven't got to YET! One thing I found in my old age with a single stage press is I keep all my cases sorted by lots and because I seldom have time to clean, size, prime, load powderand seat bullet all in one setting I make an effort to mic all the cases in that loading session so I know when the time comes to seat and crimp my bullets then I'll know that I have a uniform batch that have even crimp. eapecially with a powder like H110 in my 44 mag which can have pressure swings when loading hot.. I think IMR4227 is a little more forgiving but Now I have had the habit of micing my cases so it's not a problem. Just remember always double check and when in doubt about a load that has been printed try to research other info. Some published ihmsa loadings can be real hot, and may be mixed up with single shot pistol loads. caution! It is fun to load and shoot
February 11, 2010
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CF said :
/ Being one of those guys who "assembles it first THEN reads the instructions" /
Never done THAT before, I always read everything front to back first. Just like listening to every word 
say's , and obeying all traffic sign's
You only lost 10 rounds ? Makes me want to start rolling my own. Nice Job !
-Blacktop
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January 24, 2009
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Hey, I forgot to ask in my previous post...you guys that do four steps, with seating the bullet then crimping last...do you have a four die set to do that, or an extra seat/crimp die?
Pops, I admit that I didn't mic all my brass. I've simply got too much empty .44 brass currently (about 720 rounds) & I got impatient.
I think after I fire all this pre-used yard sale .44 brass, I'll go through it carefully, measure & toss out the stuff that's really beat up. Then I'll trim the rest to get it to an even length, I'm sure that will make life easier on me for the next go-round.
I'll keep my 250 ~ ish rounds of once-fired stuff separate, then make sure it's all the same length too.
Do you guys keep track of how many times a case has been reloaded?
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May 2, 2009
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Charger Fan said:
Hey, I forgot to ask in my previous post...you guys that do four steps, with seating the bullet then crimping last...do you have a four die set to do that, or an extra seat/crimp die?
Nope...here's the quick process . Put an empty case in your press and run it all the way up. Now screw your die down until it hits the case, then back the die out 1 full turn.
Now go ahead and seat your bullets to the correct depth using the seating stem (Don't touch the die body).
Once you have all the bullets seated, back out the seating stem a few turns. Now you can adjust the die body down until you get the amount of crimp you want.
SHOOT
February 4, 2009
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Charger,
Congrats on the first run. I think we all made some mistakes when we first started reloading- I know I did. Unlike you however, I chose not to share pictures. 
You don't need a bullet puller... yet.
Just do as I do- set them to the side. After you have exhausted all of your brass and/or bullets, then buy a puller. I have been lucky enough to have the supplies on hand to avoid pulling any bullets yet. Of course, I am still staring at 80 rounds of 445 that I refuse to shoot because I didn't load them and they look a bit suspect. And then I have my pile of 357 and 445SM errors while trying to get my dies set. And then there's my other pile of 223 mistakes, which is significantly larger than the SM oops pile.
Someday, I may be required to buy a puller. Today is not that day.
And just for the record: I seat and crimp in one final step. I do seat and crimp separately for my 223 though. I have had no problems with ammo produced with RCBS Carbide dies other than those caused by operator error.
Also, if you should have a situation where some rounds fire fine and others don't, especially with NEW brass, it might be time to pick up a primer pocket uniformer. On my first batch of 357SM, I used new brass and loaded every round consistently. Went to the range and 3 would fire, 3 didn't. Then 5 would fire and 1 didn't, etc. etc.. As it turns out, the remington brass primer pockets were somewhat rounded towards the flash hole. If they didn't fire, it was usually because they weren't seated solidly and flat in the hole. When the firing pin slammed the primer, it just sent it a little further into the hole but the primer had what appeared to be a solid hit from the firing pin. Since I've started uniforming the pockets, I haven't had any FTF's.
Just something to keep in mind should you have random FTF's.
February 4, 2009
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CF-
I meant to also mention that the reason some people are doing 4 steps is due to using a progressive press. This is due to a single stage of the reloading process doing expansion duty while dropping the powder charge into the case. I have a set of Redding Titanium Pro-Series dies that came with my 7445. If I wish to use this 3 die set with my press, I must buy a 4th die for expansion duty since I am using a turret, not a progressive.
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January 24, 2009
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cdf294 said:
...Unlike you however, I chose not to share pictures.
I almost didn't, but then decided what the heck...we're all family, right? I don't mind getting a chuckle out of you guys with mistakes like this on my part, besides it may help some future reloaders avoid this sort of problem.
Thanks for the info, I appreciate it. That goes for all you guys, too.
That's good to know about the primer pockets, so far all the brass I'm loading has been fired at least once. Some of those pockets are sooty & I pondered buying a pocket uniformer to help clean them out, but after reading some online opinions on the matter, decided it may not be too big of a deal. I guess any FTF's may prove whether or not I should have done that step.
Once I get my dies set just right, I prefer to seat & crimp in one whack, too. It works pretty slick. Maybe my opinion on that will change as I gain experinece, but for now I like it. Currently, I'm using this little RCBS "Partner" press, so each die change eats up time.
Maybe in a year or two, I'll get a progressive or turret press. Until then, this little guy does a good job for me.
Dans Club
May 17, 2009
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Charger,
You may notice some bullet shaving if you seat and crimp in the same operation. I did. I don't know if that is a problem except it shaves some of the copper off the bullet. Someone with more experience may have a reason you don't want that to happen. I crimp after seating.
Ed
October 11, 2009
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CHARGER FAN! WAY TO GO!! The good thing is you started down a very rewarding road.
I will not add to the already super advice you have been getting.
I think it would be great if you had a video running when you shot your very first reloads......based on your expending and what not, would like to have something to remember you by...LOL
Course when I shot my very first reload, I turned my back face away and closed my eyes....LOL
Keep us posted, please. oh and by the way...wonderful pics.
D00M
January 17, 2010
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I make wrinkly brass sometimes too.....it happens. I had one particular box of hornandy 44's that are marked .430" but wouldn't stuff right at all. the next box aok. I haven't gotten around to measuring them yet. they just went into my oops pile. i prefer the sierra .4295" stuff.
I am in the seat and crimp at same time crowd...and with a single stage press. My tidbit on that topic. when i put in the seater/crimp die. i grab a round already done (right) from stock and set the die body down to existing crimp and then snug up the seater plug also at that time. you'll feel if the first one ain't right...and if too shallow sneak a tweak in there and ram it again. i have never set first round too deep using this method.
Also, nobody mentioned...and i can't tell from pics....do those bullets have cannelures? i find crimping without 'em makes some wrinkly cases.
and trimming will keep yer crimps even. and i found de-burring prevents the little ring of copper too.
to help with set-up of dies i try to do big batches...at least in increments of 100.
I set my freshly primed cases on my desktop before they go into the block to check to see if they rock on the primer or not, if'in she is in far enough or not. if i find them not shoving all the way in i start cleaning the primer pockets for that batch.
another tip....after i charge powder in all my cases and have them sitting in the blocks ready for lead i look over them all with a small flashlight and notice any over or undercharges, they are noticable by comparision. i rarely find one but with wifey fetching me for something or my runs to fridge for refreshments......
i don't count how many reloads on revovler brass, but do on my match rifle stuff (don't know why but i load rifle stuff in a meticuloously anal way). i give all the brass a once over whilst handling them during the reloading and toss any at any stage that don't look right at all. i have a big oops pile, i load for alot of folks and don't want anyone having a broken case or squib load. if yer not loading too hot cases last a long time.
like someone mentioned...the reloading data manuals have a great section on how to load, and then by reading all the tips folks have thrown into here you'll be churning out ammo like ya work at Lake City!
welcome to reloading! its a blast...one pull at at time!
"experience is the hardest teacher, the test comes before the lesson"
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