case mouth over exspasion what now !

[steelhead51]

I switched to rcbs dies now case mouth is exspanded too much how are you supposed to get it smaller the right way? These are 44mag  DIES ,cast bullet just falls in cartrige now.

[Slowpoke Slim]

Will the case go back into the FL resizing die? If not, to you have a 45 cal pistol die set that you can run them up into the FL resizing die first, and then do the same into the 44 resizing die?

[steelhead51]

Did the full length resizer die thing with the 44 die still too loose maybe I got it adjusted wrong too. try to get this figued out tommorow I know I'll go back too lee dies never had a problem when I loaded for my 45 colt with lee dies nothing but a headacke  with these RCBS dies for the 44

[revbc]

+1 on the lee dies.  I started to comment on another thread, someone was recommending RCBS dies because of a lifetime investment.  I have RCBS, Hornady, Lyman, Bonanza, and Lee.  I would trade any of them for Lee dies, they just work.  To be fair the RCBS are good dies, check to see if you've got it setup right

[jburris2001]

dont know how to fix the ones you already have expanded, but your expander is set too deep. I had this problem on some 500 s&w rounds, mine would not fit in the chamber of my gun.

[tacklebury]

If it were me, I'd buy an inexpensive Lee classic loader for 21 bucks, since on .44 it only neck sizes.  I have used this with the decapping base to "pull in" the mouth of over expanded cases in .45 Colt and .45-70 Gov.  Plus it's a great tool to take on camping hunts etc.  Good luck.  

[steelhead51]

Went to sporting goods store this morning with dies, showed him the problem, he laughed walked over to die section grabed new Lee carbide die set , and said here problem fixed took the rcbs dies back no questions asked. Now if that dont tell ya something !  Thanks for the help though.

[Dezynco]

I have some of them all.  I like Lee dies because they seem so simple to set up.  However I have to say that the RCBS and Lymans are a good bit more versatile, just a little finikyer to set up.

If your cases won't go back into the sizing die, you can just sorta roll  the case mouth on a hard surface to get them down enough to go into the die.  The die will straighten them back up.

[saddlebum]

Went to sporting goods store this morning with dies, showed him the problem, he laughed walked over to die section grabed new Lee carbide die set , and said here problem fixed took the rcbs dies back no questions asked. Now if that dont tell ya something !  Thanks for the help though.

That should tell you something, but probably not what you want to hear.   

[Glanceblamm]

Easy does it on that expander die. Even if you have better luck with the Lee die you want just enough to seat the bullet so as not to over work the brass and end up with splits on the case neck.

RCBS and Redding here with no problems. I did have a lyman set once (rifle) that was too tight, got rid of them.

[BCB]

I switched to rcbs dies now case mouth is exspanded too much how are you supposed to get it smaller the right way? These are 44mag  DIES ,cast bullet just falls in cartrige now.

If the problem was too much bell/flare on the case mouth, well, that was an adjustment that was wrong on the reloaders part...

If the case was expanded too much too hold the bullet in place, I would have measured the diameter of the sizing plug...

If the case was not originally sized small enough by the sizing die, a quick measurement could have varified that fact...

I am amazed that the store clerk just took the RCBS dies back and immediately handed you a set of Lee dies.  That seems a bit premature on his part.  Why didn't he look at them to see what the problem might have been, if indeed there was a problem?  A set of calipers should have been his first move...

There is no way I would swap a set of RCBS carbide dies for Lee dies!!!!!!...

Sorry 'bout that...

Good-luck...BCB

[saddlebum]

I am amazed that the store clerk just took the RCBS dies back and immediately handed you a set of Lee dies.  That seems a bit premature on his part.  Why didn't he look at them to see what the problem might have been, if indeed there was a problem?  A set of calipers should have been his first move...
       [quote from above]


I wasn't there. But when reading the account of it, I get this.
Guy brings in the RCBS dies. Tells his story. Says he wants Lee dies. Store guy laughs and makes the trade. Store guy makes more money selling the RCBS dies again. Other guy gets what he wants and has a story to tell here.
It is up to the reader to decide why the store guy was laughing.   

[southernutah]

Went to sporting goods store this morning with dies, showed him the problem, he laughed walked over to die section grabed new Lee carbide die set , and said here problem fixed took the rcbs dies back no questions asked. Now if that dont tell ya something !  Thanks for the help though.

That should tell you something, but probably not what you want to hear.   

You mean the 1/2 priced  dies he got traded for?
I have both and and Hornady and have no problen with the RCBS. You have to move the whole die on the RCBS  and then set the lock nut.

[BCB]

I wasn't there. But when reading the account of it, I get this.
Guy brings in the RCBS dies. Tells his story. Says he wants Lee dies. Store guy laughs and makes the trade. Store guy makes more money selling the RCBS dies again. Other guy gets what he wants and has a story to tell here.
It is up to the reader to decide why the store guy was laughing.   

Very good point saddlebum!!!

That sort of says the same think I said, but with a bit of a twist...

I'll purchase those RCBS 44 Magnum Carbide dies!!!

But I already have them along with 45LC, 357 Magnum, 9mm Makarov, 40 S&W, and 41 Magnum...

Never one problem and they have reloaded, lord who knows how many rounds...

Gotta love those gray boxes!!!...

BCB

[saddlebum]

As I have said on another thread that's going around now, I don't care about the Lee vs. whoever debate. I have never used Lee stuff. Over the years I have used both Hornady and RCBS. I don't mean to be grumpy or anything but I really don't care what anybody else uses. I don't see Reloading as a team sport, so I don't root for any particular color. Maybe there was something wrong with the RCBS die, but it was never proven. Everyone was happy in the end.

I was just looking to see if there was anything to learn from this thread, thats all.    

[BCB]

saddlebum,

Yep, I agree also...

I do have some Lee stuff and it works O.K. for the application.  Actually, some of the Lee stuff is quite innovative--Too bad it isn't built with better material and workmanship.  It always seems to need some "tweeking"...

RCBS for all of my reloading stuff, casting stuff, along with some Lyman thrown in for extra measures...

BCB

[Autorim]

It may be a faulty RCBS die. Nobody is perfect, but I have a lot of faith in RCBS. All of my dies since 1963 have been RCBS or Redding with the exception of a few Lee crimp dies for revolver cartridges. I do not own any other Lee dies so cannot comment on their quality. I have found RCBS and Redding to be flawless. I do own a few Vickerman bullet seaters which are also top of the line. I suspect a faulty set up.

[Dezynco]

Like I said, I've some of them all.  The Lee dies are a good bargain, until you start experimenting....the Lee dies will reload back to specs with absolutely no problems.

[saddlebum]

As far as the setup goes for the dies, there is a little booklet that explains that with pictures in every RCBS die set. If the setup was done right then it's possible there is something wrong with the dimensions of either the sizing die or the expander ball. Hard to tell from here. If I'm not mistaken, the RCBS expander die is screwed into the press until it almost touches the ram at the top of it's stroke. Set the lock ring. Then run a case into the die at top of the stroke. Screw the expander ball down to the top of the case. Lower the case a little and lower the expander ball a small amount and set the lock ring. Adjust as necessary only expanding the case enough to start a bullet. Cases should be of uniform length for uniform expanding. A properly resized case should grip the bullet so tight that there is a little bulge at the base of the seated bullet. I have not set one up in a long time because you only have to do it once and your done, unless you go from mag to spl. Hornady is different. You have to adjust the die in the press to adjust the expansion of the case. I don't know about Lee.

[Tom W.]

I had some Lee carbide dies for my .45 Colt. Wasn't pleased with them at all. All of my pistol/revolver dies are RCBS carbide now, with the exception of my .480 Ruger dies , which are Hornady..

[DANNY-L]

I did the same thing awhile back with 100 38 special cases,today they are still in a bag until I find what die to close in the mouth. I was using rcbs but it was caused by just not paying attention.