Another friggin expensive lesson learned..

R

Road_Clam

New member
So this time I was resizing 44 mag brass and on one casing I felt a abrupt stop about half way into the casing. (Kind of heard a slight crunch noise as well). I inspected the casing and DAMMIT, a .40 S&W casing was jammed way down inside the 44 mag casing. Didn't think much of it until I observed the next several sized casings. All had some light gouge marks along the outside of the casing. I though maybe some debris got jammed inside the die, upon disassembly I shined a light down inside the die and DAMMIT , I see the carbide ring has a bunch of cracks! So the almost new LEE die is now junk. This isnt the first time i've had issues with casings jammed inside other casings. Another big PIA is when 380 casings get mixed in with my 9mm. Causes jam issues with my Dillon 650 feed tube. I do try to diligently inspect my brass but a incorrect casing always seems to slip by... :mad:
 
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Road Clam. it could have been worst.

I sort cases, when sorting I sort by head stamps and then there is that other hazard; Berdan primed cases, I sorted 23,000 cases and out of all those cases I found 3 Berdan cases, after I finished I could not find the 3 Berdan cases.

F. Guffey
 
You certainly have my sympathy.

I got a new Forster sizer die in 30-06, I had maybe 30 cases size and the decap assembly snapped. Not the pin, the spindle itself.

#$%^@ cheap expensive piece of junk.

Ok, cool down, email Forster, what is with you die and hoping to get a new spindle.

Wrong adjustment on the neck sizer, nope, military crimped brass, also nope, but.......

But, I went back through, and yep, Greek HXP mixed in, crimp taken out but still some thre, no more than 3 or 4. &*&^%$

And then the spindle was not available for 30-06. 270 yes, so I got the 270, put the 30-06 ball on it.

Then my brother gave me an M die and I don't need the ball

So it goes.

If it was easy, anyone could do it.
 
Berry's makes a media separator for its tumbler that has adjustable width slots for separating out brass by caliber. That might help you guys, but then again, unless you tumble in liquid-only media, small bits of media can still jam a smaller case inside a larger one. Time to invest in high speed weighing equipment.;)
 
Or just not mix them up in the first place?

I did try a mixed batch one time, got the same result.

But I also do it after I de-prime and size, I have a pin hole punch that I clean the prime holes out with while I do a quick primer pocket clean on the prep station.

Its all handled and inspected to some degree 3 times or so.
 
Road clam You say you inspected the cases. You didn't do a very good job did you. So why? Do you have adequate lighting? Are you in a hurry? You need to take your time and make sure all of them are the same... It sounds like you pick up range brass and throw them all in the same bag. I have been there. That's where I see the mix ups. So that's where I will sort and give them all a good wash in the bucket. I inspect the insides for stones... or any thing in usual. 45 brass will also hold those 40s the 40s will hold the 9s and the 9s will hold the 380s. The 45 ACPs will be mixed with large and small primers... You take your time.
 
longshot4 said:
45 brass will also hold those 40s the 40s will hold the 9s and the 9s will hold the 380s.
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If you're getting 380's inside your 9's you have some SERIOUS chamber problems with your 9mm.

I've never been able to get a 380 inside a 9mm, but then again I've only loaded a little over half a million rounds of 9mm and 380 since 1975, guess it could happen anytime now.

Edit: Just went out and got a couple of pieces of fired 380 and 9mm brass, can't force one into the other even with a vise.
 
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jmorris,
I have about 18,000 casings scrounged from my gun club, loaded about 20,000 rounds thus far over the past 7 years so one .40 casing jammed into a 44 casing is no big deal. I load 14 different calibers, and both me and my wife shoot so I think it's time to have the wife perform brass inspections.. ;)
 
so I think it's time to have the wife perform brass inspections.
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Well, somebody needs to do it! :D

A lesson I learned when I first got a tumbler (back in 79), never tumble .44 or larger cases with any smaller caliber brass.

I've seen 9mm brass stuck to tightly in 45 brass one or both cases get destroyed separating them. Never used liquid media, so I expect it would not do that, but grains of media can wedge the cases together better than super glue.

All my fired brass from a range session might get dumped together in a bag or bucket for transport home, but then, it all gets sorted, piece by piece, before it goes anywhere near the tumbler, and then gets handled, and visually inspected at LEAST one more time, before it goes to a die.

OK, my batches are only a few hundred cases at a time not thousands, but, considering what CAN happen I think the extra time to be well spent.
 
Not to put too fine a point on it...
But since you mentioned Dillon, they will replace your die for free.
Lifetime, no questions asked warranty.
People think spending $100 for a set of precision ground dies is too much,
Until something like this happens and Dillon cheerfully & immediately sends out your replacement die with no questions asked...

Now, if your dies are from an 'Also Works' in a Dillon machine maker,
Dig deep in that pocket and remind yourself how much you 'Saved' by NOT buying dies with a lifetime, no BS warranty...

I took .45 ACP carbide die out of the box and immediately dropped it on a concrete floor, and as my luck usually runs, it hit at about a 45* angle right on the mouth opening rim cracking the carbide in two places.
Called Dillon to order replacements, admitting what I'd done, and they replaced the die for free, postmarked the next day, I had it by the end of the week.
Didn't even ask for me to mail the old die back to verify I had Dillon dies to start with. Can't beat that kind of warranty or customer service!
 
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over the past 7 years so one .40 casing jammed into a 44 casing is no big deal.
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I would agree but then again I didn't start the thread ;).

But since you mentioned Dillon, they will replace your die for free.
Lifetime, no questions asked warranty.
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I was told by a Dillon employee that the dies were not lifetime warranty. Life expectancy of a carbide .223 die is around 700,000 cases. Guess I need to keep calling back until I get the fellow you talked to.
 
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I was told by a Dillon employee that the dies were not lifetime warranty. Life expectancy of a carbide .223 die is around 700,000 cases.
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Well, there's lifetime, and there's lifetime...;)

Carbide rifle dies are different from pistol dies, and might have a different warranty. Depends on the company, of course. Full replacement might be "lifetime = forever" (or your lifetime) or it might mean for the service lifetime of the die. You should call them back, and speak to as many people as needed to get this clarified. The answer you got might just be due to simple misunderstanding of terms. it happens more than you might think.

Good Luck!
 
You can't fit a .380 into a 9mms. They are both .355 bore and for practical purposes almost identical.

You could catch a .32 into either .380 or 9 mms. I'm not sure if the .32 will fit entirely into the l larger .380.
 
"I see the carbide ring has a bunch of cracks! So the almost new LEE die is now junk"

Most likely, LEE will replace the die.
 
Most likely, LEE will replace the die.
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I have a few Lee carbide dies, one of them looks like the south end of a short/rusty north bound snake. I was given the die by a reloader near Dulac, Louisiana. Seems the die was so noisy when rusting it kept everyone awake. They also offered me a Chevrolet pick up for the same reason.

F. Guffey
 
Not going to cry to LEE for a replacement. I take ownership for my errors. LEE already did me a favor when they sent my a replacement powder.hopper tube when I accidentally dropped my unit on the concrete floor. I've bought a set of Dillon 44 mag dies, and I will also use the LEE FCD.
 
To me, one critical operation is to inspect EVERY case.
So, when I come back from the range (after picking up every case that they'll let me and I have a use for), I pour all the cases into a container and actually inspect every case, note the head stamp designation, deprime, and place in a can labeled for that cartridge. I only clean one can of cartridges at a time.
This way, I know that my cases have been inspected for cracks and other problems, cartridge designation, and that all berdan, aluminum, and steel cases are thrown out.
This is even more critical since the cases, after cleaning, will be poured into a case collator so there is really only one chance to inspect and sort.
Of course, the other thing is to pay attention to the press and look at the new case before sizing and to look into every charged case before placing a bullet on it.

It's not how fast you load, it's how well you load fast...Nothing destroys speed like failure.
 
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