Hit a wall with my .32 S&W long bullet seater/crimper

E

ExPatYankee

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I have a set of Lee reloading dies (3) for S&W long. I reload .32 wadcutter for competition training. For the record it is a Lee-32AUTO-C5 and I reload with a single stage Challenger Kit.

I began by adjusting the die with the aim to seat and crimp simultaneously. The seating element bottomed out so I began dropping the crimp element. Fast forward, I ended up with a nicely crimped set of rounds, but the seating element is, as mentioned, bottomed out. The bullet sticks out of the shell 2-3 millimeters and the round does not feed into the magazine well; strangely enough they feed into the chamber nicely. If I lower the crimp element the bullet seats nicely but the crimp crushes the mouth of the shell. I have heard the phrase "crush crimp" which always seems to be used in the worst way.

I have temporarily solved the problem by seating the bullet with a .38 seating/crimping die in which case I raised the crimp element (may not be necessary due to the size of the shell) and simply seat the bullet. I then have to remove the seating plug on the .32 die and use the crimping element only. Yes, a lot more trouble, but that is all I have to work with at the moment.

My questions for the wizards among you is, how can I fix the problem with the .32 C5 die so that it drops the bullet a little deeper, a mere 3 mm at most, and then get a nice roll crimp? I thought of fixing up a "shim" or a "plug extension" to fill the inner space on the die but that might take longer to create than the method I ended up using above.

Many thanks in advance for any advice.
 
Lee's index for dies shows a separate number for 32 SWL. The 32 ACP is 90622, while the 32 SWL is 90624 with an asterisk that it can be used for 32 H&R also. They both use the same crimp die number though. I am betting all you need is the right seater and that this is the right one.
 
Like Real Gun says, a .32 Auto die set is not for a .32 S&W Long. Lee doesn't show a 32AUTO-C5 die set either.
You seeing '90622' anywhere on the box. That's their SKU for .32 ACP. Number 90624 is .32 S&W.
 
Like Real Gun says, a .32 Auto die set is not for a .32 S&W Long. Lee doesn't show a 32AUTO-C5 die set either.
You seeing '90622' anywhere on the box. That's their SKU for .32 ACP. Number 90624 is .32 S&W.
Click to expand...
Lee mixes and matches dies for many of their die sets, especially .32 caliber dies.
My own Lee ".32 S&W" and ".32 S&W Long" 3-die sets also both include a .32 Auto seat/crimp die.

And, I believe he is referring specifically to the seater die when he references the "32AUTO-C5". That's how Lee marks seating dies - 'caliber' followed by some kind of alphanumeric two-digit code (lot number?).

I'd be willing to bet that the seating die body linked to on Lee's website is exactly the same as the .32 Auto die bodies that he and I already have.

The only sure answers to the problem, that I know of, rest in modifying the existing seater plug or buying another brand. RCBS, Hornady, Lyman, and Redding all make dies that will seat and crimp wadcutters properly in .32 S&W Long...
 
Nothing to modify. The link I offered shows Lee's separate seater plug, not the whole die, the base of which I'll bet is common for 32 caliber.
 
I have given up on seating and crimping in one step, for any cartridge.

I use 32acp Lee dies for 32 S&W Long.
 
 
For my 32 SWL turret, I bought separate RCBS expander and seat/crimp dies along with another 32 cal. powder-through die for a dedicated Lee Auto Disk powder measure. I did not buy a sizer, because it need not be cartridge-specific, and I could share without adjustment the Lyman I have on my 327 Federal Magnum turret.

I realize now I could have simply bought the Lee set, since the Missouri 78 gr lead, rated .313, ("Cowboy #18" coated) is not true to size, a number of bullets tossed for meltdown, when dropping freely into an expanded case mouth. It's okay though, since I have the mold if I ever need (or choose) to cast my own bullets that are more true to .313.
 
Real Gun
I use 32acp Lee dies for 32 S&W Long
Okay, but the OP reports his set doesn't work, and we see that Lee offers a different set number for 32 SWL over 32 ACP.
Click to expand...

Could I have made a mistake?
There was a lot going on in my life in March. Some guy building a robot in my amateur gunsmithing shop. We felled a tree onto my building. I was getting 32 long Colt brass, which is REALLY hard. I could have left out some cheating I did to make 32 S&W target ammo get seated with a 32 auto seater die.

Nope.
It looks like it can be done, barely.
 

Attachments

  • Lee 32 acp seater die for 32 S&W long target ammo seating drawing 12-2-2015.jpg
    Lee 32 acp seater die for 32 S&W long target ammo seating drawing 12-2-2015.jpg
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  • 32 acp Lee seater die used to seat 32 S&W long target ammo 98 gr Speer LHBWC 1.7 gr Bullseye 0.9.jpg
    32 acp Lee seater die used to seat 32 S&W long target ammo 98 gr Speer LHBWC 1.7 gr Bullseye 0.9.jpg
    63.5 KB · Views: 25
It looks like the deep seating of that wadcutter made it possible. Do you expect it would work with a more standard round nose, typical of the caliber?
 
I reload .32 S&W, .32 ACP and .32 H&R using RCBS .32ACP dies and have no problems doing so but the OP is using Lee dies.

Seater plugs are just a threaded rod with a head and can be made of reddy rod.
 
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