Lee die problem

[judgedelta]

I decided to try loading 9mm, so I got a Lee 4-die carbide set. Trying to seat to 1.125" and seating die will put the 124 gr. Xtreme plated hollow points from 1.18 to 1.29. The set, which I got from Amazon, appeared to be new, but really dirty. I cleaned and lightly oiled. I use other Lee die sets and have had no problems. Any ideas? Thanks...

 

[SlowFuse]

If you have assured everything is tight after you've set it, take the die apart. Check the seating plug to make sure you don't have any debris/lube etc on it.

 

[rcmodel]

Could be the bullets.
If they are not all exactly the same shape, some will seat shorter or longer then others.

One way to tell is to pick one bullet.

And seat it in several different cases and measure each time.
(Pull it, and seat it in another case, etc.)

If OAL stays precisely the same using the same bullet in several cases?

It isn't the die, it's bullet ogive variation.

rc

 

[ArchAngelCD]

I agree, it can be the bullet causing OAL drift. I use mostly Lee dies for handgun loading and I do use their 9mm dies and I have no problems keeping the OAL as close to what I set, within reason.

The numbers you are getting seem excessive but if you opened a box of factory ammo and checked the OAL of the box you would be very surprised at how much they vary.

 

[Sunray]

1.120" is the minimum OAL. A 124 is seated to 1.169".
If you put oil on the inside, take it out. Take the dies apart for a really good bath then make sure they're tight when you re-assemble 'em.

 

[tightgroup tiger]

What's the bullet profile of the seating stem look like? Is it round or flat. If you are trying to seat flat nosed bullets like hollow points, with a round nose profile you will have all kinds of OAL issues also.

 

[judgedelta]

The seating stem has a conical nose, like for a spitzer... That might be the problem. I have measured the bullets and the length varies a bit, but that shouldn't make any difference in the seating length.

 

[rcmodel]

If the ogive shape varies even slightly, the seating stem will contact it in a different place on the ogive.

That will result in a different OAL for that bullet.

Rc

 

[Potatohead]

1.120" is the minimum OAL. A 124 is seated to 1.169".

Sunray,
Forgive me if I'm out of line here, as you are surely much more experienced than I, but I sometimes wonder where you get your information, and more importantly, why you disseminate it as if it were written in stone.

 

[amlevin]

The only way to condemn a bunch of bullets as having different dimensions such as base to ogive of ogive to tip is to measure them.

A waste of time for most handgun rounds, most assuredly for 9mm.

If uniform OAL's are essential then first sort bullets by length and then within those groups sort further for uniform base to ogive measurements. For accuracy the ogive measurement needs to be uniform as it's distance from the lands is really all that matters.

To make sure that press and die aren't the problem just turn your seating die into a "Dead Length Die". Find a washer that just barely fits over the case and use it as a spacer. Turn the die down snug against the washer then adjust the press for a slignt "cam-over" (if you can). Now adjust the seating depth.

With the die now tight against the shell holder and no possible slack, every bullet should now be seated exactly the same. That is depending on whether the die contacts the bullet at the same point every time.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

1.120" is the minimum OAL. A 124 is seated to 1.169".
If you put oil on the inside, take it out. Take the dies apart for a really good bath then make sure they're tight when you re-assemble 'em.

I don't think so... There is plenty of data out there with a 124gr bullet with an OAL of 1.090". I sometimes use 1.125" with a 124gr bullet if the profile is correct so 1.169" is not a must!

 

[Potatohead]

I don't think so... There is plenty of data out there with a 124gr bullet with an OAL of 1.090". I sometimes use 1.125" with a 124gr bullet if the profile is correct so 1.169" is not a must!

+1 AACD

I'm nominating that little 1.169" nugget of wisdom as a candidate to win "Goofy Tip of The Day".
Given out at the end of each day here at THR, so nominate your candidates asap!

 

[rcmodel]

All 1.169" is, is the SAAMI Max length for the 9mm.
With any bullet weight.

So they will fit in any magazine!

As noted, the bullet profile determines how short it needs to be seated to fit in YOUR guns chamber without jamming into the rifling.

The bullet in the OP's post will most certainly have to be seated shorter then SAAMI Max 1.169" because it is a HP with a flat end.

Seated to 1.169" it will most certainly be into the rifling.

rc

 

[judgedelta]

I went out and checked some 230 Xtreme round nose .45'x that I had loaded with Lee dies and none was more than a thousand out. Must be the hollow point and the conical seater. Since they will all chamber and I'm not loading hot or shooting long-range competition, I'm going to shoot them... Thanks all for the comments and advice.

 

[pseudonymity]

I have the same die and bullets and get the same results. I do not mind the OAL variation, since that bullet will be out of the lands if it feeds in the mags of my guns.

Try taking a small piece of aluminum foil and crumple it up. Remove the seater stem and turn it upside down. Put a drop of something like Elmers glue or silicone sealant in the cone of the seater and then drop in the foil. Compress the foil to a flat surface with a bullet. This seems to help a bit, and you can dig the foil out if you want to seat a different RN bullet.

Another alternative is to buy another seater plug from Lee and just fill the nose of the seater cone with something like JB Weld to the proper shape.