Jumping Frog
Member
Here is my dilemna. when I am setting up the Lee Loadmaster dies (.45 ACP), I am running it one cartridge at a time through the five stations:
1. Universal Decapper Die
2. Size and Prime.
3. Expand and Powder
4. Bullet seating
5. Carbide Factory Crimp Die.
All five stations were setup so that running one cartridge at a time was producing cartridges that were correctly primed, correct powder, bullets seated to correct length, and crimped. (i.e., 1 cartridge = 5 lever pulls)
When I switched to running the press with all 5 stations filled, so that I get 1 cartridge with every lever pull, it seems like having all 5 stations filled is making my OAL too long. I am assuming that somehow having the shell plate stressed for all 5 stations changes the length setting.
When running 1 cartridge at a time, my OAL was coming out at 1.260". When I switched to all 5 stations filled, the OAL was coming out at 1.280" (+0.020").
I resized the too long cartridges by pressing the bullet in further, although that created some lead squeezings trying to shorten already crimped rounds by 0.020".
Should I be setting the OAL with the press full? Does that mean that the first and last rounds is a session will always be out of spec?
1. Universal Decapper Die
2. Size and Prime.
3. Expand and Powder
4. Bullet seating
5. Carbide Factory Crimp Die.
All five stations were setup so that running one cartridge at a time was producing cartridges that were correctly primed, correct powder, bullets seated to correct length, and crimped. (i.e., 1 cartridge = 5 lever pulls)
When I switched to running the press with all 5 stations filled, so that I get 1 cartridge with every lever pull, it seems like having all 5 stations filled is making my OAL too long. I am assuming that somehow having the shell plate stressed for all 5 stations changes the length setting.
When running 1 cartridge at a time, my OAL was coming out at 1.260". When I switched to all 5 stations filled, the OAL was coming out at 1.280" (+0.020").
I resized the too long cartridges by pressing the bullet in further, although that created some lead squeezings trying to shorten already crimped rounds by 0.020".
Should I be setting the OAL with the press full? Does that mean that the first and last rounds is a session will always be out of spec?
