Shaving lead using rcbs dies,

Boolit Mold Join DateFeb 2013LocationLambertville MiPosts1

Hi folks, Im loading 175gn lead 40 S&W, I have sized and lubed them to .401, my problem is that when I seat the bullet,I am shaving some lead,Its leaving a ring around the case mouth that I need to scrape and or peel away, Im usind a dillon 550 press and RCBS dies, I have adjusted my powder/ flair tube To the bare min bell (almost none) to the max bell that my seating die will handle,,I was wonderind if the dies are junk, (they are brand new), Im also wondering if maybe there is a type of flair tube like the lyman m die for dillon, any help would be great,, thanx.

Are you seating and crimping in one step?

Troyboy714,

In your 3 die RCBS die set, the second die to be used is the expander die.

This die brings the case mouth back from it's sized dimention to what should be close to the correct size - depending on the size of your cast bullet - for proper neck tention of the seated bullet.

This die ALSO flairs the mouth of the case, which if properly adjusted whould prevent shaving of the lead from the bullet.

I had what sounds to be the same problem with .45acp and cast, and it took awhile for me to fine out why I was having problems with the action not closing.

I, until proven otherwise, think this was a problem with the Lee factory crimp die that I was also using. A die by the way, that is a waist of money unless and until you have a proven need.

I see that Love Life ask about when you crimp your loads, and you will find quite a few folk who feel it is best to seat and crimp in two steps rather then one.

However, I have used just a standard 3 dies set of dies for many years without any negative issues and feel that proper adjusment will in almost all cases do every thing that is needed without the extra step.

Crusty Deary Ol'Coot

^^Correct. I have no issues seating and crimping in the same step. It takes a bit of trial and error to get it down right, but then the lock ring takes care of further issues. If possible though I prefer to seat and crimp in different steps. Just a personal preference.

The OP is using a Dillon 550 and using the Dillon funnel to do case mouth belling. RCBS dies are usually 3 die, but i have been known to be wrong before!!! I figured seating and crimping in the same step is the issue here, and minor die tweaking may be in order.

Process f elimination. Bell the mouth enough that boolit will start by hand, seat boolit part way only.rmove and check for shaving, if non found seat boolit a little more an check again,continue seating boolit in small steps right up to the crimp starts. If the crimp rolls the case mouth in before the boolit is fully seated to the finished OAL then it will cause shaving, if the boolit is not straight and the die does not center and straighten it soon enought it will get shaved. Some seating dies commonly labeled Speed Seaters are better at correcting mis aliegened boolits than others. Some progressive presses come with expanders sized for jacketed not case bullets.

Added: Are you using the correct nose shape seater?

Last edited by Case Stuffer; Today at 03:51 PM.

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Vet . 2nd of the 47th 9th.Inf. Viet Nam Mar. 67-68

it's all an educated guess,,,, till the trigger is pulled.

the more i find out about shootin boolits, the more it contradicts everything i ever learned about shooting jaxketed.

Boolit Man Join DateFeb 2013LocationMissouriPosts84

A lot of people rave about the lyman M dies.

If you have beveled to the point the seated won't take the case, your alloy may be too soft with too much tin. Causes the lead to roll up, not get shaved.

I don't load .40, but I do load a lot of .357, and I long ago found that I have to pick and choose from among my expanders to get one that does the job correctly for the particular brass I'm using. Stiff brass that's either very new or due for an annealing needs an expander about .001" to .002" bigger than softer brass does, due to the springback.

I once had a large lot of range brass that I had to sort carefully to get groups of cases that all expanded the same. A real PITA - I don't take random range brass anymore even as a gift!

"You are not a hoarder until you have exceeded a lifetime supply"

Boolit Master Join DateMar 2013Posts193 Boolit Man Join DateDec 2011LocationYakima, WAPosts141

I had a set of 357 Magnum RCBS steel dies several years ago that never gave any problems. I later purchased a new RCBS taper crimp carbide set and found the sizing die sized the cases to 0.372" while others sized to 0.373". The flaring die was the same as that for 9mm so it didn't flare much. I also had lead bullets shave from the bullet bases while seating. Some of the time I couldn't seat jacketed bullets in my RC II press. The flaring die didn't flare the case enough. I crimp and seat in two separate stations. I finally purchased CH dies that are 0.374" inside diameter to size the brass to 0.375", the same diameter as new Starline brass. CH measured a "reject" carbide die left over from the past and sent it to me. I couldn't be happier. Eventually, I purchased a 550 press and the CH dies work perfectly. Ultimately, I replaced my RCBS pistol dies with CH. To sum it up, the problem may be the RCBS dies.

Make sure you're not taper crimping excessively and seating the bullet deeper at the same time. This will shave lead every time. Can't seat a bullet without shaving if the case mouth is being squeezed down simultaneously to a too small diameter. It's easier to get away with this with a jacketed bullet than a cast one.

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