9mm die question

[0371richwiner]

alright guys after reloading about 500 rounds of .223 on my friends single stage and then moving to his dillon 650xl im taking the plunge myself. last night i ordered the Hornady Lock N Load progressive (not ammo plant). Im looking at ordering dies today but kind of ran into a snag. it looks like in 9mm they offer the taper or roll crimp. i was going to order the Lee Deluxe Carbide die set which includes the carbide sizing die, Powder through expanding die (PTX), Bullet seating die, and the carbide factory crimp die. Is this the correct crimp die i will need for shooting 9mm out of semi auto glocks and rugers? i have the steps of reloading down, just unsure about the die situation for the 9mm. the .223 seems more straight foreward. thanks guys

 

[Fishersjohn48]

That is exactly what I have used to reload several thousand 9mm with no problems.

 

[SEIndSAM]

That is exactly what I have used to reload several thousand 9mm with no problems.

^^^^^^^^^^^^

Yep, what John said. I have loaded thousands of rounds with that exact same die set.

 

[trophyhunter]

OP, your going to apply a taper crimp to 9mm and various other loadings of acp cartridges at all times. The roll crimp is needed for revolver based loads on bullets with a cannelure groove.

Lee dies work well on the LNP AP press, your going to find that they need to be threaded into the bushing until you are literally out of threads on the die body to get the size/decap and case mouth expander dies adjusted properly but they work great. I have found that the expander die barely flare's the case mouth enough to seat a bullet, which insures perfect neck tension on the bullet and all you need is a very light taper crimp on your seater or factory crimp die to finish up the round.

Buy a 9mm case gauge to quality check each finished round for proper size and primer seat depth. Case gauges are tighter than most barrel chambers and cheap insurance for trouble free rounds come time to shoot them.

Enjoy your new press!

 

[0371richwiner]

awesome thanks everyone now on to spending more $$ getting all the equipment

 

[XtremeVel]

The Lee (4) die set with the FCD would serve you well.... I use it for every jacketed or plated load I load... Only issue to be aware of is if you ever load lead bullets just be aware the carbide insert in it can size your bullet down which will cause accuracy and leading issues...

Follow the manufactures instructions when setting up your dies paying attention to setting the seating die up as to not crimp if you go with the (4) die set...

 

[saleen4971]

i have the 3 die set, and "calibrated" the dies as per instruction - do i need to do anything else? i know the 4 die set is preferred because of the FCD, but will my set work?

 

[Dolton916]

Don't tell anybody but I run Lee dies in my Dillon presses...

I like the Lee four die for the factory Crimp Die which sizes and crimps your cartridge. My seating dies are not capable of crimping so setup is bone easy just follow the directions. I case gauged about the first 1K rounds before I figured out the FCD makes this unnecessary. I load lead, plated. coated and FMJ's with these dies and have had no problems.

I will recommend you do gauge check your rounds as you begin just so you get feel for the process.

Welcome to our obsession!

 

[DIRTROAD]

Same set I have and I have loaded a lot with them, I don't use the factory crimp die to save a step I have a single stage press

 

[Broom_jm]

i have the 3 die set, and "calibrated" the dies as per instruction - do i need to do anything else? i know the 4 die set is preferred because of the FCD, but will my set work?

If you followed the instructions for you die set and are just removing the bell, not crimping excessively, then you're all set. Folks loaded bajillions of semi-auto ammo before the FCD came along.

 

[0371richwiner]

Let me just be sure my stations should be
1. Sizing and decamping die
2. Ptx die
3. Powder charge
4. Bullet seat
5. Fcd
my main question is on using the ptx with the case activated powder drop system from hornady. Or should I scrap the ptx and just use the powder drop on 2 and get a powder cop on 3?? Thanks guys

 

[trophyhunter]

Your going to find that the extra crimp die cause's the shell plate to flex on a LNL and it effects your bullet and COL seating depth consistency. It has absolutely no benefit to you at all if your sizing die and case mouth expander are adjusted properly. I use a Lee 3 die set in 9mm on a LNL and it will properly resize a 9mm case with a Glock smiley on it without needing the help of the FCD.

Spend the money on a case gauge to check the dimensions of your finished rounds before you give them your blessing. The gauge will let you know if something needs attention or adjustment on the press for a sizing issue. Just having the gauge on hand to set up your sizing die is really a big help to see where a case run through the sizing die is at prior to flaring the case or seating a bullet first.

I stop and check them every 100 rounds, you really should check every single round you load at some point anyways and that prevents you from ever loading a large quantity out of spec and having to pull them down. It works well as a quality control system between needing a primer tube refill.

 

[0371richwiner]

look what i got in today. lots more should be here tomorrow




also what is this piece?

 

[Dave A]

That is a spare thingy bob. There are two of those thingy bobs at the very bottom of the press and they rotate the case plate by one detent when the handle pulled down and again by one detent when the handle is returned. If the case plate does not detent properly either on the up stroke (the right thingy bob) or the down stroke (left thingy bob) those may not be adjusted correctly.
I have had my Lock&Load Black Friday 2013. Midway USA had the case plates on sale for about $10 off but don’t know if they are still on sale.
Later,
Dave

I just checked Midway and the 9mm shellplate is still on sale plus others.
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/77...late-8-30-luger-38-super-9mm-luger?cm_vc=L011

 

[RSW]

Does anyone else have a problem with a little brass being shaved off of the case mouth on the final step using the Lee carbide set on their 9mm ?

I also pull my barrel out and use that to check my work by dropping my finished round into the barrel.

 

[trophyhunter]

Does anyone else have a problem with a little brass being shaved off of the case mouth on the final step using the Lee carbide set on their 9mm ?

I also pull my barrel out and use that to check my work by dropping my finished round into the barrel.

You should never have brass being shaved in any of the die locations, not sure exactly which "step" you were referring to? Seat/crimp die or separate crimp die after seating the bullet? Either way, you've got something going on there likely pointing to an excessive amount of crimp being applied. It's the job of the sizing die initially to reform the case and provide for 100% of the neck tension that retains the bullet to the depth you choose to seat it. The taper crimp function simply removes the flare from the case mouth, easy does it both ways in your adjustment for flaring and crimping. Your brass will last twice as long if you don't over work it.

You really should consider using a case gauge and not depend on the chamber dimensions of a barrel, the case gauge dimensions are going to be tighter and uniform to dimensional specs to what a finished round should conform to. The step on the case gauge mouth also allows for checking primer seat depth at or below a minimum safe level when you get one that doesn't look quite right. You can't do that with a barrel, and surely you have given some thought to a high primer causing an out of battery firing while doing your quality checks? Yea, you really don't want the breech face lighting a primer off before the round goes home and the barrel locks.

Barrel chamber's are all over the place dimensionally between models and manufacturers, what fit's in your gun today might not work in the piece that follows you home next week. No fun at all if you have ammo cans full of your loads that don't work.

Chambers gauges aren't optional for anyone's loading bench, but many newer people starting to load simply aren't exposed to them initially. For twenty bucks they can save you a full day of swinging a bullet puller and a whole bunch of grief.

 

[RSW]

Thanks for the feedback. Yes in the seating/taper die is when it happens. It's shaves about the thickness of a hair off. I'm going to re adjust it again and see how it goes.

As as for a gage, I get what your saying but yes I keep all brass separate for each gun and never mix it. I also keep track of firings to make sure I don't use the brass more than I'm comfortable with.