Full length case sizing die for pistol brass
- Thread starter jski
- Start date
That's pretty much the way it goes unless you want to roller size. $$$
https://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2020/03/02/rollsizer-rollsizing-your-brass/
Aguila Blanca
Staff
What does it measure?jski said:
the .357 case specs .379" from the mouth all the way down to the groove above the rim. Sizer dies normally deliver something smaller than that, as far down as they reach.
If your dies aren't doing that, then there is an issue with the dies. If they are, then the dies aren't at fault and something else is causing your problem.
Dirty chambers? soft brass? over expanded case heads from too hot loads are just some of the things that can cause the "last 1/2" or 1/4" to be "sticky".
I've used Lyman dies since the 70s and my .357 set is from that era and still makes fine ammo.
I've never used Starline .357 so i can't speak to it, but I have used some Starline stuff in other calibers without issues.
Maybe your dies are worn out, no way to tell over the internet. What are the dimensions of your sized brass?
If your dies aren't doing that, then there is an issue with the dies. If they are, then the dies aren't at fault and something else is causing your problem.
Dirty chambers? soft brass? over expanded case heads from too hot loads are just some of the things that can cause the "last 1/2" or 1/4" to be "sticky".
I've used Lyman dies since the 70s and my .357 set is from that era and still makes fine ammo.
I've never used Starline .357 so i can't speak to it, but I have used some Starline stuff in other calibers without issues.
Maybe your dies are worn out, no way to tell over the internet. What are the dimensions of your sized brass?
All pistol sizing dies I have ever seen are full-length.
Stupid question: from your description, you have a bulge just above the case web. You can try a Lee or Hornady sizing die--they go down a bit further than the other brands I have tried. Now for the stupid question: are you shooting them in a revolver? I have gotten bulges shooting .38 Spl and .357 Mag in specialty auto-pistols (S&W M-52, L.A.R. Grizzly, Desert Eagle) but NOT in a revolver.
Plunk Testing:
Take the barrel out of the gun (revolvers: use the cylinder). Drop rounds in until you find one that won't chamber. Take that round and "paint" the bullet and case black with Magic Marker or other marker. Drop round in barrel (or gage) and rotate it back-and-forth a few times.
Remove and inspect the round:
1) Scratches in the ink on bullet--COL is too long
2) Scratches in the ink on edge of the case mouth--insufficient crimp
3) Scratches in the ink just below the case mouth--too much crimp, you're crushing the case
4) Scratches in the ink on case at base of bullet--bullet seated crooked due to insufficient case expansion (not case mouth flare) or improper seating stem fit
5) Scratches in the ink on case just above extractor groove--case bulge not removed during sizing. May need a bulge buster.
Stupid question: from your description, you have a bulge just above the case web. You can try a Lee or Hornady sizing die--they go down a bit further than the other brands I have tried. Now for the stupid question: are you shooting them in a revolver? I have gotten bulges shooting .38 Spl and .357 Mag in specialty auto-pistols (S&W M-52, L.A.R. Grizzly, Desert Eagle) but NOT in a revolver.
Plunk Testing:
Take the barrel out of the gun (revolvers: use the cylinder). Drop rounds in until you find one that won't chamber. Take that round and "paint" the bullet and case black with Magic Marker or other marker. Drop round in barrel (or gage) and rotate it back-and-forth a few times.
Remove and inspect the round:
1) Scratches in the ink on bullet--COL is too long
2) Scratches in the ink on edge of the case mouth--insufficient crimp
3) Scratches in the ink just below the case mouth--too much crimp, you're crushing the case
4) Scratches in the ink on case at base of bullet--bullet seated crooked due to insufficient case expansion (not case mouth flare) or improper seating stem fit
5) Scratches in the ink on case just above extractor groove--case bulge not removed during sizing. May need a bulge buster.
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jetinteriorguy
New member
If you’ve been shooting a lot of .38 sp without cleaning the chambers you probably have carbon built up from the shorter case preventing your longer .357 cases from going all the way in. Or you don’t have your sizing die set up correctly. Another thought, if these are carbide dies, which they most likely are, perhaps the carbide sizing ring has fallen out unnoticed.
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Interesting...
I can't say about the S&W M-52, never had one. But I have had several Desert Eagles a couple of LAR Grizzlys, Marlin 1894s, T/C Contenders and even a Coonan, and never noticed a bulged case from any of them.
And all my .38 and .357 Mag brass is sized through the Lyman FL die I bought in the early 1970s.
maybe they just aren't making things like they used to??
Try a different manufacturer for brass. I and many others have had problems with Starline as of late.
If your cylinder is clean after shooting .38s you should not be having a problem. That is the first place I'd look. Scrub the cylinders with a chamber brush, not a boar brush and use a good solvent.
Check to see that your die is tightl If it came loose you may also have that problem.
Get some Federal, RP or Winchester brass. All work well out of my .357s.
If your cylinder is clean after shooting .38s you should not be having a problem. That is the first place I'd look. Scrub the cylinders with a chamber brush, not a boar brush and use a good solvent.
Check to see that your die is tightl If it came loose you may also have that problem.
Get some Federal, RP or Winchester brass. All work well out of my .357s.
Not me, and I use a lot of Starline handgun brass.
I like Jetinterior's suggestion regarding the usual .38 special crud build up when used in a .357 chamber.
And too, assuming the dies are installed correctly, ie. screwed down so that they kiss the shell holder, any excessive bulge below that point indicated an over pressure situation that's expanded the case web. I'm not in favor of trying to save a .357 case to be used with 30,000+ psi loads with that type of damage. Kind of like "ironing out" the bulges in .40 S&W cases due to unsupported chambers...Rod