Using the Lee Bulge Buster

[Marco Califo]

I bought 3000 40 S&W range brass a few months ago. Now after wet tumbling with pins, and polishing in corn cob with NuFinish they are clean and shiny. I immediately noticed kind of a lot of bulged brass, some badly, and thrown out (Blazer mostly). So, I was obligated to purchase Lee's Bulge Buster kit. Note this "kit" also requires the Lee Factory Carbide Crimp Die in the same caliber as your brass. As long as you have that to you can process 380, 9mm, 40 and 45ACP.
How the brass gets bulged has been well covered in other threads, and I wont talk about that in this thread. The fact is I have bulged brass and am processing it, and intend to load it in typical target loads for range qualification, etc.
So I got started today. You actually disassemble your crimp die and remove the crimping sleeve. Then you screw the bulge buster into that die. The other piece goes where a shell holder would, and is a ram to push the entire case through the carbide sizing ring in the factory crimp dies. I am using a Lee hand press (held upside down) and catch them in a gallon plastic jar.

My question are:

1. If a case goes through the die, is it good to go?

I have seen some not bulged, some with bulges, and some with bigger bulges. But I have been able to get everyone through (over 50 so far).
I do have dial and digital micrometers, not within reach right now. When I measured some of the bulges I was shocked, but had no point of reference.

2. Is there a certain bulge size I should consider to be a No-Go case and discard?

None of these will be used for max loads. I have brand new brass for that.

 

[Unclenick]

I think that if cases look good on the inside and haven't grown beyond their trim-to length during the pass through the factory crimp die's sizing ring, it should be fine for light loads. If your chamber is well-supported and doesn't normally produce bulges, you should be pretty safe. If your chamber produces bulges, then this is going to be an area to watch.

I suggest you sort some of these by bulge size and nick the rims with a file to show which size category they were (1,2,3, or 4-nick rims; that sort of thing) and then see if those with the larger bulges before bulge busting also get biggest during firing. If so, they are weaker. If not, they are likely holding up as well as the others and are good to go. Just keep an eye open for signs of cracks or splits at every case inspection.

 

[rg1]

Inspect your cases before bulge busting. Scrap any cases with a so-called Guppy Belly. I've bought 1000 round lots of once fired 40 S&W cases and find maybe 5 or 6 with dangerous swelling. Do a search for guppy belly glock brass to see some pics. Even these bad cases will go through my Redding push through die. None of my Glocks in 9mm, 40 or 45's cause swelled brass.
https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url...ved=0CAIQjRxqFwoTCLidzoGcwegCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAF

 

[Marco Califo]

Thanks to both of you. That is useful information. I found the pictures particularly helpful. Thankfully, none of mine are that bad. I will hold out the worst and take pictures.
I own and love Glocks in 3 calibers: 9mm, 40 S&W, and 45 ACP, and have qualified with all three. Mine are recent production (all gen 3) and do not bulge brass.
I do not expect to get long reload life out of these. I was looking to stock up cheap on stuff I mostly would be leaving at indoor ranges. But then, these are from an indoor range
One other thing, these case are not yet sized, nor inspected and fit into a case gage. those are later batch steps. I am bulge busting at the point where the bulges became apparent. I now realize I need to segregate the bulged cases, to see how those specifically size and inspect. So, I am going to need to use Unclenick's marking idea. I guess I am going to need a punch tool, or edged file. Any recommendations?

 

[Real Gun]

The first thing I would do is sort head stamps to contain that variable.

 

[Unclenick]

You can use either a small triangular file or a small automatic centerpunch to mark the back face of the rim (buy two and keep one in your car to pop a side window if you wind up underwater or have to free a child from a cooking car in summer). If you use a file, it helps to buy a stick of chalk and file the chalk first to load the teeth of the file with it. It doesn't cut as deeply with each stroke, but the file doesn't load up with brass as fast, so you can get more notches between cleanings of the teeth.

 

[Aguila Blanca]

So, I am going to need to use Unclenick's marking idea. I guess I am going to need a punch tool, or edged file. Any recommendations?

Yes. https://www.harborfreight.com/12-piece-precision-needle-file-set-4614.html

 

[Marco Califo]

Measurement numbers


The photo is one of my 0.435 pre-bulge busting rejects.
I found a handleful of these I pulled out of the batch before I got the bulge buster. The bulge is surprisingly difficult to capture in a photograph. This photo shows the curve on the bulge.
After sorting, and measuring, and in some cases Bulge Busting, about 200 cases, I can add some measurement numbers here. Using clean shiny brass makes any bulging visible to the naked eye, as I was first noticing. Then, the question is to degree of bulge. Per Sierra 5. Normal is 0.424.
My measuring is 0.15" above extractor groove, which is the widest point when spinning the case in a micrometer jaws, holding the case in line with the jaws.
Normal 0.424
After Bulge Busting 0.426 (in my specific die, other dies may vary).
No Bulge 0.428
Bulged - Fixable 0.433
Throwout Line 0.435
Bellied 0.437
The best looking once fire brass measures 0.428. To the naked eye on clean brass there is no bulge (although one can be measured (by spinning case to determine widest point).
The next bracket, I am calling fixable has a visible bulge that looks like a circumference bulge. I think these would be generally loose chambers. Up to 0.434.
Brass that has a visible belly on one side have measured 0.437. The bulge is smile shaped and one side only. I wont reload these. I am throwing them out. I would use 0.435 as a cut-off point rule.
I will also say each of these measured ranges can be called by eye pretty easily, and the measurement confirms that.
I think the only ones that look caused by partially unsupported chambers are the ones with a visible belly, I measured at 0.437, and there have only been two so far.
So, I think the range brass, when cleaned and inspectable is generally looking good and the rejectable cases are pretty obvious to the naked eye.
Note that I have passed a couple bellied ones through the Bulge Buster and they do return to proper dimensions. I am changing my method to dispose of those at inspection and sorting.
I would estimate the bad examples some one posted at the top of this thread to measure 0.440 or greater.
That is how it it look to me; I welcome disagreements, with reasons why included.

 

[Marco Califo]

Two bulges touching

Two more photos.

 

[DaleA]

Unclenick post #6:

You cleared up a mystery for me. In an episode of the TV series "The Closer" a cop was busting out side windows of a few cars and it just seem like he was pressing a tool to the window and then the window shattered with almost no effort. It's a small thing but I wondered how it was done. Now I know. Thanks. Also the link you provided is now an Amazon wish list item for me.

 

[Aguila Blanca]

My measuring is 0.15" above extractor groove, which is the widest point when spinning the case in a micrometer jaws, holding the case in line with the jaws.
Normal 0.424
After Bulge Busting 0.426 (in my specific die, other dies may vary).
No Bulge 0.428
Bulged - Fixable 0.433
Throwout Line 0.435
Bellied 0.437

The SAAMI specification for .40 S&W is 0.424" - .008", or 0.416" to 0.424", measured .200 forward of the case head surface.

The SAAMI spec for the chamber at that same reference point is 0.4274" + 0.004", or 0.4274" to 0.4314".

 

[Marco Califo]

Aguila, these are fired cases, before bulge busting, and before sizing. They did not come to me in SAAMI Spec condition.
After bulge busting and sizing I will try-fit some in a case gauge or barrel. But that is not happening at this step.

 

[RoyceP]

NOTE: 9mm cases are not able to be used in the Bulge Buster because it has a slightly tapered case and the rim is not completely flush with the case

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005KW5F3K

 

[Aguila Blanca]

Aguila, these are fired cases, before bulge busting, and before sizing. They did not come to me in SAAMI Spec condition.

I understand that. There wouldn't be any point to using the bulge buster on new brass.

I posted the SAAMI specs because it appears that the brass is still out of spec after bulge busting. It strikes me that that sort of defeats the purpose.