[stinger]

Okay,

I do not hate Lee products, although if you run a search for Lee with my name, you will find out that I probably should. I have tons of Lee equipment. Most of it is of good value, and works just as good as the other guys, or even better in many circumstances. My like or dislike of Lee, however, has nothing to do with the facts.

Once your dies are set, you've expanded and then seated, and you have a BULGE in your case, you screwed up, plain and simple. I do not know how YOU did it. If it happened to me, I would try to find out why and fix the problem. If you aren't that kind of person, and all that matters to you is that your ammo goes "bang," then the FCD is for you.

Yes, there is a little black magic in setting up dies, particularly when a crimp or expansion is involved. Too little or too much of each will cause problems with case tension, chambering, and probably both. Only trial and error will get you where you need to be.

I do not have any imperical data to back up my assertions, but it is a FACT that the FCD is a bandaid (I'm not speaking for those who use it to crimp, but for those who use it to resize their loaded cases) plain and simple. Let me say this again. If you need the FCD to do this, YOU SCREWED UP somewhere in the loading process. The fact that you need this die says a lot about your loading. We have all been rookies at one point, and have all made mistakes, no matter our experience level, so this is not said in jest or in a critical manner.

I have a pistol FCD die in (let me count) four cartridges, and have use it in all four (38/357, 45acp, 45 colt). I thought it was the greatest thing since sliced bread for 45acp, so I bought one in the other calibers as well. The always created more problems than they solved, however. Having one more die in the mix raised the percentage of potential variables, so I removed it from the equation. I only expand enough to seat the bullet, and DO NOT crimp at all for 45ap. I have absolutely zero problems with accuracy, setback, chambering, etc.

On my revolver cartidges, I have found that the seating die makes a more consistent crimp that the FCD. That is my experience, based on my loads, on my equipment, in my guns. Again, no imperical data to back it up, sorry. Had I known that the only way we could have helped you see the light was to keep a journal, I would have done so.

I don't know how many rounds I have loaded. It is a bunch. More than most, not nearly as much as others. I do not consider myself an expert, far from it. It is more of a practice. I do not know as much as Richard Lee, either. His reloading knowledge dwarfs mine, but I am not trying to sell you anything either. I referred to Modern Reloading as propaganda, because that is exactly what it is. If somebody cannot see that, then they haven't read the book, or are clueless. Each and every page is a shamless plug of why Lee products are so much better than everbody else's. Again, nothing wrong with Lee products, but they are FAR from the best in many/most instances.

If you don't like my way, do it your way.