Push through die question

[rajbcpa]

I bought a Lee push through sizing and factory carbide crimp die (e.g. a single die with both capabilities) for 40 SW and set it up on my SS press. It works well in eliminating the common and annoying glock bulge, however, it is somewhat time consumming. Lubing the cases first makes a huge difference in the effort it takes to push the cases through the die.

Now I would like to set up my progressive press so it will use separate dies for the bullet seating (Hornady) and crimp tasks (Lee).

Can the Lee die do both full length sizing and bullet crimping when installed in the progressive press or must the brass case be pushed completely through the Lee die to fully eliminate the glock case bulge?

The Lee directions are very confusing.

[SL1]

I don't use the FCD body as a pass-through sizer. But it looks to me that, in order to completely eliminate the "Glock bulge" from a case, it will be necessary to push a case farther into the die than can be done with the case in a shell holder. So, you will not be able to do a Glock bulge elimination process with the internal crimping components left in the die.

On the other hand, it may be possible to chamber "Glocked" brass in YOUR particular gun without COMPLETELY eliminating the bulge.

SL1

[jepp2]

The Lee CFCD which you are using as the "push through" die is slightly different in dimensions than the carbide sizing die. I use the Lee CFCD for sizing the entire length of revolver brass, but use the normal carbide die to size the upper 1/2 of the case for proper neck tension.

So to answer you question of the crimp die can do full length sizing and eliminate the bulge in one step, my experience would say no. I size my 40 S&W brass in a normal carbide sizing die as my first step. For pick up brass I run everything through the Lee bulge buster (Lee CFCD) after sizing. I will spot check sized brass that has been fired in my barrels, and if I find any that don't pass the gage, I will run them through the bulge buster. But I find very few require this.

If you just use the Lee carbide factory crimp die to do your sizing, neck tension would be reduced.

[Unclenick]

Rajbcpa,

I think the terminology is causing confusion. Push through means all the way through and out the other end. You can remove "pregnant" bulges from some pistol cases (the relatively straight ones, like 40 S&W) this way by using the Lee Carbide Factory Crimp Die with the crimp ring removed (unscrew the top crimp setting plug and remove the ring) and a Lee Bulge Buster which is a ram that fits the shell holder slot on your press and drives the case and case head all the way through the die.

When you are using this same die to crimp, it is not removing bulges because the case holder has a deck height of 1/8" that prevents the case going any further in. So crimping and bulge removal are two separate operations, even though the same die is used as part of both.

Resizing is a completely different die with a narrower carbide ring that the head would not fit through even if you could remove enough of the top to do it. Resizing is necessary to narrow the upper part of the case body enough to grip a new bullet.

[Clark]

In 2002 I chambered a Mauser in 45acp with a .469" reamer, knowing that the Lee carbide die was .467" and the brass springs back to .469".

Running the brass at high pressure, there was a bulge that was protected from resizing by the carbide ring chamfer together with the shell holder.

I tried cutting off the chamfer with a diamond bit, but the carbide ring broke.
I tried milling the top of the shell holder thinner, but it then broke.

So I wound up pushing the brass up into a new carbide die without a shell holder and then pounding it back out.

I wish I had tried pushing the brass all the way through the die.