.357 seating problem

dsv424 · February 17, 2009, 03:15 PM

Hey guys I'm a newbie at reloading in fact just got my press about a week ago.(Lee Classic Turret) My problem is that when I seat the bullet in the .357 case it sometimes crushes the case. I noticed on the Lee die it says .38 special but I have been re-assured from Kempf(where I bought the press kit) that this die is for both .357 and .38 special. I set the die as per the Lee instructions that came with the Carbide Pistol Die set but it deviated a little when seating for the .357 round. Has anyone used this die set and configured it for the .357 round. I have the same die set in 10mm and I had no problems with crushed cases with it.

IllinoisCoyoteHunter · February 17, 2009, 03:51 PM

you need to back out your seating die because the 357 case is longer than the .38 case. You are crushing the case with the crimping portion of the die. If you set up your die per the .38 instructions, your die will be screwed in too far.

dsv424 · February 17, 2009, 04:02 PM

Illinois, excuse me if this question sounds dumb but like I said I'm a "newbie". Do you mean back out the whole die or just the bullet seating adjustment knob on top of the die? Also I wasn't aware the crimping was being done at this stage since I have a factory crimp die in the next stage that should be doing the crimping. Looks like I need to do more re-reading on this die set up.

oneounceload · February 17, 2009, 04:04 PM

My RCBS die set came with a spacer to use with my seating die when switching from 38 to 357. It was basically a big washer whose thickness is equal to the length difference between the two cases.

If using something like that won't work for your instance, you might want to get another seating die and have one set for 38 and one set for 357 - that way you'll only have to set them once

IllinoisCoyoteHunter · February 17, 2009, 04:11 PM

put an empty 357 brass case in your press and raise the ram all the way up. then screw in your die untill the crimping part of the die just touches the mouth of the brass... back the die out 1/4 to 1/2 turn. Seat all bullets.

IllinoisCoyoteHunter · February 17, 2009, 04:18 PM

ok, you have a factory crimp die. BUT, the seating die still has a crimper in it. Follow my directions above for seating the bullets. Then, put your crimp die in per instructions from lee. Back out the knob. put a round in the press, raise the ram, and screw the knob in until it hits the mouth of the case. then turn in an additional 1/4 to 1/2 turn, depending on level of crimp you want. That's it! Remember, there are no such things as stupid questions. That is what this forum is for! Good luck!

kyle663 · February 17, 2009, 06:05 PM

if you want to use that die just for seating, put a case that you have belled in abd screw the die down till it touches the case. then back it out 1/2 turn. then put powder and bullet in and adjust the seating knob (the center knob) till you get the proper OAL then crimp with your crimp die.

dsv424 · February 18, 2009, 04:38 PM

Thanks for all your help guys. I used your advise and have now sucessfully made 20 .357's and will go to the range this weekend and shoot my very first reloads. Hope I did it all correctly but you'll know if after testing I type with one or two hands. LOL

ShootingNut · February 19, 2009, 04:39 PM

dsv
Just a thought, you may want to pickup another Turret and Die set.
I find having one all set up for .38 spl and one for my .357 Mags is really nice, and does save time switching. Kemps has good pricing, that's were I bought my Lee equipment.
Good Luck!
SN

dsv424 · February 19, 2009, 04:47 PM

As soon as I realized that is what I would have to do in order to make .38's and .357's I went back to Kempfs and got another turret and .38 die set. Guess I'm just lazy and once I get it set up for one didn't want to redo it all the time. LOL. BTW I shot my very first reloads and I'm still typeing with 2 hands!

The .357's I made worked great.

ShootingNut · February 19, 2009, 06:57 PM

Hey Congrats,
First time shooting ones reloads is an experience, no doubt about that.
And, when it goes bang without taking off your hand, you have to smile.

Happy Loading!

SN

February 17, 2009, 03:15 PM	#1
dsv424 Senior Member Join Date: December 4, 2008 Location: Dallas, Tx. Posts: 266	.357 seating problem Hey guys I'm a newbie at reloading in fact just got my press about a week ago.(Lee Classic Turret) My problem is that when I seat the bullet in the .357 case it sometimes crushes the case. I noticed on the Lee die it says .38 special but I have been re-assured from Kempf(where I bought the press kit) that this die is for both .357 and .38 special. I set the die as per the Lee instructions that came with the Carbide Pistol Die set but it deviated a little when seating for the .357 round. Has anyone used this die set and configured it for the .357 round. I have the same die set in 10mm and I had no problems with crushed cases with it.

February 17, 2009, 03:51 PM	#2
IllinoisCoyoteHunter Senior Member Join Date: December 23, 2008 Location: Southern Illinois Posts: 1,527	you need to back out your seating die because the 357 case is longer than the .38 case. You are crushing the case with the crimping portion of the die. If you set up your die per the .38 instructions, your die will be screwed in too far. __________________ ~~IllinoisCoyoteHunter~~ ~NRA LIFE MEMBER~ ~NRA CERTIFIED INSTRUCTOR~

February 17, 2009, 04:11 PM	#5
IllinoisCoyoteHunter Senior Member Join Date: December 23, 2008 Location: Southern Illinois Posts: 1,527	put an empty 357 brass case in your press and raise the ram all the way up. then screw in your die untill the crimping part of the die just touches the mouth of the brass... back the die out 1/4 to 1/2 turn. Seat all bullets. __________________ ~~IllinoisCoyoteHunter~~ ~NRA LIFE MEMBER~ ~NRA CERTIFIED INSTRUCTOR~ Last edited by IllinoisCoyoteHunter; February 17, 2009 at 04:22 PM.

February 17, 2009, 04:18 PM	#6
IllinoisCoyoteHunter Senior Member Join Date: December 23, 2008 Location: Southern Illinois Posts: 1,527	ok, you have a factory crimp die. BUT, the seating die still has a crimper in it. Follow my directions above for seating the bullets. Then, put your crimp die in per instructions from lee. Back out the knob. put a round in the press, raise the ram, and screw the knob in until it hits the mouth of the case. then turn in an additional 1/4 to 1/2 turn, depending on level of crimp you want. That's it! Remember, there are no such things as stupid questions. That is what this forum is for! Good luck! __________________ ~~IllinoisCoyoteHunter~~ ~NRA LIFE MEMBER~ ~NRA CERTIFIED INSTRUCTOR~

February 17, 2009, 06:05 PM	#7
kyle663 Senior Member Join Date: April 14, 2008 Location: IL Posts: 311	if you want to use that die just for seating, put a case that you have belled in abd screw the die down till it touches the case. then back it out 1/2 turn. then put powder and bullet in and adjust the seating knob (the center knob) till you get the proper OAL then crimp with your crimp die. __________________ NRA member 22LR,17hmr, 9mm, 9mm makarov, 38 S&W, 38/357, 41mag, 44mag, 45ACP, 7.62x39, 7.62x54, 222rem

February 17, 2009, 04:02 PM	#3
dsv424 Senior Member Join Date: December 4, 2008 Location: Dallas, Tx. Posts: 266	Illinois, excuse me if this question sounds dumb but like I said I'm a "newbie". Do you mean back out the whole die or just the bullet seating adjustment knob on top of the die? Also I wasn't aware the crimping was being done at this stage since I have a factory crimp die in the next stage that should be doing the crimping. Looks like I need to do more re-reading on this die set up.

February 17, 2009, 04:04 PM	#4
oneounceload Junior member Join Date: April 18, 2008 Location: N. Central Florida Posts: 8,518	My RCBS die set came with a spacer to use with my seating die when switching from 38 to 357. It was basically a big washer whose thickness is equal to the length difference between the two cases. If using something like that won't work for your instance, you might want to get another seating die and have one set for 38 and one set for 357 - that way you'll only have to set them once

February 18, 2009, 04:38 PM	#8
dsv424 Senior Member Join Date: December 4, 2008 Location: Dallas, Tx. Posts: 266	Thanks for all your help guys. I used your advise and have now sucessfully made 20 .357's and will go to the range this weekend and shoot my very first reloads. Hope I did it all correctly but you'll know if after testing I type with one or two hands. LOL

February 19, 2009, 04:39 PM	#9
ShootingNut Senior Member Join Date: December 27, 2006 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 1,475	dsv Just a thought, you may want to pickup another Turret and Die set. I find having one all set up for .38 spl and one for my .357 Mags is really nice, and does save time switching. Kemps has good pricing, that's were I bought my Lee equipment. Good Luck! SN

February 19, 2009, 04:47 PM	#10
dsv424 Senior Member Join Date: December 4, 2008 Location: Dallas, Tx. Posts: 266	As soon as I realized that is what I would have to do in order to make .38's and .357's I went back to Kempfs and got another turret and .38 die set. Guess I'm just lazy and once I get it set up for one didn't want to redo it all the time. LOL. BTW I shot my very first reloads and I'm still typeing with 2 hands! The .357's I made worked great.

February 19, 2009, 06:57 PM	#11
ShootingNut Senior Member Join Date: December 27, 2006 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 1,475	Hey Congrats, First time shooting ones reloads is an experience, no doubt about that. And, when it goes bang without taking off your hand, you have to smile. Happy Loading! SN