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CowboyBob · January 3, 2010, 08:21 PM

Hey all, I'm new to reloading and have a couple of simple questions you guys can probably help with. I purchased a Lee hand press and carbide 44 magnum dies, as this is the only round I have interest in reloading for. I now have all necessary components (and have read and reread my reloading manuals).

Before I actually get down to business of reloading, the plan is to practice loading a couple of shells with a already used primer and no powder just to master the operation of my equipment.

My question is this: when I crimped the the shell, the crimp didn't appear uniform all the way around, i.e. the angle of the crimp was (slightly) steeper on one side than the other. Is this ok, or is it a problem? I have a Lee three die carbide set, the crimp is integral with the bullet seater. I think Lee sells a separate crimping die, should I go ahead and invest in this?

One more question: I don't have a tumbler, and don't particularly want to purchase one. Are there alternatives to cleaning brass? I saw some sort of liquid cleaner on Cabelas. There must have been some sort of method before tumblers came along.

Final question: Will I ever need a case trimmer? None of my once fired brass has stretched beyond fitting in my Lyman case gauge, so I have no need to trim now. After brass has been used multiple times, will it stretch more?

Thanks guys, sorry for the long post.

January 3, 2010, 08:21 PM	#1
CowboyBob Junior Member Join Date: August 29, 2009 Posts: 7	New to reloading Hey all, I'm new to reloading and have a couple of simple questions you guys can probably help with. I purchased a Lee hand press and carbide 44 magnum dies, as this is the only round I have interest in reloading for. I now have all necessary components (and have read and reread my reloading manuals). Before I actually get down to business of reloading, the plan is to practice loading a couple of shells with a already used primer and no powder just to master the operation of my equipment. My question is this: when I crimped the the shell, the crimp didn't appear uniform all the way around, i.e. the angle of the crimp was (slightly) steeper on one side than the other. Is this ok, or is it a problem? I have a Lee three die carbide set, the crimp is integral with the bullet seater. I think Lee sells a separate crimping die, should I go ahead and invest in this? One more question: I don't have a tumbler, and don't particularly want to purchase one. Are there alternatives to cleaning brass? I saw some sort of liquid cleaner on Cabelas. There must have been some sort of method before tumblers came along. Final question: Will I ever need a case trimmer? None of my once fired brass has stretched beyond fitting in my Lyman case gauge, so I have no need to trim now. After brass has been used multiple times, will it stretch more? Thanks guys, sorry for the long post.