Hi gents, I tried to load some 357 mag ammo for a friend using his 3 die Lee set. Every time I seat a bullet the case seems to buckle, or get ripples. I also noticed lead smeared all the way down from case down about 3-5mm. Me thinks I am not flaring the case mouth enough? Does the Lee die crimp at the same time as when the bullet is seated and how to adjust for a nice crimp? Any input guys?
Thanks

You'll need a visible flare on the case mouth not quiet the bugle mouth, but enough to see and feel.
When seating the bullet see how the bullet is held by the seating stem. I've drilled out my bullet seating stems so that the should on SWC is what the stem pushs on.

Jim

Thats what I thinking not enough flare.

Yes it crimps at seating.

The way I set crimp is to set a bullet to proper depth. back the seating stem out until it does not touch bullet slowly ajust the die up or down until you have the proper crimp.

Then screw seating stem down until it touchs bullet.

Yep, not enough flair.

check your case length it may be too long, you may also have too much crimp..
resize one of the cases and them measure the length..

Many thanks for the quick replies. Im thinking not enough flair but am too lazy to go back to the bench now!

Funny thing is that ALL the 5 cases with the dents and ripples just slipped into the chambers. would have thought they would not chamber but they simply dropped in the chambers!

check the sizing die to make sure that it isn't sizing the case down to much. i've seen that before with cheap dies

Seat several bullets with the seating punch down and the die adjusted to NOT crimp.

Once you get the bullet seated to the right depth back out on the seater.

Then adjust the die down to crimp.

Then adjust the seating punch to touch the bullet.

Then try seating and crimping in one step.

If you cannot get it to work, seat can crimp in different steps or get rid of the Lee dies. I think you will find the expander on Lee dies about the worst there is by a mile.

the case is rippling or buckling because you are trying to apply to much crimp pressure.

Problems like this are almost always related to operator error. I've loaded 1000s of 38 and 357 rounds using Lee dies without problems. Have you read and followed the instructions included with the dies? Or are you "too lazy to go back to the bench now" ?

The more I think about it the more convinced I am that I did not flair the case mouth enough. Going to try again today.

To the gents that agreed too little flair of case mouth you guys were spot on!! Loaded a batch of 100 and they look brand new!!! Lee doesnt suck! IMHO

quote:

Originally posted by lal:
To the gents that agreed too little flair of case mouth you guys were spot on!! Loaded a batch of 100 and they look brand new!!! Lee doesnt suck! IMHO

Yeah Lee sucks,
If you had a better expander this episode would not have happened.

quote:

Yeah Lee sucks,

Don't mean to bust your bubble SR4759, but I've been reloading 44Mag, 357Mag, 45LC and 45ACP using only Lee dies since 1987. I have loaded over 10,000+ rounds of 44Mag loads( my favorite round). I have never had an issue when I have my dies adjusted correctly, unless there is an issue w/ the brass. But then I really am anal about my reloading. But to each his own. Whatever worx for you, ain't dissin' anyone just saying what I have experienced.

While I don't believe all the Lee claims about their dies being best, in most cases they aren't bad and their Factory Crimp Dies are the best going.

quote:

Originally posted by SR4759:
Seat several bullets with the seating punch down and the die adjusted to NOT crimp.

Once you get the bullet seated to the right depth back out on the seater.

Then adjust the die down to crimp.

Then adjust the seating punch to touch the bullet.

Then try seating and crimping in one step.

If you cannot get it to work, seat can crimp in different steps or get rid of the Lee dies. I think you will find the expander on Lee dies about the worst there is by a mile.

+1

I agree with others that the OP's problem was operator error. As is most of the problems related to the tooling used. I also think that most of the complaints about Lee equipment comes from the line of thinking "That at that price they can't be any good".
I have found that whenselling things that if you ask a fair price people won't buy because they think something is wrong with it. So when I sell something now I ask a price 50-75% over what I want, let them dicker awhile and sell it to them for what I wanted to start. A good thing all around. I get what I want the buyer gets to brag to thier buddies how bad they screwed me.
People just can't admit that a $150 dollar press and dies can possibly make ammunition as good as thier $500 set up.
Some of the most accurate ammo I ever made was done on a Lyman tong tool. The Lee loader you use a hammer to operate is a verey close second.
My more expencive can't do better just easier and faster.
Leo

quote:

Originally posted by kingd:
Don't mean to bust your bubble SR4759, but I've been reloading 44Mag, 357Mag, 45LC and 45ACP using only Lee dies since 1987. I have loaded over 10,000+ rounds of 44Mag loads( my favorite round). I have never had an issue when I have my dies adjusted correctly, unless there is an issue w/ the brass. But then I really am anal about my reloading. But to each his own. Whatever worx for you, ain't dissin' anyone just saying what I have experienced.

Kingd
I hate to burst your bubble but I have about 20 years of loading experience on you. It is through my experience with many other brands of dies that I determined the Lee pistol expanders are so crummy. If you only load jacketed bullet you may well find that the Lee dies are tolerable. I think they stink for cast bullets and I load many more calibers than you.

If you want a nice expander die for pistol rounds try the Lyman M dies or a similar copy.
Then go back and try the Lee expander. It IS the crappiest design going.