Armory Sponsor
Posted: 5/21/2015 3:47:27 PM EDT
|
I have a 9mm Lee FCD as the last stage in my Hornady LNL, and I am having a heck of a time getting it set right.
After having a whole bunch of rounds (almost 25% of what I had been turning out) fail both a chamber fit and the case gauge, I went back to the instruction manual to try to start over. The FCD says you need to turn it down until it just touches the shellplate, then insert a sized case. The problem is when I do that, this happens: 
It way, way mangles cases. That is with the crimp stem entirely removed from the die, by the way. Am I doing something wrong here or is there a problem with my die? |
|
Quoted:
The die needs to be screwed down until it touches the case mouth. My emphasis added, but see below. Then screw it in 1/8 turn and lock it. Crimp a round and see if it is the amount of crimp that you want and adjust accordingly. Quoted:
The die needs to be screwed down until it touches the case mouth. My emphasis added, but see below. Then screw it in 1/8 turn and lock it. Crimp a round and see if it is the amount of crimp that you want and adjust accordingly. The part in red needs clarification, because PISTOL FCDs work differently from RIFLE FCDs. Here are Lee's instructions for the PISTOL FCD: Screw the Lee Carbide Factory Crimp Die in, until it just touches the shell holder and back out the adjusting screw. With the loaded round in the die, turn the adjusting screw in until you can feel it just touch the case mouth. Then move the cartridge out of the die slightly and screw the adjusting screw in 1/2 turn for a light crimp and one full turn for a heavy crimp. You can adjust for even greater crimp and never have to worry about buckling the case as with conventional crimpers. The case is sized as it enters the die and again as it is pulled out of the die. This assures you every case will freely chamber in any standard gun. Don’t expect the carbide sizer to touch every case. It is a fail safe tool for the occasional bad round that could ruin your day. |
|
I am aware of the Lee instructions for the pistol version of the die. I am following them to the letter.
In case my post was not clear, the adjuster was backed out all the way and JUST the die body was used, screwed down until it touches the shellplate exactly as stated in the instructions. A loaded round will only fit in the die about halfway without absolutely destroying it, which does not appear consistent with lee's instructions or their diagram of how the die is supposed to work. |
|
Quoted:
Maybe too obvious, but are you sure you have the correct caliber FCD? What dryflash3 said. Typically only a slight bump will be felt as the mouth flair passes through the post sizing ring. I usually set my seat/crimp die to remove most of the mouth flair before using the FCD. Something is very wrong for you to be getting what you have from the post sizing ring only. Measure the inside diameter of your post sizing ring. Compare it to your size die inside diameter and post your measurements. Motor |
| lol wrong die. Ok but just in case http://leeprecision.net/support/index.php?/Knowledgebase/Article/View/112/60/carbide-factory-crimp-explanation |
|
Quoted:
It's even dumber. When changing out the dies earlier, I had mixed up the seating and crimp dies. I'm going to go sit in a corner for a bit and think about how dumb that was. I HATE IT when that happens. 
It's Ok, at least You are man enough to admit it. Live and learn. |
|
Bummer. However, at least you got it figured out. The thing about taking the crimp adjustment screw out is that the die now looks like "something else," and that can be an issue. Not as horrible as having more than one powder on the bench at a time, but definitely unpleasant.
With RCBS and Hornady dies, the expander and seater dies are awfully similar looking, and I've had some very frustrating times getting myself un-mixed up because of that, so when I'm doing anything with my Rock Chucker, I have only one die out at a time, and I check the markings on the die when I grab it. On my progressive, a Hornady LnL AP, I set up each die one-by-one so I keep them straight. Because, well, stuff happens. I just don't want it to happen to me more than once.
|
|
Quoted:
It's even dumber. When changing out the dies earlier, I had mixed up the seating and crimp dies. I'm going to go sit in a corner for a bit and think about how dumb that was. 
Crap happens, at least you sorted it. I'd seen your pic this am, and for the life of me couldn't think of how that could possibly happen, but was waiting until I could pull my 9mm FCD apart to be certain. |
|
Quoted: It's even dumber. When changing out the dies earlier, I had mixed up the seating and crimp dies. I'm going to go sit in a corner for a bit and think about how dumb that was. It happens. Some ruined cases, nobody hurt, so a fairly painless lesson. And you won't do that again, or if you do you will what is wrong very fast. I call that experience, you now have some more.   |
|
Glad you got it figured out op, I've almost done the same with my Lee dies so I label the crimp and seater dies to keep them in check. Your picture though made me think of some range brass I once picked up, it looked just as your pic did, a slight necked down taper on the first 5mm of the case or so. They were stamped as 9mm federal cases and always made me wonder what happened to them, they squeezed back out to size in the sizing die just fine. |
|
Quoted:
It's even dumber. When changing out the dies earlier, I had mixed up the seating and crimp dies. I'm going to go sit in a corner for a bit and think about how dumb that was. I made to sure to look at the picture and compare the dies very carefully when I bought them. They look similar enough that wouldn't be hard to do. |
Armory Sponsor