.45 Colt dies and fat chambers

[jimbobborg]

I've been busy reloading .45 Colt since I now have two rifles in that caliber.  I started with RCBS but I managed to bend the pin assembly so that's sitting on the sidelines while I get a new one from RCBS.  I'm now using my spare Lyman resizing die.  Both are carbide dies.  Now here's my dilemma.  Both resizing dies squeeze the heck out of by brass.  It's noticeable when I look at them as the base of the brass is way wider than the top.  Now here's the kicker.  I made some dummy rounds to practice cycling my pump rifle.  5 of thme, I just put a new bullet in and crimped them.  They fed fine.  So why are the resizing dies making the brass so skinny?  Does someone make a resizing die that won't overwork my brass?  The brass I'm using was originally fired in my Winchester 94 and my Ruger Blackhawk. 

[pony express]

Not sure who makes the Lightnings, but I do know that Uberti '66 and Henrys in .45 are noted for their oversized chambers. If you're only going to use them in the one rifle, you could just size enough of the neck to hold the bullet. If you plan on using the same rounds in different guns, you'll have to resize them.

The way I do it is to only neck size my .45Colt cases, for BP use in my "66, and then use .45 Schofield brass for my pistol loads. Added benefit is the fat cases reduce blowback in the rifle.

[jimbobborg]

Taurus makes the Lightning clone.  I loaded the dummy cartridges up in both the Taurus and the Winchester, both fed properly.  I'll probably only neck size, too. 

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[rickk]

I tried both RCBS and LEE 45 Colt sizing dies and was not happy with the results of either.

I wound up getting one of these - I am quite happy with the results....

http://www.redding-reloading.com/online-catalog/124-dual-ring-carbide-dies

[w44wcf]

Not sure who makes the Lightnings, but I do know that Uberti '66 and Henrys in .45 are noted for their oversized chambers. If you're only going to use them in the one rifle, you could just size enough of the neck to hold the bullet. If you plan on using the same rounds in different guns, you'll have to resize them.

The way I do it is to only neck size my .45Colt cases, for BP use in my "66, and then use .45 Schofield brass for my pistol loads. Added benefit is the fat cases reduce blowback in the rifle.

+1 on neck sizing (Size to at least 1/16" below where the base of the bullet will be.).   However.....if the cases were previously fired with a minimal load and did not expand to fit closer to the chamber, the results, although better than full length resizing will not be as good as with cases that have expanded in the body.  

For example, when I was testing factory .45 Colt cartridges for velocity and accuracy,  
http://www.cascity.com/forumhall/index.php/topic,49740.0.html
I found that in both factory 200 gr. loads tested the cases did not expand.

On the other hand, the 250 gr. cartridges did expand about .008".  
Neck sizing those cases did cut down on the blow by.

The Redding die is a  good compromise but a bit too pricey for me. The other option, if loading for several .45 Colt firearms, would be to neck size, then use the Lee Carbide factory crimp die to crimp. The Lee die has a carbide ring that sizes the body of the case to .480", which is .005" larger than the normal case diameter.

w44wcf

 

[Bibbyman]

I've taken to neck sizing (or partial sizing) just the top 3/8" of the case.   I do this in both 45 Colt and C45S cases.  The cases have expanded a lot.  The partial sizing makes the cases look like a 44/40.  I've thought about calling them 45/40!   But they feed fine in rifle and the C45S still fall into the Castleman. 

I'm not sure how much, if any, partial sizing will improve case life as most of my cases fail at the mouth.  Annealing the case mouths should extend case life.

To find and use a sizing die that won't reduce as much as the current dies would probably not reduce case dimensions enough to hold a 452 bullet.  Getting a mold to throw a larger bullet these days is likely a custom order.  I don't see any cowboy bullets offered in diameter other than 452.

[Hans Christian]

I tried both RCBS and LEE 45 Colt sizing dies and was not happy with the results of either.

I wound up getting one of these - I am quite happy with the results....

http://www.redding-reloading.com/online-catalog/124-dual-ring-carbide-dies

Wow, that's pricey, but innovative!

I have found that my carbide dies in 38/357 and 45 Colt produced 'coke bottle' ammo when new.  After using for a few years, the carbide ring must have worn a bit as the affect is not as pronounced now.  I have probably used the 38/357 Hornady New Dimension to load about 10,000 rounds and the Lyman 45 Colt about 5000.

Smoked up brass is annoying but manageable for us if you clean brass and chambers right away. 

I load for 4 different 45 Colt guns, so neck sizing concerns me.  The Redding dual ring looks like a reasonable compromise.

Thanks for posting rickk.