"Bulging 45 Colt"

[Cinco Peso]

Any way to fix bulging 45 Colt cases. I see that Lee has a Bulging Kit, but not for 45 Colt.

[cpt dan blodgett]

The 45 acp budget busted works by pushing the case thru the sizing die. This is not possible with a rimmed case like the colt 45

[sixgunner1965]

Redding makes a resizing die that's supposed to get rid of 45 colt bulge. Prob not cheap !!

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[Cinco Peso]

Thanks

[Bunk Stagnerg]

Hello Cinco Peso
What is case bulging” please? I have shot .45 Colt cartridges in gen one Model P revolvers, in Italian copies of the .45 Colt model P.

I have shot many rounds of the old button head cases In an 1892 Winchester converted to .45 Colt that started lfe as a .25-20 with a ruined barrel made from original Winchester parts with a little master gunsmith work using both nitro powder and real Gun Powder.

I don’t know how many rounds I have fired through 1860, 1866, 1ne 1873 Italian copies with modern made cases using both nitro and Gun Powder and I have yet to see a ‘bulged” case.

Of course all the reloads were done with powder charges that were about midway between minimum and maximum for that particular powder and bullet weight combination.

Since all .45 Colt cases now available have a good solid head, unlike the old button head cases where does the case bulge?

Your obt svt
Bunk

[Cinco Peso]

Hello Cinco Peso
What is case bulging” please? I have shot .45 Colt cartridges in gen one Model P revolvers, in Italian copies of the .45 Colt model P.

I have shot many rounds of the old button head cases In an 1892 Winchester converted to .45 Colt that started lfe as a .25-20 with a ruined barrel made from original Winchester parts with a little master gunsmith work using both nitro powder and real Gun Powder.

I don’t know how many rounds I have fired through 1860, 1866, 1ne 1873 Italian copies with modern made cases using both nitro and Gun Powder and I have yet to see a ‘bulged” case.




Of course all the reloads were done with powder charges that were about midway between minimum and maximum for that particular powder and bullet weight combination.

Since all .45 Colt cases now available have a good solid head, unlike the old button head cases where does the case bulge?

Your obt svt
Bunk

Bunk:

I noticed that a few of the rounds that I reloaded did not sit all the way on the cylinder, after asking some fellow shooters, they commented that I had Bulged cases. One of them had a 45 C ammunition gauge and those rounds did not sit well, most did.
So based on their comments and testing my reloads with the gauge,  I determine that those were Bulged.

I wish I could give you a better explanation, but I am sure someone on the board can provide more of a technical explanation.

Thanks,
Cinco

[Delmonico]

Before you do anything else, I'd guess that friend with the gauge also has a sizing, die, borrow his or size some cases in his shop if he won't let you borrow them and see it that cures it, if so, just buy a new sizing die or contact the maker of yours.


Could be a cheap fix, when in doubt try the cheap fix first.

[Coffinmaker]

I realize the original question was "how to fix bulged cases."  The question should be "Why are the cases bulged."  Have they been bulged during reloading??  Have they bulged by firing??  Is there a chamber problem??  Solve the problem of "WHY" FIRST.

Coffinmaker

[Delmonico]

I realize the original question was "how to fix bulged cases."  The question should be "Why are the cases bulged."  Have they been bulged during reloading??  Have they bulged by firing??  Is there a chamber problem??  Solve the problem of "WHY" FIRST.

Coffinmaker

True, I know  sometimes it has to do with the sizing die, a friend had that problem and it was the die, but a long time ago and I don't remember the details. 

[w44wcf]

 The bulge is caused by the case expanding to fit closer to the chamber.  If you are using them in one gun, I would suggest leaving the case in the as expanded condition and just neck size to a bit below where the base of the bullet will be as this pic illustrates.



w44wcf

[will52100]

What powder are you loading?  I tried annealing cases sever years ago and made them soft enough that when I compressed a load of black powder the case bulged and would no chamber.

[Cinco Peso]

I load Trail Boss but when I run out I use HP-38 or tight group

[will52100]

What dies are you using?  It's possible that your die might be oversized slightly, though I've never run into that myself.

A possibility is to grind a little off the bottom of the size die so it'll size further down the case, maybe a 1/16" or so off might do it.

[rickk]

Make sure the sizing die is set properly. An eighth of a turn too loose will cause the "doesn't quite go in all the way" condition. Don't set it too tight either or the carbide insert can be cracked... just do what the die manufacturer says.

The Lee "factory crimp die", with a sizing ring in the base of it, adds insurance that all is OK at the very end.

I found a Wilson Cartridge to be really handy to have when setting up the dies.

Will, It's not just you... Of all the stuff that I load for (maybe 40 different calibers), I found the 45 LC to be one of the most picky calibers to properly set up the dies for.

[Cinco Peso]

I will re-check my turret press set up.

[Dave T]

Another consideration is what is the bullet sized to. If you are loading .454" bullets into cases expanded for .451" or .452" bullets, that will produce a case bulge. Or, if you are too aggressive in crimping I've seen that bulge the case just below the neck and cause problems seating in the chamber.

Just more food for thought,
Dave

[Baltimore Ed]

What brand of sizing die are you using? Are you using new or used brass? Changed your bullet? Checked for lead buildup in your seating die? If you don't want to bugger up your die, you can also grind some off your shell holder to get the case farther into the die. Are the cases bulged after sizing or ok until you seat a bullet? If bulged after seating, check for lead, if clean then back your seater out a turn or two. A good idea is to load dummy cases that are correctly sized and with each bullet correctly seated that you use for that caliber and keep them in with the dies. If you change bullets all you have to do is adjust the seater stem to the dummy round.

[Popa Kapoff]

Ok I full length resize my 45 LC everytime I reload I use trail boss and have some cases on their 10th reload.