Uberti 44-40 difficult chambering

[Black Mike]

I have been having problems chambering a few rounds usually after two,or three stages. I brought a flexible chamber brush and found that I was getting a thin ring of lead out of the chamber after brushing.  My rifle is a Uberti. I shoot .428 bullets in both 200 gr and 180 gr.   The round will feed almost all the way in but find resistance the last 1/4"inch. My OAL is 1.58. 

 

Anyone have the same experience or, have any experience with this?  

[Cliff Hanger #3720LR]

First thing I would check is case bulge.

Take a loaded round, your calipers and check the case for bulge.

 

Place the calipers about 1/4" from where the brass meets the bullet.

Check that reading.

Then slide the calipers towards the bullet.

If the calipers read a large number as your get to the end of the brass (1/16" of less) then the case has bulges during the loading process.

 

I explained to in more detail in an article in the Brimstone Pistolero's Gazette.

Sept 2008 - Loading Bottleneck and long tapered rifle cases

 

[Lefty Dude, SASS # 51223]

What dies are you using to reload ? If they are LEE, buy new dies. 44WCF, and 38WCF Lee dies do not work well for our Sport. Lee Dies are built for Jacketed bullet reloading, they form the shoulder differently then needed for a Lead bullet.

[Turquoise Bill, SASS #39118]

Mike, 

 

I have been using .44-40 180 .427 diameter bullets for over 10 years in my Uberti 73 rifles, never had a problem. If you would like I'll send you a dozen of the 180 grain bullets in .427 to try, but as others have stated it might be your dies, I use RCBS dies with a Redding profile crimp die in the last station on my Dillon 550.

 

TB

[Thunder Creek Kid]

The first thing I would do is buy a case gauge to check my rounds.

[Trailrider #896]

I would make up a dummy round and either smoke the entire case with a burning candle or use a Magic Marker to completely blacken the case and the bullet. Insert the round in the chamber and then extract the cartridge (don't let it eject), and see just where the interference is.  I don't disagree with buying a case gage, but even if the gage says the round is good, you might be having issues with the gun's chamber. What brand of brass are you using?  You might need to switch to a different brand. I use nothing but Winchester brass, which is thinner than others, including Starline.  Winchester brass allows me to fit in my tight-chambered OM Ruger Vaqueros, using .430" bullets.  I agree with using RCBS dies. I've been using the regular dies, rather than the Cowboy dies for over 25 years, and they work great,

[Bugler]

Bought a set of Redding dies in  2000 and have never regretted it. The case gauge (mine is a Wilson) is also a great tool to have as well.

Others have given you some sound suggestions... Am using .428 RNFP bullets that I cast.

 

Bugler

[Rio Brazos Kid]

57 minutes ago, Thunder Creek Kid said:

The first thing I would do is buy a case gauge to check my rounds.

 

   The FIRST thing you should do is use the Redding Profile Crimp die for final crimping the 44-40.  You can then throw the case gauges away, because if that die is used, the result will fit any standard chambered 44-40 chamber on the planet.

 

   If you are getting leading in the chamber at the case mouth, you have a bullet/loading problem. In this case I would try some of the new polymer coated bullets, which should stop that problem.

 

     RBK

[Lefty Dude, SASS # 51223]

I agree on the brass issue. My 73 Uberti Carbine has an issue with Remington brass. I only use Starline for my Rifle & Revolvers.

[Black Mike]

I use Starline brass and RCBS Cowboy dies. I have also used a lee factory crimp die. For this weeks shoot I did not use the factory crimp die. 

 

I actually cycled all my rifle rounds through my rifle and had no issues. It seems that once the rifle is fired it starts to stick. If I run a brass brush through the chamber between stages I don't have the issue.

 

Thanks for your thoughts. I'll work on some of these suggestions

[Big Rock, SASS #44055]

Issue isn't with rifles, it's with revolvers chambered in .44 WCF is where the bulge comes into play.  If they don't fit the chamber of the revolver,they go in the rifle with no issues; the mechanical advantage of the lever and bolt. I use a chamber gauge, and when they don't fit that, marked for rifle only.  

 

I am switching to the Redding crimp die as suggested here from a Lee FCD.  I am probably the only one that regularly, as in 10 times fired or new brass, trim them to length.

 

 I use about what ever I can get, but mostly use Starline brass. The last batch of 500, purchased directly from Starline, I had 20-25 that were totally worthless out of the box and I only used maybe 200.  The rims were crushed down on one side or had chunks out of the rim.  I did manage to save a few that were dented and was able to get them where they could be run through the sizing die, and that didn't include those that were a total loss out of the box.  I just looked at those remaining in the box, and they are corroded, I guess I better clean them and use them.

[Red Cent]

I believe that the 44-40 has a groove diameter of .429 or some have .428.  I would think you should use at least a .429 sized bullet to fill up the bore. The .429 would fill up the throat more efficiently than the smaller bullets. I am aware that the 44-40 has a slight bottle neck but there is room for blow by creating debris for the next round to be chambered.

 

 

[Isom Dart, SASS#8096]

I had a similar incident, but it was with 38-40. Had to squeeze the lever to get the last 1/4" in. Long story short,, had a short chamber. If you have a correctly OAL loaded dummy and you close the lever on it and take it out ,,, and you see rifling marks on the bullet ,,, you've got a short chamber. I had the barrel pulled and went into it with a finishing reamer, problem solved. Never had a problem with 44/40's though. Just a thought.

Good luck,

Isom

[Rye Miles #13621]

19 hours ago, Turquoise Bill, SASS #39118 said:

Mike, 

 

I have been using .44-40 180 .427 diameter bullets for over 10 years in my Uberti 73 rifles, never had a problem. If you would like I'll send you a dozen of the 180 grain bullets in .427 to try, but as others have stated it might be your dies, I use RCBS dies with a Redding profile crimp die in the last station on my Dillon 550.

 

TB

I just ordered one because everyone has been talking about a Redding Profile Crimp die.........THUNDER CREEK KID TOLD ME FIRST!!!!!

[Driftwood Johnson, SASS #38283]

Howdy

 

Rather than taking a scattershot approach to the symptoms, trying various different brands of dies, how about first trying to analyze the problem.

 

Trailrider's idea of making up a dummy and smoking it or using a Sharpie to blacken it is an excellent idea. That way you can run a dummy into the chamber and see where the ink is rubbed off to determine where the interference is. While on the subject, when loading a new cartridge for the first time, making up dummies to get the crimp right is always a good idea. Sacrifice a few bullets and cases to get things correct, rather than cranking out live ammo that may be faulty. Then, set the dummies aside and save them to help reset your dies if you ever have need to change the settings.

 

I have been loading 44-40 for over ten years now for a variety of rifles chambered for the cartridge. Regarding rifling groove size, historically it was .427. Many firearms manufacturers today are using the same .429 barrels that they use for 44 Special/44 Magnum. I have slugged all five of my 44-40 rifles, some are of modern manufacture, some are all antiques. They all slug out at ether .427 or .429. Interestingly enough, the different diameters are not limited to old or new rifles. I have a smattering of both diameters in both modern and antique rifles.

 

For what it's worth, Uberti seems to be using .429 barrels for all their rifles recently. That is what my 1860 Henry, which I bought ten years ago, slugs out at. Yes, that is the most recent Uberti rifle I have. Conventional lead bullet logic says to use a bullet .001 over rifling groove diameter. Which would mean a modern Uberti rifle needs a .430 bullet. Unfortunately, many Uberti rifles have tight chambers. So a .430 bullet may expand the neck of the case to a large enough size that the round becomes stubborn to chamber. Years ago I found that my Uberti 1873, with its .427 diameter rifling, would accept bullets sized to .427 and .428, but .429 expanded the neck enough to cause difficulty chambering the rounds. Another element that enters into the equation is the thickness of the brass at the case mouth. I found long ago that Winchester brass has the thinnest brass at the case mouth. Usually right about .007 thick. If the brass is any thicker, and the chamber is tight, that can cause the case mouth to expand enough to prevent the round from chambering easily. Winchester 44-40 brass has gotten difficult for me to find, so for the past few years I have been using Starline brass. Starline 44-40 brass is very close to Winchester, usually running around .007, maybe .008 thick at the case mouth.

 

It is certainly possible to turn out good 44-40 ammo without buying expensive specialty dies. I did it for years with a standard RCBS die set. Not the Cowboy set, just a regular set. Most recently I use the Lee Factory Crimp die as my last step. Not because it is necessary, but because the gooey Black Powder lube I use can run into the crimp area and a standard die cannot compress it. It takes the force of the collet in the LFC die to force the lube to conform.

 

Bu sure you are not bulging the case down below the bullet. 44-40 is fussier to load than most other cartridges. This is because the brass is so thin at the case mouth. If the dies are not set up properly, at the last few thousandths of travel, the crimp can bump up against the underside of the crimp groove in the bullet. If this happens, as the die continues to 'swallow' the case, the brass is forced down, and having no place else to go, it bulges down below the bullet. Most other cartridges such as 45 Colt, have thicker brass at the case mouth, on the order of .012 or so. So if the crimp butts up against the underside of the crimp groove, it bulldozes its way into the bullet. But the thinner brass of 44-40 is not rigid enough to do this. Something has to give, so it bulges below the bullet.

 

Here is an exaggeration of a case bulged below the bullet by improper setting of the seating/crimp die. A bulged case may not be this obvious, but the principal is the same. A caliper will determine if the case is bulged.

 

 

 

 

 

There are a couple of workarounds for this. One is to use the expansion plug from a 44 Special/44 Mag die set. It may be .002 or so larger in diameter, allowing the bullet to slide into the case with less friction, alleviating the tendency for the brass to smoosh down with the bullet.

 

The other trick is to set your dies to leave a hair of space between the top of the crimp and the underside of the bullet crimp groove. Like this. This is an exaggeration, .004 or so is plenty to prevent the brass from colliding with the underside of the crimp groove.

 

 

 

 

To set your dies this way, measure a few cases, and select the longest ones to set your dies. Any cases that are shorter will automatically have a slightly wider gap.

 

The other thing to be aware of is not to put too much bell on the case mouth. Just enough so no lead is scraped off when the bullet is seated. My bells are almost invisible to the naked eye, but can easily be detected with the fingers.

 

Regarding bullet diameter, I standardized on .428 for all my 44-40 ammo a few years ago. That way I do not have to have ammo with different bullet diameters for different rifles. .428 works fine in all my 44-40 rifles and my two 44-40 revolvers.

 

 

 

Note: I do not recommend running completed rounds back through the sizing die to shrink the case mouth down. Doing so will compress the bullet inside the case, shrinking it down from what ever size it started at.

[Red Cent]

"I have been having problems chambering a few rounds usually after two, or three stages."

 

That means twenty to thirty rounds chambered OK.

 

"I brought a flexible chamber brush and found that I was getting a thin ring of lead out of the chamber after brushing."

 

Case mouth shaving lead when reloaded. Not enough "bell".

 

Don't think bulged cases, fat bullets, or short chamber is the cause. Somethings builds, then it stops.

 

[Big Rock, SASS #44055]

1 hour ago, Red Cent said:

 

Don't think bulged cases, fat bullets, or short chamber is the cause. Somethings builds, then it stops.

 

 

How do you explain it when bullets come off reloading press straight into bullet chamber gauge and it goes in except for last 1/8-1/4 inch.  No residue or buildup in case gauge?

[Cliff Hanger #3720LR]

The above photo of case bulge is not case bulge but case starting to fail or being crushed.

A cause of this is the roll crimp has come in contact with the bullet crimp groove top shoulder and is still being push down in to the case by the bullet seating punch.

This can be fixed by backing off the bullet seating punch just a .001" or so.

 

Case bulge is just below the roll crimp up on the side of the bullet.

This is caused by the roll crimping process in a die that has an over sized throat.

This bulge is usually not visible to the eye and unless you are really looking for it.

Might not even be felt by your fingers when run up the case.

Sliding the calipers up the case from the base of the bullet and watching the calipers, will show if there is a bulge at teh neck.

The calipers may jump slightly and then return to the base number.

In a rifle the lever can and will push the round in to the chamber.

In a revolver, it will sit high as much as 1/4" but usually only about 1/8".

This bulge hits the chamber throat before the case shoulder and holds the round high in the chamber.

 

It took me some time to find this problem.

I was reloading commercially and had to find out why some customers had a problem while others did not.

With help from a shooter who only shot 44-40 help me with his experience.

 

At first we both thought it was the crush case that was the problem but then we could not find any evidence of case bulging below the bullet.

 

 

 

[Red Cent]

 

"and it goes in except for last 1/8-1/4 inch".

 

 

An analogy of this can be seen at a Wild Bunch Match. I have witnessed numerous shooters smack the back of the slide to complete the chambering process. Most do not have their die adjusted down practically touching the shell plate and do not squeeze the last 1/100th of an inch to size. In the 1911 platform, this will lock the system up tight.

I do not think this is the problem with Black Mike's rifle.

 

[H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619]

On 4/8/2017 at 9:20 PM, Lefty Dude, SASS # 51223 said:

What dies are you using to reload ? If they are LEE, buy new dies. 44WCF, and 38WCF Lee dies do not work well for our Sport. Lee Dies are built for Jacketed bullet reloading, they form the shoulder differently then needed for a Lead bullet.

 

I beg to differ.   I use Lee dies for 44WCF and 32WCF without any problems.   You do have be a little careful that everything lines up properly, but you should do that anyway.   

 

I will admit that I was having far to many rumpled cases, but I attribute the problem to my own error, not the dies.  When I stopped trying to crip with the seating die and got a Factory Crimp Die, I also stopped having rumpled cases.   It has been pointed out that you don't NEED the FCD, and that is true.  But for me personally, I worked better to get one.   

 

For what it's worth, I load .44-40 with 200 Grain .428" RNFP bullet.    I fire it in an Uberti Henry, and very early Uberti 66, a 3rd Gen SAA, a pair of 3rd Gen Sheriff's models, an antique Merwin & Hulbert, a Colt 1878, also and antique, and a S&W Model 3 DA.  Also an antique.   The Sherrif's models came with both .44-40 and .44 Special cylinders, so they've got a .429" bore.   The smaller bullets still get good accuracy, even out of the very short barrels.   I've never slugged any of the others to see how big they are.   

 

I use a wide variety of brass.  I've got Remington, Winchester, some Starline, Hornday, and a few others I can't recall off the top of my head.  (Basically what I could find at local gun shops for factory ammo when I got my first gun in the caliber and could not find brass ANYWHERE.  No longer have that problem, thank goodness!)  Never had any problems with any of them chambering once I got my dies set up correctly and added the FCD.

[Yul Lose]

16 hours ago, Big Rock, SASS #44055 said:

 

How do you explain it when bullets come off reloading press straight into bullet chamber gauge and it goes in except for last 1/8-1/4 inch.  No residue or buildup in case gauge?

On my 44-40 dies I machined about. 32nd of an inch off of the bottom of the sizing/depriving Die and I made sure the Die was adjusted as close to the shell holder as it could be in my Dillon 650 and it solved the problem that you are describing.

[Big Rock, SASS #44055]

28 minutes ago, Yul Lose said:

On my 44-40 dies I machined about. 32nd of an inch off of the bottom of the sizing/depriving Die and I made sure the Die was adjusted as close to the shell holder as it could be in my Dillon 650 and it solved the problem that you are describing.

 

Normally, I use the RCBS Cowboy Dies for my .44 WCF (44-40 is a new fangled term) but yesterday, I set up my Lee .44 WCF Sizing die only in my Dillon 650 and those I checked with a Wilson Case gauge (checks for head space and case length on non-loaded brass after sizing) and on in a Shooters Box case and ammunition gauge, and those that I checked all had no bulges and were completely in SAAMI spec's.

 

Now I need to do the same with the RCBS die.  I bet, like mentioned before, it is the crimp that is bulging the cases ....

[Trailrider #896]

Just a bit of information as to why there are so many hassles with .44-40: SAAMI, which sets ammo standards for small arms ammunition, set the standard for the bullet diameter as well as cartridge dimensions. The SAAMI standard for the .44-40 bullet diameter is .427 +.000 -.003. That means the bullet standard, it says nothing about chamber dimensions! Therefore, gun manufacturers take their cue from the bullet and cartridge dimensions!  But, since the .44-40 is not the best-selling cartridge, most manufacturers are (and do) use the most economical barrel dimensions, which means using the diameter of the .44Spl/.44 Magnum barrels (if not the barrels themselves). Then they look at the SAAMI bullet/cartridge dimensions...and decide for themselves what chamber dimensions to actually use. It would sure be helpful if SAAMI would come up with "modern" dimensions, rather than the archaic ones currently prescribed as "standard".

[Red Cent]

"................it says nothing about chamber dimensions."

 

Trailrider, I believe the drawings I posted are from SAAMI. The drawings show chamber and cartridge.

 

 

[Driftwood Johnson, SASS #38283]

2 hours ago, Red Cent said:

Trailrider, I believe the drawings I posted are from SAAMI. The drawings show chamber and cartridge.

 

Yes, that is the official SAAMI drawing for the 44-40 cartridge and chamber. And it is pretty old.

 

No idea if current manufacturers are using the chamber dimensions from the drawing. Those that are using .429 44 Mag/44 Special barrels are probably not, they may be fudging some dimensions.

[Noz]

I loaded 44-40 for several years using Lee dies.  Pay attention to what Driftwood says. I did and my loading became smooth and bulge free.  I became so cocky I quit using the Lee FCD and simply used the seating crimp die with no problems.  You have to be very picky about how the dies are set, then never move them.  Oh, yeah, 2000 vintage Uberti 1866, Starline brass and 428 Big Lubes over a slightly compressed load of black.

[Rye Miles #13621]

1 hour ago, Noz said:

I loaded 44-40 for several years using Lee dies.  Pay attention to what Driftwood says. I did and my loading became smooth and bulge free.  I became so cocky I quit using the Lee FCD and simply used the seating crimp die with no problems.  You have to be very picky about how the dies are set, then never move them.  Oh, yeah, 2000 vintage Uberti 1866, Starline brass and 428 Big Lubes over a slightly compressed load of black.

A good crimp is really no needed for a full case of black, the bullet has nowhere to go. The problem is with smokeless rounds. 

[Driftwood Johnson, SASS #38283]

1 hour ago, Rye Miles #13621 said:

A good crimp is really no needed for a full case of black, the bullet has nowhere to go. The problem is with smokeless rounds.

 

Yes and no.

 

You are correct that a charge of compressed Black Powder will usually not allow a bullet to set back into the case. I have lots of dummy 44-40 rounds that I make up for test running through rifles. With the relatively weak crimp formed by the very thin brass of 44-40, I can usually only run these dummies through a rifle once or twice, before the magazine spring slamming them all back at once causes bullets to start telescoping into the cases.

 

However a charge of BP behind a bullet will do nothing to prevent bullets from jumping forward from recoil in a revolver.

[Rye Miles #13621]

3 hours ago, Driftwood Johnson, SASS #38283 said:

 

Yes and no.

 

You are correct that a charge of compressed Black Powder will usually not allow a bullet to set back into the case. I have lots of dummy 44-40 rounds that I make up for test running through rifles. With the relatively weak crimp formed by the very thin brass of 44-40, I can usually only run these dummies through a rifle once or twice, before the magazine spring slamming them all back at once causes bullets to start telescoping into the cases.

 

However a charge of BP behind a bullet will do nothing to prevent bullets from jumping forward from recoil in a revolver.

I shot BP for about 8 years and NEVER had a bullet jump forward in a revolver and I used 32-34 grs of black in a .44-40!!! That was about all I could get in the case and still have room for a bullet! I didn't have the greatest crimp either because when I went back to smokeless I had to adjust the crimp.

 

[Ace Hanlon]

On 4/10/2017 at 1:40 PM, Yul Lose said:

On my 44-40 dies I machined about. 32nd of an inch off of the bottom of the sizing/depriving Die and I made sure the Die was adjusted as close to the shell holder as it could be in my Dillon 650 and it solved the problem that you are describing.

Yul Lose how did you determine the amount to remove from the Lee resizing die?  I assume it was to move the cartridge shoulder further down the case.  Thanks Ace

[Yul Lose]

I followed the instructions of an old guy that had been reloading 44-40 and 38-40 for a long time. 

[Warden Callaway]

I'm new to loading 44 WCF with a round count of 300.

 

I'm using Lee dies in Dillon 550B.  I'm shooting them in a Marlin 1894 pre-safety that I changed out the 44 Magnum barrel.  The first I loaded and cycled,  I had one round turtle on me.  The Lee seating die wouldn't crimp. I stopped by Grafs and got a Lee factory crimp die. I set it up in a small Lee single station press and crimped the ones I had loaded and the next 200.  All cycled fine.  Fired cases looked as good as it gets.

 

Monday I started shooting the new Smoke Wagon.   My reloads chambered and ejected well. Cases looked good too. I hope the second Smoke Wagon comes in before the end of the month so I can use them in next local matches coming up.

 

So far,  the 44WCF has been easy to load.  

[Black Mike]

I have been working on this issue considering all the information posted. Again I thank you. 

 

I have cleaned and reset my RCBS dies on my Dillon RL550 and I have loaded 300 rounds.   I shortened the rounds to 1.577".

 

i cycled all 300 rounds through my Uberti 1873 without any issues. Next local match when I actually fire these rounds will let me figure out if the issue is resolved. 

 

A friend gave gave me a slug kit and just for fun I will slug the barrel and let you know. 

[Cliff Hanger #3720LR]

"how did you determine the amount to remove from the Lee resizing die?" Ace Hanlon.

 

Checking the length of the Lee dies.

 

Easiest way I found to do this, suggested by an old guy who shot only 44-40s, was to start with a new case.

Tumble it to remove manufacturing oils and sharp edges.

Run your sizing die down to the shell plate and lock in.

Size the new case. ( I suggest using more than one case)

Remove from the press and measure the location of the shoulder on the case.

Compare this to the cases fired in your guns.

This will give you the minimum amount of material to remove from the bottom of the die.

I do this and I add a couple of thousands when I dress the bottom of my dies.

(reloaded commercially and I need the rounds to chamber in all guns with out seeing them. I did ask for a couple of fired cases to look at)

 

If you shorten the die in this manner, it will give you a little adjustment room on the press.

 

The last couple of Le, 44-40 dies came with sizing dies that had been modified at the factory.

The bottom of the die has an outside taper that fits down in the groove of the Dillon shell plate.

 

I do not have a lathe for turning the dies.

I use a drill press.

I use a harden bolt that will fit the decapping pin hole.

I cut the head off the bolt so it will fit in the drill press chuck.

I use a lock nut to keep the die tight on the bolt.

While spinning the die in the dress, I use a Dremel with a find grinding wheel and slowly remove material from the die.

Once I get the length I want, I rounds of the bottom of the die to remove sharp edges and to taper the opening of the die mouth to accept cases easier.

To finish the bottom of the die, I use 400 wet and dry sand paper to polish out an scratch marks from the grinding.

 

I am not worried about removing too much material from the bottom of the die because brass cases are solid at the bottom for about 3/16" to 1/4".

About 1/4" of the bottom of the case does not get resize as it is.

 

Note: the die is very hard and grinding on it should be very slow to keep from heating it up and changing the tempter of the die.

         While grinding, pull off and to let it cool off as you go.

 

 

 

 

[Ace Hanlon]

8 minutes ago, Cliff Hanger #3720LR said:

"how did you determine the amount to remove from the Lee resizing die?" Ace Hanlon.

 

Checking the length of the Lee dies.

 

Easiest way I found to do this, suggested by an old guy who shot only 44-40s, was to start with s new case.

Tumble it to remove manufacturing oils and sharp edges.

Run your sizing die down to the shell plate and lock in.

Size the new case. ( I suggest using more than one case)

Remove from the press and measure the location of the shoulder on the case.

Compare this to the cases fired in your guns.

This will give you the minimum amount of material to remove from the bottom of the die.

I do this and I add a couple of thousands when I dress the bottom of my dies.

(reloaded commercially and I need the rounds to chamber in all guns with out seeing them. I did ask for a couple of fired cases to look at)

 

If you shorten the die in this manner, it will give you a little adjustment room on the press.

 

The last couple of Le, 44-40 dies came with sizing dies that had been modified at the factory.

The bottom of the die has an outside taper that fits down in the groove of the Dillon shell plate.

 

I do not have a lathe for turning the dies.

I use a drill press.

I use a harden bolt that will fit the decapping pin hole.

I cut the head off the bolt so it will fit in the drill press chuck.

I use a lock nut to keep the die tight on the bolt.

While spinning the die in the dress, I use a Dremel with a find grinding wheel and slowly remove material from the die.

Once I get the length I want, I rounds of the bottom of the die to remove sharp edges and to taper the opening of the die mouth to accept cases easier.

To finish the bottom of the die, I use 400 wet and dry sand paper to polish out an scratch marks from the grinding.

 

I am not worried about removing too much material from the bottom of the die because brass cases are solid at the bottom for about 3/16" to 1/4".

About 1/4" of the bottom of the case does not get resize as it is.

 

Note: the die is very hard and grinding on it should be very slow to keep from heating it up and changing the tempter of the die.

         While grinding, pull off and to let it cool off as you go.

 

 

 

 

Thanks for this information Cliff Hanger!