HANDY TRICK for rounds loaded too long

[Dusty Devil Dale]

Here's a little trick (tool) that saved me some time and kept some rifle ammo out of my "practice box".

 

I loaded about 600 rounds of .38 rifle rounds with a seating die that had moved out of adjustment.  The 1.545 [edited] COAL rounds just wouldn't work through my 1873. 

I re-seated the rounds to shorter length, but because they had already been crimped, re-seating left a thin collar of shaved lead around the crimp on each round.  I was concerned the collars would be dislodged in clambering, fouling the chamber and feeding. 

I did the following, which has worked very well, so I thought I'd share it here for others with similar situations.

 

First I took an empty, unprimed .38 case and belled the end, using a cheap 3/8" HFT drift punch (any 3/8" rod of hard dowel would work), ground to a slight taper at the tip 1/4".  (I first tried using the powder die belling feature, but it didn't bell the end deeply enough down the case)

 

I filed four shallow notches in the end, leaving  them rough, as teeth.  I chucked the belled round in a screw gun and inserted the re-seated rounds tip first, running at very low speed (wear good gloves).  The rough brass easily removed the shaved lead collars, leaving me 600 perfect rounds of correct length.  When it wears or stretches too much, I can cheaply make another or roll the edge against a hard surface to restore it.

Occasionally, someone here posts about re-seating cartridges, so I thought I would share.  This works better than grinding the tips off of bullets, and I once discharged a round in my hand from the heat of that kind of grinding.  

 

Edited April 25 by Dusty Devil Dale

[Garrison Joe, SASS #60708]

To reseat over-length crimped rounds, I use a hammer bullet puller to nudge the bullet FORWARD enough to straighten out the crimp.   Then I reseat to proper length and quick as that, the round is ready to fire.  

 

good luck, GJ

[Dusty Devil Dale]

14 minutes ago, Garrison Joe, SASS #60708 said:

To reseat over-length crimped rounds, I use a hammer bullet puller to nudge the bullet FORWARD enough to straighten out the crimp.   Then I reseat to proper length and quick as that, the round is ready to fire.  

 

good luck, GJ

Good idea!  Then re-seat and re-crimp?

 

 

But unless somebody makes a better (i.e. metal) hammer- puller than what I have found, I'd need to buy about 10 of them to process 600 rounds. 

 

But the idea of shifting the bullet mass forward first is a clever approach that I will try. 

Edited April 23 by Dusty Devil Dale

[Larsen E. Pettifogger, SASS #32933]

2 hours ago, Dusty Devil Dale said:

The 1.455 COAL rounds just wouldn't work through my 1873. 

That is strange.  Have you done some strange mod to your 73?

[The Original Lumpy Gritz]

OP, what's wrong with that finger?  

[Garrison Joe, SASS #60708]

Quote

But unless somebody makes a better (i.e. metal) hammer- puller than what I have found, I'd need to buy about 10 of them to process 600 rounds.

 

You are hitting the puller too hard!  I just finished reseating about 150 rounds that loaded 0.100" too long.  That puller is 10 years old and has probably pulled thousands of rounds by now, including some mil surplus rifle rounds. 

 

good luck, GJ

[Hoss]

I shootem in my pistols. They don’t care! 

[Cholla]

13 hours ago, Garrison Joe, SASS #60708 said:

 

You are hitting the puller too hard!  I just finished reseating about 150 rounds that loaded 0.100" too long.  That puller is 10 years old and has probably pulled thousands of rounds by now, including some mil surplus rifle rounds. 

 

good luck, GJ

My RCBS hammer is from 1983 and still working. 

[Rye Miles #13621]

15 hours ago, Larsen E. Pettifogger, SASS #32933 said:

That is strange.  Have you done some strange mod to your 73?

That is strange, my 73 likes 1.48-1.50 

[Scarlett]

That happened to me with some 32 HR mag cartridges - changed bullet profile cause it was what I had but they wouldn’t chamber all the way. Didn’t do what @Garrison Joe, SASS #60708 does - reseated and had that sliver of lead around mouth. They chambered FINE! It was unloading them that was a pain. I was at a match so I got my handy dandy pocket knife and removed the offending sliver! Fortunately, I did NOT have 600!
 

I am usually smarter than that - you change one thing - you CHECK that it’s gonna work. Lesson learned!

Big hugs!

Scarlett 

[Dusty Devil Dale]

On 4/23/2024 at 5:47 PM, The Original Lumpy Gritz said:

OP, what's wrong with that finger?  

The last joint outward was severed in a jointer-planer about 45 years ago.  It took several surgeries and 8-10 years to re-learn how to play guitar.  

[Dusty Devil Dale]

On 4/23/2024 at 5:02 PM, Larsen E. Pettifogger, SASS #32933 said:

That is strange.  Have you done some strange mod to your 73?

It has a Jim Bowie Gen 3 short stroke, but no other mods. 

 

It operated OK with the longer rounds until the Western Regional last August.  Then the 1.545" [edited] rounds rising in the carrier began to hang up on the lower extractor tab, causing nuisance jambs.  I have no idea why. 

I lowered my crimp die to get a COAL of 1.525" and it works just fine.  I gave up trying to figure out why and just shortened the prior loaded rounds.  

Edited April 25 by Dusty Devil Dale

[Rye Miles #13621]

7 hours ago, Dusty Devil Dale said:

It has a Jim Bowie Gen 3 short stroke, but no other mods. 

 

It operated OK with the longer rounds until the Western Regional last August.  Then the 1.455" rounds rising in the carrier began to hang up on the lower extractor tab, causing nuisance jambs.  I have no idea why. 

I lowered my crimp die to get a COAL of 1.525" and it works just fine.  I gave up trying to figure out why and just shortened the prior loaded rounds.  

Wait, 1.525 is longer than 1.455. I thought you said they were too long?

[Eyesa Horg]

8 hours ago, Dusty Devil Dale said:

It has a Jim Bowie Gen 3 short stroke, but no other mods. 

 

It operated OK with the longer rounds until the Western Regional last August.  Then the 1.455" rounds rising in the carrier began to hang up on the lower extractor tab, causing nuisance jambs.  I have no idea why. 

I lowered my crimp die to get a COAL of 1.525" and it works just fine.  I gave up trying to figure out why and just shortened the prior loaded rounds.  

How is 1.525 shorter than 1.455?

[Dusty Devil Dale]

4 hours ago, Rye Miles #13621 said:

Wait, 1.525 is longer than 1.455. I thought you said they were too long?

Sorry --Typo.  

The too-long rounds were 1.545" (I went back and edited-corrected)  

Edited April 25 by Dusty Devil Dale

[Dusty Devil Dale]

The gunsmithing part is interesting, but the OP was just intended to share a way to quickly remove the thin shaved lead collars on re-seated bullets. 

[Lance A Lott Sackett]

I just run a rasp over the end a couple of times