Random bulges on one side of my .45 Colt reloads

[Tall John]

 

Im reloading .45 Colt on an XL650 with Dillon sizing, seating dies and a Lee FC die.  The press has most of the most common upgrades including a Uniquetek powder funnel designed for cast bullets vs the prescribed Dillon E funnel.

 

I’m getting random bulges on my .45 Colt reloads (Starline brass with 200grn HT coated LRNFP, flat bottom .452” bullets, 1.577 OAL

).  See pics.

 

Any thoughts on the cause?

 

[Silvertip]

I would try the Dillon powder funnel and see if that fixes it.

ST

[Brushy Creek Bill, SASS # 49466]

I was getting a similar problem loading 357 cases for APP.  Ended up that I had the Lee FC die set way too tight.  Might want to check that.

 

Brushy

[The Original Lumpy Gritz]

Try a different bullet seating stem.

Use a flat nose one for semi-wadcutter bullets.

[Griff]

It appears as though your crimping die is set too low, or if you're crimping/seating in one step, you are too low.  OR... your case lengths are inconsistent.   I've used the Dillon powder funnel/expander since 1987 with no problems.  I loaded about 250 rounds of 45 Colt yesterday.

[Tall John]

I’m using the Lee Crimp die in a separate stage. I wondered about case length due to the fact that the problem is very random and very small, like 10 rounds out of 1,000 loaded.

 

I just went and measured the OAL on these loads and they all range between +0.003 and +0.006 longer.  I separated my brass by HS but didn’t check length of them before loading.

 

Thanks!

 

 

[Horace Patootie, SASS #35798]

Using the Dillon powder funnel/expander and 200 grain coated bullets my OAL is 1.58+ and it's working well.

Horace

Edited March 8 by Horace Patootie, SASS #35798

[The Original Lumpy Gritz]

13 hours ago, Tall John said:

I’m using the Lee Crimp die in a separate stage. I wondered about case length due to the fact that the problem is very random and very small, like 10 rounds out of 1,000 loaded.

 

I just went and measured the OAL on these loads and they all range between +0.003 and +0.006 longer.  I separated my brass by HS but didn’t check length of them before loading.

 

Thanks!

 

 

Which seating stem are you using? You don't want the round nose stem.

[Nostrum Damus SASS #110702]

First try raising the Lee FCD 1/8 turn and see if the problem goes away.  It is probably a bit too tight and is thus engaging the case mouth too early and is crushing it downward to make the bulge.  Obviously this will happen first on the longest brass cases in your batch.

[Preacherman]

You show a seated/crimped completed round. If it bulges before the crimp stage it could be the funnel. If not bulged before the crimp stage, back off your crimp a bit. Sometimes if the bullet catches the mouth upon seating it will deform the case too.

[Tall John]

Thanks all!  

8 hours ago, The Original Lumpy Gritz said:

Which seating stem are you using? You don't want the round nose stem.

im loading a 200 grn .442 RNFP so should i be using the Flat stem?  I’m using the RN stem.

[The Original Lumpy Gritz]

40 minutes ago, Tall John said:

Thanks all!  

im loading a 200 grn .442 RNFP so should i be using the Flat stem?  I’m using the RN stem.

Yes, flat.

[Griff]

13 minutes ago, Tall John said:

Thanks all!  

im loading a 200 grn .442 RNFP so should i be using the Flat stem?  I’m using the RN stem.

As long as your bell is large enough to accept the bullet & sit level, I don't think it matters all that much, but I'm using an RCBS seater die.  

[The Original Lumpy Gritz]

TJ, post up a picture showing how the bullet sits in the case before seating.

[Blackwater 53393]

I had a VERY similar issue with some .45s a few weeks ago. Ended up with a half dozen that looked exactly like those in your picture. 
 

I had recently gone from a smaller, lower profile bullet to what I had the problem with. All of my brass was new Top Brass during both sessions 

 

I too am using the Lee FCD and I backed off the setting a quarter turn and it went away.

 

If you feel a slight “tug” as you raise the lever, (lowering the shell plate/platform) you might be over crimping you cartridges. Look carefully at the round as it comes out of the seating die and again as it comes out of the crimp die.

 

NOTE: I ran the offending cartridges through a separate sizing die on my Rock Chucker and they straightened up nicely and fed and fired flawlessly.

 

YMMV

 

 

Edited March 14 by Blackwater 53393

[Horace Patootie, SASS #35798]

Good alias,  "Random Bulges"

Horace

[watab kid]

i watch mine close after having a brief spell of this , sometimes my old eyes fail me where they wouls not have a couple decades ago , but then im way more inclined to recycle brass these days rather than deal with issues anymore - i have a lot of brass in circulation at this point , probably more than i will ever need  

["Big Boston"]

On 3/7/2026 at 3:25 PM, Brushy Creek Bill, SASS # 49466 said:

I was getting a similar problem loading 357 cases for APP.  Ended up that I had the Lee FC die set way too tight.  Might want to check that.

 

Brushy

That was my thought as well. It is easy to set the insert inside the Carbide FCD die down a bit too far. I load for a few calibers, have likely a half dozen FCDs and after setting the die body to almost contact the shellplate, like the instructions, I then adjust the crimping part. I back the the adjuster on top out and only adjust down until I see the sharp line appear on the case, or I have enough crimp. I see that sharp line quite a distance down the neck in your pictures. you can use a black marker on the neck to make it easier to see, but once you know what to look for, it's fairly easy to spot. I've used a magnifier on some that were a bit subtle to see.

 

The basic design of the crimping insert is that the smaller diameter is large enough to clear any shank that is above the case mouth, and the larger diameter clears the case. The issue with the 45 Colt is that the small diameter is a bit large, will clear the older spec larger diameter bullet. IMHO.  

 

BB

Edited March 15 by "Big Boston"

[The Original Lumpy Gritz]

5 hours ago, "Big Boston" said:

That was my thought as well. It is easy to set the Carbide FCD die down a bit too far. I load for a few calibers, have likely a half dozen FCDs and I back them out and only lower them until I see the sharp line appear on the case, or I have enough crimp. I see that sharp line quite a distance down the neck in your pictures. you can use a black marker on the neck to make it easier to see, but once you know what to look for, it's fairly easy to spot. I've used a magnifier on some that were a bit subtle to see.

 

The basic design of the crimping insert is that the smaller diameter is large enough to clear any shank that is above the case mouth, and the larger diameter clears the case. The issue with the 45 Colt is that the small diameter is a bit large, will clear the older spec larger diameter bullet. IMHO.  

 

BB

The FCD is NOT the cause.

To set the die-You want the die body to contact the shellplate. Back the thumbs crew out a good bit. With the cartridge inside the die, turn the thumbscrew down till it makes contact.  Back the cartridge out of the die and turn the thumbscrew down 1/2 turn. See if the given you the crimp you want.

["Big Boston"]

13 hours ago, The Original Lumpy Gritz said:

The FCD is NOT the cause.

To set the die-You want the die body to contact the shellplate. Back the thumbs crew out a good bit. With the cartridge inside the die, turn the thumbscrew down till it makes contact.  Back the cartridge out of the die and turn the thumbscrew down 1/2 turn. See if the given you the crimp you want.

In my answer I said die, but actually only meant the thumb screw part that controls the crimp. Like LG said, the die body is adjusted to the shellplate. I've set the die body so often, I don't think about that part. Really the same as setting the decapping rod in the sizing die. 

[The Original Lumpy Gritz]

56 minutes ago, "Big Boston" said:

In my answer I said die, but actually only meant the thumb screw part that controls the crimp. Like LG said, the die body is adjusted to the shellplate. I've set the die body so often, I don't think about that part. Really the same as setting the decapping rod in the sizing die. 

More like setting a straight wall case sizing die. 

The FCD is a fantastic tool.

["Big Boston"]

49 minutes ago, The Original Lumpy Gritz said:

More like setting a straight wall case sizing die. 

The FCD is a fantastic tool.

 

Agree. I adapted a decapping pin to one and use it to size the body, then a normal die to neck size. I do wish that the crimping sleeve was a bit more precisely made, but it does work.

 

 

 BB

[The Original Lumpy Gritz]

3 hours ago, "Big Boston" said:

 

Agree. I adapted a decapping pin to one and use it to size the body, then a normal die to neck size. I do wish that the crimping sleeve was a bit more precisely made, but it does work.

 

 

 BB

VERY NICELY DONE