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I have reloaded the 38-55 before with no problems loading .375 bullets. I am reloading for my 94 made in 1898. I’m using new Winchester cases, 250 gr. JSP .380 diameter , and Lee dies. The problem that I’m having is the necks are bulging and the round want chamber. Has anyone had this problem and can help.
Lester,
I suspect that your sizing die is made for the .375 bullet diameter. You need to resize the cases to accept the larger diameter .380 bullets, which means you need a larger sizing die.
Bert
WACA Historian & Board of Director Member #6571L
Bert,
Since you mentioned the larger sizing die, I just checked the Lee full length sizer and decapper for the neck ball size and it doesn’t have one. Why wouldn’t Lee resize the neck bearing surface after full length sizing?
Lester
Your Lee (or any other brand, for that matter) die set for .38-55 should have three dies: (1) Full Length Sizing & Decapping Die; (2) Neck Expanding Die; and (3) Bullet Seating Die. From what I take from your post, it would appear you are missing the Neck Expanding Die, or for whatever reason are simply not using it. The Neck Expanding Die is used after Full Length sizing and before Bullet Seating die to expand the neck sufficiently to accept the bullet without buckling or bulging the case when seating.
Jim
November 7, 2015
Offline
Pics would help but it may help to adjust the sizing die down just enough to get the neck inside diameter down to around .377 and then use the neck expanding die Jim described.
Mike
I would also look at your seating and crimping. If you are bulging all pieces, your die may be set too short, and are trying to push the mouth of the brass into the bullet too much, so it pushes down and bulges the brass just below the mouth a ways. If you are bulging just one once in a while, you may have brass with inconsistent lengths, and the longer pieces are doing the above. You might try seating your bullets first, then setting the die body to crimp with the bullet seating stem raised out of the way. Crimp just enough to set the mouth into the cannelure, and don’t crimp so a gorilla can’t get the bullet out.
Tim
Dito on all above posts. However, I have a 38-55 that likes .380 bullets. Even with the proper neck expander and a proper crimp the chamber is too small for the .380 bullet plus the thickness of the winchester brass.
The solution that works for me is to use starline brass with large diameter bullets. Starline brass is thiner at the mouth and can solve the problem if all else fails.
I also like to use a lee factory crimp die to ensure my crimp is not bulging the case as can happen with a roll crimp die if it is not set correctly or you brass lenght is not consistent.
Dominic
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