I found a few shiny steel Winchester cases mixed in with my brass. I decided to use them while making some rounds today.

When I necked the cases it took a bit extra effort compared to the brass casings I had. When I set the bullet, it actually shaved off a bit of brass off of the bullet. I decided that I didn't like that and tried to take the bullets out to inspect them and the inside of the case but it is very difficult to get them separated w/ my bullet puller.

I'm worried that these bullets are too tight in the casing and will over-pressure if I fire them.

What say you?

Are you sure they aren't nickel cases? If so they should be OK as long as you use the same COAL. If you are worried about any reloaded cartridge pull the bullet and either toss the case or start over at your powder stage. The bullet should be weighed to insure you have not mixed bullet weights.

I have a Lee setup and the powder die can be adjusted to open up the neck I've shaved some brass before I adjusted it. always use a crimp die

quote:

Originally posted by AZSigs:
Are you sure they aren't nickel cases? If so they should be OK as long as you use the same COAL. If you are worried about any reloaded cartridge pull the bullet and either toss the case or start over at your powder stage. The bullet should be weighed to insure you have not mixed bullet weights.

Ugh. Yes, nickel. They are the same COL. They are .243 rounds set to a COL of 2.63.

Flare the case mouth a bit more. Seat to the same depth. Use enough crimp, in a separate operation from seating, to take out the flare, but not much more.

Mixing cases will produce slightly different inner dimensions, slightly different pressures, slightly different velocities, and will vary the accuracy. For best accuracy, use the same headstamp.

I mix and match; whatever brass is in good enough shape, I load, without separating headstamps. It's not worth it to me.

You're not going to increase pressure by any appreciable amount by using a factory crimp or taper crimp die that is set to take out the flare. Seating depth and powder charge make the difference in pressure.

When reloading .45 acp, some brands exhibit this tendency more than others. I am unsure if this occurred more in the resizing or crimping stage. If memory serves GFL (Fiocchi) brass was the worst for this trait but sometimes other brands did this too.

Not really worrying because all handloads using that offending brass chambered and functioned reliably just like my handloads that utilized brass that did not exhibit this trait. I never observed any troubling pressure signs but the .45 acp is a low pressure cartridge.

With all my .45 acp handloads, I use a EGW 7 round loaded cartridge gage after I crimp all my .45 acp loads with my Redding taper crimp die. Any cartridge that does not relatively easily fall in and out if the gage (same cast bullets occasionally do this) the offending cartridge will then worked over with a Lee factory crimp die.