Thanks, kfrzht -
I'm going to get that little bulge buster kit and give it a whirl. It's cheap enough since I've got the FCD. If it fixes the few brasses that don't fit flush in the case gauge, then it's worth it.........
Bayou
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Lee Bulge Buster Kit for 45 ACP
- Thread starter Bayou
- Start date
Thanks, kfrzht -
I'm going to get that little bulge buster kit and give it a whirl. It's cheap enough since I've got the FCD. If it fixes the few brasses that don't fit flush in the case gauge, then it's worth it.........
Bayou
Brass is so cheap...if it dont fit. Toss it. U have to fix alot to recover 10 bucks when brass runs 3 cents
Sent from my LGLS990 using Tapatalk
I use it for 45 brass but for a different reason.
It swaged the rim to a minimum size or a uniform size if you will...
keeps feeding issue down as it keeps a constant pressure on the extractor
reload a 45 case 4-5 times and the rim will be a good bit larger than new
It swaged the rim to a minimum size or a uniform size if you will...
keeps feeding issue down as it keeps a constant pressure on the extractor
reload a 45 case 4-5 times and the rim will be a good bit larger than new
Everything except 9mm:
I load them up as fast I can on a progressive press, and chamber check the ones that will be used in a match in the actual barrel or cylinder that I plan to shoot --no bulge busting.
9 is more demanding.
9mm setup:
EGW undersize die, RCBS seat and crimp die-set for a very light crimp to prevent the bullet from being pushed up by the powder on compressed loads before the final crimp, Lee Factory crimp die. Chamber check in the actual barrel.
I throw the out of spec 9mm in a pile, and shoot them in my Sig 226, which will shoot pretty much anything accurately.
I load them up as fast I can on a progressive press, and chamber check the ones that will be used in a match in the actual barrel or cylinder that I plan to shoot --no bulge busting.
9 is more demanding.
9mm setup:
EGW undersize die, RCBS seat and crimp die-set for a very light crimp to prevent the bullet from being pushed up by the powder on compressed loads before the final crimp, Lee Factory crimp die. Chamber check in the actual barrel.
I throw the out of spec 9mm in a pile, and shoot them in my Sig 226, which will shoot pretty much anything accurately.
Can't recall seeing a bulge in a 45 acp brass since the infamous Glock days and even then the 45 usually just had a very pronounced smiley face on the side of the brass. Now I have seen 38 Super brass that someone decided to try to load major competition ammo in with a standard barrel that had a nice big old bulge in it and of Course the 40 Glock is the one that started all the Bulge discussion.
I came across a few bulged rounds... 
The .45 at the top was an "industrial powder" no name metal container with a hand written label "#5". My resource said to use AA#5 data but consider it a little hot....
He regularly shot/shoots .38 Super in major competition. A "little hot" means bulged .45 ACP brass at the unsupported chamber area...
The lower case is a range pickup I thought was interesting. Don't think a bulge buster is fixing that.
Both cases should not be reloaded.
The .45 at the top was an "industrial powder" no name metal container with a hand written label "#5". My resource said to use AA#5 data but consider it a little hot....
He regularly shot/shoots .38 Super in major competition. A "little hot" means bulged .45 ACP brass at the unsupported chamber area...
The lower case is a range pickup I thought was interesting. Don't think a bulge buster is fixing that.
Both cases should not be reloaded.
The little bulge buster kit was pretty inexpensive, so I picked one up and have started toying with it. In my experience with 45s, I use a Dillon case gauge after sizing to assure each brass fits smoothly and flush . Simply for convenience, I use the case gauge rather than the barrel for checking the cases since I keep the case gauge on the bench all the time.
After sizing, roughly 5 - 10 % or so of the sized cases would not fit flush in the case gauge either at the rim or at the head right above the rim.
After running the cases through the bulge buster (FCD), all fit flush and smooth. It appears this process perhaps "uniforms" the head area and rim of the cases. That's just my description, and it's probably not technically correct from an engineering standpoint.
Yesterday, I loaded 100 of the cases and brought them to the range later in the day. There were zero fails to feed. I used several bullet 230 grain types including RN plated, RN lead powder coated, Hornady FTX HP, and Montana Gold HP.
The pistol is a SR1911 with almost 1K rounds of reloads through it. I've never shot more than a handful of factory rounds. I've noticed about 1 or 2 fail to feeds per 100 reloads in the past. The press is set to have a slight camover using the sizing die, so it's doing the most it can do.
Having no FTFs out of the cases put through the bulge buster was a good sign and certainly encouraging.
That's what I'm seeing so far with this process/tool.....
Bayou52
After sizing, roughly 5 - 10 % or so of the sized cases would not fit flush in the case gauge either at the rim or at the head right above the rim.
After running the cases through the bulge buster (FCD), all fit flush and smooth. It appears this process perhaps "uniforms" the head area and rim of the cases. That's just my description, and it's probably not technically correct from an engineering standpoint.
Yesterday, I loaded 100 of the cases and brought them to the range later in the day. There were zero fails to feed. I used several bullet 230 grain types including RN plated, RN lead powder coated, Hornady FTX HP, and Montana Gold HP.
The pistol is a SR1911 with almost 1K rounds of reloads through it. I've never shot more than a handful of factory rounds. I've noticed about 1 or 2 fail to feeds per 100 reloads in the past. The press is set to have a slight camover using the sizing die, so it's doing the most it can do.
Having no FTFs out of the cases put through the bulge buster was a good sign and certainly encouraging.
That's what I'm seeing so far with this process/tool.....
Bayou52
most folks don't appreciate how important the extractor is in a 1911 when it comes to reliable feeding of their ammo.
the 1911 is a controlled feed pistol like the pre 64 model 70 is a controlled feed rifle
having uniform rim diameters will go a long way for your reliability
most of my brass came from the late 70s when I shot a lot of Bullseye and was gifted a large amount of Winchester military brass.( Match and plain mil spec)..it saw a lot of use then and the bulge buster has allowed me to continue to use most all of it..
the 1911 is a controlled feed pistol like the pre 64 model 70 is a controlled feed rifle
having uniform rim diameters will go a long way for your reliability
most of my brass came from the late 70s when I shot a lot of Bullseye and was gifted a large amount of Winchester military brass.( Match and plain mil spec)..it saw a lot of use then and the bulge buster has allowed me to continue to use most all of it..
Hi, j -
I'm learning what you already know about the bulge buster tool.....
Thanks, Bayou
I'm learning what you already know about the bulge buster tool.....
Thanks, Bayou
Let me throw this in. If you have a 1911, never drop a round directly in the chamber. Always load from the magazine. The extractor isn't designed to flex like most modern firearms which have spring loaded extractors. Eventually you will deform the extractor and cause feed/extraction issues. Ask me how I know.
Rosewood
