Lee Loader

Hi all: Ok so I am thinking slowly. I decapped, cleaned primer pockets and washed my brass, carefully reading and watching you tubes. I made a small run (5 rounds) of loading winchester 124gr FMJ on top of 4.2 grains of HS-6 then seated the bullets. All of that went smoothly. Then when examining each round carefully I noticed that 4 of them the projectiles were loose. Loose enough that with gentle pressure, I could push the bullet into the case with little effort. Is this normal? Yesterday, I pulled the bullets, dumped the powder, resizes the cases again poured powder, and seated new bullets. then I inverted the sizer (like for a 38) and the completed rounds a few taps into the inverted sizer. Have I done right or wrong. Any advice greatly appreciated.

Only thing I can think of is perhaps the case wasn't sized quite enough an didn't produce enough neck tension. Make sure you drive all the cases all the way to flush in the sizing die. When you inverted the die you applied a taper crimp which may add a bit of tension (don't over do this step). Another hint; check the headstamp on the offending rounds as some cases are manufactured with thinner walls and sizing doesn't give enough tension with thinner walls. If all the "bad" rounds are the same manufacturer, sort them out. Also, measure your bullets to make sure they are .355"+...

My comments are as mikld suggested, make sure that little-tapered case is fully seated, flush in the sizer, before you pop it back out. Use a very light coat, just a trace, of petroleum jelly on your fingers to lube the case before you size it.

The Loader instructions specifical mention not crimping the 9mm Luger cases and other rimless semi-auto cases.

As the other have said, pound those in til they are absolutely flush, not sticking up at all. My friend and I had the same issue til we "cheated" and lubed them with a little case lube then they were much easier to size. Of course then the inside of the die was kind of sticky so we ended up powdering the cases with the die removed and we also hand set the bullets on top of the case then replaced the die body and seated them.
What year is your kit, is it a new (newer) one say made since 1979 or older, made in the 1960's or '70s?? What kind of box is it in? The reason I ask is the older 9mm bodies are the same as the 357 and 38 special and they apply a roll crimp. I have recently become aware that the newer ones might have a different die body than the older ones.

Way back when(60's) I had a Inland M1 .30 carbine and I bought a Lee Loader for it. I loaded up a bunch of ammo and gave some to my wife's uncle. He called one day and wanted to know why the bullet was loose enough to turn with the fingers. After checking his ammo and mine I found the answer. His ammo was loaded with civilian brass that was a mite thinner case than mine. Just barely enough thinner to case a slight problem. I was using military LC brass. I don't remember what brand his cases were but I traded him some of my ammo. Problem solved and no more civilian brass for me for the M1 carbine. I traded the civilian brass with a guy at the range one day for his GI and we were both happy. james

Good info to remember, thanks!

Read this with interest. I agree with those who pointed to die setup and/or use as the most likely problem. The little tapered 9mm has to be fully resized or it won't grip the shank of the bullet. Note that Lee recommends (Modern Reloading, Second Edition, Chapter4, Page 52 Para.3)that tapered cases be lubed even in carbide dies. Perhaps non-lubed cases stick before they fully enter the die? I would be very surprised if neck wall thickness is an issue.

Not all dies are made the same and I have no experience with the Lee Loader (It sounds like that is what the OP is using). I went to the Lee site and read the instructions and it seems to allow the bullet to expand the chamfered mouth of the 9mm Luger cases rather then having this done by an separate expander die. NOTE: No crimp is specifically stated for the 9mm. Allowing the bullet to expand the case suggests some other possibilities that may explain lack of neck tension. If the bullet has a larger diameter base than the bullet shank it may over-expand the case mouth when being seated leaving little neck tension left to hold the bullet. In a tapered case a bullet too deeply seated may result in the same issue. This is a real safety problem especially in the tiny 9mm case where deep seated bullets can put pressures in the red zone really quick.

I would recommend the OP check the bullets for size and shape. Go back over the step by step procedure outlined in the Lee Loader instructions, or whatever tool he is using. Pay particular attention to the depth the lubricated case enters the die. Ensure the seating depth for the bullet is correct.

One last comment. In my experience a crimp, rolled, tapered or factory is not a substitute for proper neck tension.

With the Lee Loader there is no die setup. You simply bang the case into the die with a non metallic hammer. I use a dead blow. With the 9mm, you really have to beat them in there. If you don't, the case is not forced small enough to properly hold the bullet.