Many years ago, I broke the code that rock hard sixgun bullets were not a good idea. It seems like the folks who machine cast and sell these things still have learn that lesson as well as the folks who buy them. I prefer nothing harder than ACWW and softer like 1-20 is what I prefer for velocites under 1,000 fps, which is what I like best.

I find I am shooting as well at age 70 as I did at age 21 in spite of my older eyes, weaker muscles and arthritis in my hands. The secret is I shoot allot more these days, shooting in a 22 falling plate match each Saturday. The constant practice in correct hold, breath control, trigger squeeze and sight picture pays off when I go to something larger.

I loaded a batch of 45 Colt loads and thought you might like to tag along to see how I do it. Nothing too wierd, just my way of doing things.

The expanding plugs in current dies are made for jacketed bullets and can deform my soft bullets. So, I guy old Lyman 310 expander dies as they come in larger sizes intended for cast bullets. I have dies in .452, 454, .357, 358 and .429. These expander measure the actual size, so with a little spring back of the brass, give about .001 tension on the bullets. These old Lyman dies have the neat little two step "M" design that creates a slight opening at the top to enable you to start the bullets by hand. No bullet deformation on soft bullets with this set up.

I used older RCBS steel dies as the newer carbide dies size the brass to much to suite me. Pictures in my 45 Colt sizer. It has the letter code of "I" on it which makes it made in the early 60's.

Years ago, I found out that some seating stems are the wrong size for some SWC bullets and can round off the edges of the meplat. My fix for this is to take the seating stem and turn it flat in the lathe. This will work fine with any bullet with a flat spot on the top. The one pictures started life as a RN stem, but is experiencing life now as a flat stem. I did leave a little dimple in the center, as that make it a little easier to turn.

The loaded round is put together with this set up. 250 Keith cast from 1-20, sized .454 and loaded over 8.5/ Hercules Unique (Yes, I still have some). This is for my Colt New Service. Others loads are put together with .452 bullets.

I know that in these days of progessive reloader and super hard cast bullets, this is somewhat out of step with the time, but it works for me and works very well.

Said 45 Colt ammo was loaded on a Pre-WWII Pacific C press. That makes it gooder..don't you think?

Took your advice on softer bullets years ago and as Robert Frost said "And that has made all the difference":)

Maybe next I should try the M Dies. On my 45 Colt and 44 Mag loads I get the shaved ring sometimes on my cast bullets even if I exaggerate the neck belling process and I definitely have the seating die high enough to not be applying any crimp on the seating stage. It can get frustrating. I've thought about buying some Lyman Cowboy dies for my cast loads.

On any set of dies, you should not get lead shaving during the seating and crimping phase. If you do, either the case mouth bell isn't large enough or the crimp is being applied too soon. Here is how I set things up;

1. With a cast bullet that has a large crimp groove like a Keith design, you can seat and crimp in one operation. If there is a small or no crimp groove, then you must seat and crimp in seperate operations.

2. Take a sized but unbelled case, place it in the shell holder and lift the press ram to it's highest postion.

3. Run the die down on the case until it stops. Just use finger pressure, don't horse it down. That will be when the case mouth contacts the crimp ring in the die. Tighten the lock ring by hand.

4. With the seating stem up in the die, turn it down until a bullet is seated about mid-point in the crimp groove and then turn it back up a few turns.

5. Turn the whole die into the press about 1/8 to 1/4 turn until you have the right crimp and again turn the lock ring down to lock the die. I do this in small stages watching the crimp as I go as not to over crimp. If you can't catch a finger nail on the case mouth, that is enough crimp. Don't over do it. To much crimp won't blow out and can shave lead from a soft bullet as it exits the case. If you still have some crimp on fired cases, that is the message you have too much crimp for that load and are doing damage to your bullets.

6. Now, turn the steating stem down on the loaded and crimped round until it contacts the top of the bullet and lock the stem.

7. You will now have a propertly adjusted seating and crimping die for the bullet in use. There will be no lead shaving unless you have a small or no crimp groove and the last bit of seating is done with the bullet being shoved through the crimp. If that is the case, as stated, the cure is to seat and crimp and seperate operations. I keep spare seating dies to use in such an instance.

It is important the the seating stem have some kind of reasonable fit for the bullet, so the bullet won't rock or be canted in the seating process. You want the bullet to go into the case straight.

I prefer the M die two step expander simply because you can set the bullet in the top step and it will stay there in the loading block. I can then pick them up and run them through the seating die. With a bell, you have to place the bullet on top of the case mouth each time you insert a charged case into the die. But, either type die works just fine for producing good loaded rounds.

The recent "cowboy" dies have slightly larger expanders for use with cast bullet. But older dies work just as well. Most of today's shooters don't realize that jacketed hangun bullets are recent things in handgun reloading. When I started reloading in 1958, the only jacketed handgun bullets made were for autopistols (9mm, 45 ACP, 32 ACP etc.) and metal piercing for the 357 mag rounds. Everything else came from the factory with lead bullets. It wasn't until the early 60's that jacketed handgun bullets started to appear. The early ones did not expand worth a hoot, but they kept at it until they did.