Hey guys,

I have this problem where after inspecting a finished round, the outline of the bullet can be seen on one side of the case, and not the other (bulge). I was wondering what could possibly cause this. I know it is not possible to have the bullet enter the die completely straight, but shouldn't the die staighten the bullet the rest of the way? I am using Hornady dies for the .44 mag. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

thanks,
vanbuzen9

your bullet is tilting going into the case. You either need to set your expander die a little deeper (or get one with alittle larger diameter).

If you can, measure your bullets, then the inside of a sized case. usually the bullet is slightly larger, but it should not be excessive.

Regards,
Gene

your bullet is tilting going into the case. You either need to set your expander die a little deeper (or get one with alittle larger diameter).

If you can, measure your bullets, then the inside of a sized case. usually the bullet is slightly larger, but it should not be excessive.

Regards,
Gene

Are a few things to check:

1. If the shell holder has a collection of "gunk" jammed into the recess for the rim, will not let you center the case.....won't hurt anything to dig around under there with a toothpick to be sure the recess is clean.

(Now I'm assuming a revovler being used here...but a semi-auto will sometimes bugger teh case rim slightly, and would occasionaly have a case that would enter the shell holder, but be held off center by that bugger.)

2. If the seating stem is a miss-match for the bullet's shape, it won't help straighten it out when seating.

3. As mentioned...a bit more expasnion and a bit more "flare" to the case night help. If you START the bullet straight it has a lot better chance of seating straight.

4. Seat in two or three stages...as you are seating the bullet, go slow...when it seats a bit, back the case out, spin it 1/2 a turn and then complete seating. (or can go in 1/3 turns).