I just started reloading with help getting things calibrated and set up. I am only reloading 45 ACP and I have noticed that during the reloading process the bullets and wax seem to smear on the rim of the case causing jamming when firing. It may be a really stupid question, but is this something I am doing wrong or is there a way to clean the excess wax and lead form the casing.

It sounds like you aren't flaring the case mouth quite enough when expanding.... a picture might help.

A little bullet lube here and there isn't a big deal, but if it's all over every one, there's a problem.

Hard to say Atspires. You should not be having any lead and the lube should be minimal also. Usually it means you have not flared your case enough before seating. We need to know what your operation is, and which die is causing the problem and why you are not inspecting the rounds before firing. You could just clean them if the accuracy is suiting you.

Also, the Lyman "M" die is a God-send when loading cast bullets.

On the rim or the mouth of the case? If it's on the mouth of the case try flaring the mouth a bit more by lowering your expander. You don't need much, just enough to see. Then after you've seated the bullet, apply enough crimp to close up the flare.

If you're seating the bullet in one operation, get your seater die adjusted properly. You could have the die body too low and crimping too much or too high and not crimping enough.

Got to go. I'll check back later.

Bye
Jack

I'm with Jack on this one, it sounds like your seating and crimping in one step?, I found this is next to imposible with lead bullets while loading 40S&W, I went to individual seating and crimping and it eliminated the problem. And as already said you may need to flare the mouth a little more.

One thing that might help is making the bullet seating and bullet crimping two different steps. I'll go along with everybody else in that you might not be belling the case enough.

Both Lyman and Lee make a die just for belling the case and Lee makes a factory crimp die that allows you to use your bullet seater/crimp die for just a seater die and crimp with another die.

What everyone else said, plus a couple of things. I remember I also used to get rings of brass and wax on case mouths before I separated the crimping and seating operations. It happens both because of inadequate case mouth expansion (belling or flaring) and because heavy crimping causes the crimp to start pushing into the bullet before the bullet has finished seating all the way in. By having a separate taper crimp die the squeeze is done whith the bullet not moving.

I've even seen copper jacket metal shaved when a sharply trimmed case hadn't been chamfered, so let me first suggest applying a light chamfer to all your cases could help. You will find the cases have to go through the reloading cycle a couple of times before the expander smooths the toolmarks left by chamfering. That has to happen before it provides maximum benefit.

I've also seen wax and lead picked up after it builds up in the seater. It can even build up enough to push the bullet deeper than the seating stem setting intended. Use a Q-tip and some paint thinner to reach up inside the seater to clean it out.

Another problem is large quantities of loose lube on some cast bullets. A quick workaround is to buy a Lee .452" bullet siziing die and run the bullets through it once. This is pretty fast, and smears the excess lube off the bullet diameter. It also pushes a bit of it back along the heel (base corner) of the bullet. You may need to wipe the bullet bases off on a rag wet with paint thinner to remove this, then let them dry.

I echo the Lyman M die as the best style of expander. Redding also uses that die form in pistol, now (patent long expired). The Lee Factory Crimp die is another separate crimping step die, and has the advantage that the crimp depth adjusts independently of the die body position, plus outside sizes the finished cartridge for feed reliability.

Lead bullets, unlike jacketed .45 ACP bullets, don't straighten themselves out in the bore very well. A common 1911 problem is headspacing off the extractor hook, and I wouldn't be surprized if other .45 ACP self-loaders did the same thing? This causes the cartidge to tip to one side of the chamber on firing, which opens lead bullet groups up noticeably. As long as your chamber or throat aren't too long, you can headspacing your lead bullet cartridges off the bullet without exceeding the magazine length limits. I've posted this illustration before, but have a look. It is for the 1911, but the part of any auto-loader's barrel that is flush with its slide breechface is the casehead registration point. You simply adjust the seater out until a cartridge dropped into the barrel settles flush as shown in the third (from left) illustration.

In this situation, the barrel becomes your OAL gauge personalized for your gun. After applying this technique you need to make sure the bullet isn't out far enough to fail to fit in the magazine or to feed from it. If so, push them back the minimum amount necessary to work. This technique cut my lead bullet group size off sandbags from 1.75" @ 25 yards to 0.875" with hard cast 200 grain bullets, and from 2" to 1.25" at that same distance with softer swaged 185 grain bullets.

I went to the Redding Profile Crimp Die partly for that very reason. Used in combo with the Lyman M is the cat's PJs.