LEE LOAD ALL MESSY CRIMPS

[nabbers]

I've been playing with a Lee Load All that I recently bought second hand. It has a label on it from the manufacturer saying it is adapted for use with 67mm shells and to stop 1.5mm short of hard down if using 70mm casings. It has an aluminium adapter on the front station 4 tube, which seems to form a cone but isn't on the instructions.

 

I'm trying a 18 grain Vector powder, 20mm fibre wad, 1.25 ounce of no 5 shot (see subsonic thread) and then a thick cardboard wad. On some blue once fired Eley 70mm plastic, I got a 50% success rate with 10 attempts and on Black Hull plastics 65mm most were a disaster with very malformed crimps. They look shootable though......

 

I'm figuring that the plastic once fired is poor quality and is already nearly split, slightly malformed at the crimp and that I have too many variables...the weird adapter, the stack height of the wads, powder and shot and thick cardboard wad.

 

So starter question in say a 70mm shell, what height in mm should the cardboard wad be at? Maybe I need to cut the height of the 20mm wad?

[Floating Chamber]

The 20mm fibre wad is too tall for 36 gram loads. By 'Vector' I think you mean 'Vectan'. Is it Vectan A1? (a bright green square flake?)

When crimp starting, always make sure you have an 'inward' facing fold facing you and central with the REAR 6 point crimp starter. Discard that aluminium adapter. (but do not throw it away!)

 

You need about 9/16" free length above the shot to effect a good crimp.

 

Edited July 16, 2011 by Floating Chamber

[sitsinhedges]

I've been playing with a Lee Load All that I recently bought second hand. It has a label on it from the manufacturer saying it is adapted for use with 67mm shells and to stop 1.5mm short of hard down if using 70mm casings. It has an aluminium adapter on the front station 4 tube, which seems to form a cone but isn't on the instructions.

 

I'm trying a 18 grain Vector powder, 20mm fibre wad, 1.25 ounce of no 5 shot (see subsonic thread) and then a thick cardboard wad. On some blue once fired Eley 70mm plastic, I got a 50% success rate with 10 attempts and on Black Hull plastics 65mm most were a disaster with very malformed crimps. They look shootable though......

 

I'm figuring that the plastic once fired is poor quality and is already nearly split, slightly malformed at the crimp and that I have too many variables...the weird adapter, the stack height of the wads, powder and shot and thick cardboard wad.

 

So starter question in say a 70mm shell, what height in mm should the cardboard wad be at? Maybe I need to cut the height of the 20mm wad?

 

Precisely what powder are you using? Are you using a nitro card under your wad? A 20mm wad would normally be used for 1oz of shot. Why are you using a thick cardboard wad over the shot? Where did you get the recipe you are using?

 

I know nothing about the loadall but answer these questions and you might start to get somewhere. FWIW I avoid Eley cases, perhaps you could try something else in 70mm.

[Beretta28g]

Theres some allen keys that can be ajusted to get the perfect crimp; its best set up up when you have a bit of experience.

[Floating Chamber]

Theres some allen keys that can be ajusted to get the perfect crimp; its best set up up when you have a bit of experience.

 

I think that's a MEC you're describing.

[highseas]

fc is the man!

i recon your not starting the crimps in the same crimp stars as the old ones like fc said

[nabbers]

Thanks for the help!

 

I'm using Vectan A1 powder, green flakes!

 

Got my recipe from the subsonic thread,

 

But don't like shooting plaswads so used fibres;

 

Thick cardboard washer under soft 20mm wad,

 

Guessed that all stacked too high!

 

Where can I get some good info on what length wad fits in what a case?

[Floating Chamber]

All you need for this load is a 3mm over powder card (often termed a 'nitro' card, an American term. Yukkkk!) and a 17mm fibre wad of the 'Diana' type. If its a subsonic load, then you may need the wad column (stack) a little higher.

 

Remember, the size of the pellets and powder charge will affect the height of the shot column*. Example: 36 grams of No.3 shot is much taller than 36 grams of no. 9 shot.

 

Any 'long in the tooth' reloaders out there will remember the 1/11" under shot card that Eley would use in their Grand Prix 30gram, that would not be found in the 32gram Trapshooting cartridge.

Edited July 17, 2011 by Floating Chamber

[highseas]

All you need for this load is a 3mm over powder card (often termed a 'nitro' card, an American term. Yukkkk!) and a 17mm fibre wad of the 'Diana' type. If its a subsonic load, then you may need the wad column (stack) a little higher.

 

Remember, the size of the pellets and powder charge will affect the height of the shot column*. Example: 36 grams of No.3 shot is much taller than 36 grams of no. 9 shot.

 

Any 'long in the tooth' reloaders out there will remember the 1/11" under shot card that Eley would use in their Grand Prix 30gram, that would not be found in the 32gram Trapshooting cartridge.

fc do you still have them photoes of the load all bushings with screws in them to alter the shot spaceing`s

[stirky]

Are you sure you are using the 6 star per crimper and not the 8 star pre crimper ?

 

I seem to remember when i used a lee that the 6 star pre crimp is the rear of the two.

[Floating Chamber]

For you highseas. (I don't seem to be able to pm you.)

 

The Lee LoadAll adjustable bushes.

 

 

and the bushes. ONLY USE BRASS SET-PINS! These are plated brass cheese-heads..

 

Edited July 17, 2011 by Floating Chamber

[nabbers]

A belated thank you for the advice, 9 out of 10 crimps are now spot on! Using Once fired Eleys now instead of Hull Cartridge and they seem to work much better.

[highseas]

if you can get them the starlight 32 have very doog plastic for reloading thinck with lots of memory in it

[Lord Geordie]

I am having a lot of success with Gamebore white gold hulls. Winchester once fired hulls and best of all they are free. I had a word with the chap at the clay ground "I didn't want to just help myself" and I have a good selection to choose from. 12g 20g 28g 410g.

 

The green winchester carts reload well as do the gamebore white gold. I have some others to try too of different types. I found the Eley were too tough and the crimped area's split

 

For you highseas. (I don't seem to be able to pm you.)

 

The Lee LoadAll adjustable bushes.

 

 

 

 

and the bushes. ONLY USE BRASS SET-PINS! These are plated brass cheese-heads..

 

 

wow! They look sweet. Where could one aquire some of those?

Edited August 22, 2012 by Lord Geordie

[Floating Chamber]

Just drill through with a tapping size drill and screw in a cheese head set-pin.

[nabbers]

Just for the record, I quickly got my crimps spot on! The main thing that helped was getting the stack height right, the other was rotating the shell at the pre crimp stage so that one of the creases is at the six o'clock position.