.45 lc dies for .454 casull

[chewy4480]

Can you use .45 lc dies on .454 casull rounds?

[rfc357]

Maybe, if the sizing die is long enough to size the longer case. Only way to tell is to try.

[billy]

i have the LEE 454casull die set and the only one that doesnt say 45COLT on it is the seater die.
it says 454CAS

[gandog56]

By golly, let me check my Lee set........Yep, even my crimper die says .45 colt. If I knew that, I would have only ordered the bullet seating die.

[samuel]

You couldnt use the crimping ring to interchange in seating dies.It is necessary to crimp revolver cartridges.Also,never load .45 (LC) casings to .454 specs as the .454 case body is much stronger than the .45 (LC).The same is true with .38spl and .357mag. sam.

[454PB]

Yes, you can. However, it's a good idea to remove the expander plug and measure it. You want around .449" for expanding. This insures a good tight case grip on the bullet....a heavy crimp alone isn't enough.

A lot of us don't full length size revolver cases, it isn't required and accuracy and case life are improved by backing the sizing die off the shell holder by an 1/8" or so.

[chewy4480]

Thanks guys

[samuel]

Originally Posted by 454PB

Yes, you can. However, it's a good idea to remove the expander plug and measure it. You want around .449" for expanding. This insures a good tight case grip on the bullet....a heavy crimp alone isn't enough.

A lot of us don't full length size revolver cases, it isn't required and accuracy and case life are improved by backing the sizing die off the shell holder by an 1/8" or so.

I have one die for .45 LC and another for .454.I dont want to change settings every time I change cartridges.I dont know if you could crimp .45LC with a .454.I know about half resizing cases but never saw any difference except eventually you have chambering problems if using high pressure loads.If you have a system that works good I advise sticking with it. sam.

[454PB]

The question was whether or not you can use .45 Colt dies to load .454 Casull. I agree that you can't load .45 Colt with .454 Casull dies, the dies are too long to crimp the seated bullet. All my handgun dies are carbide, and the carbide insert is at the very beginning of the die opening. That bottom 1/8" of the case better not be expanding....if it is you are expanding the case head and you'll soon have loose primer pockets.

[gandog56]

Then I guess you don't reload any bottleneck cases where carbide is not an option.

[454PB]

I was refering to handgun cartridges, and I meant brass with straight (relatively) case walls. If you compare one of the steel resizer dies to a carbide, you'll see that the steel die actually has some taper to it. On a carbide die, it's a simple carbide ring about 1/8" thick. The entire case length is sized to the same diameter.

[billy]

Originally Posted by gandog56

By golly, let me check my Lee set........Yep, even my crimper die says .45 colt. If I knew that, I would have only ordered the bullet seating die.

yeah me too!
grumblebitchmoancuss