Bulging cases

[reno]

I have loaded a lot of black powder cases, but am having trouble bulging the cases at the bottom when seating the bullet. The only round I am having trouble with is 38 Long Colt. On a 158gr. bullet I measured from the crimping groove to the base of the bullet and added powder 1/16" to 1/8" more powder and they are balloon head cases, and should have room, but when I seat the bullet it bulges at the bottom of the case enough that it will not chamber. I went from 18grs. down to 17grs, and don't want to go down anymore for fear of leaving a space between the bullet and powder. Any thoughts?
Thanks
Reno

[hellgate]

Are you crimping them? If so, use a lighter crimp or none at all.

[reno]

Hellgate, yes I am crimping them pretty good in the groove. That might be it, Thanks.
Reno

[Baltimore Ed]

Get a .357 sizer die, remove the depriming rod and run your loads into sizer to resize, same idea as a lee bulge buster. If the bullet is contacting the crimp step get the dremel out and remove it or cut the top off the die. I say 357 as it would be a longer die. I have put my lock nut under the part of the press where the die screws in. I have some .450 Webley balloon cases and had issues with them not sizing at the bottom where the sizer can't reach due to the shell holder hitting the die. Thinking that I sized them completely by using a piece of flat steel on top of my shell holder to push them all the way into the die and then tapped them out from the top with a dowel. Deprimer rod removed of course.

[reno]

Thanks, BE
Reno

[Cliff Fendley]

Seat and crimp in separate stages and the Lee Factory Crimp dies are your friend.

[Abilene]

I'm dubious that a little bit of BP compression can bulge the lower part of the case.  Color a loaded cartridge case all over the brass with a sharpie, then try to chamber it.  The scrape marks will tell you if it is a bulged case or the crimp.

[Baltimore Ed]

My cases bulged at the bottom, as balloon cases don't have a web they are thin almost all the way to the bottom. Another thing that might work would be to thin the top of the shell holder as much as possible to get as much of the case into the sizer as you can.

[Abilene]

I guess I will take your word on that since I've never loaded balloon head cases before.

[cpt dan blodgett]

Hellgate, yes I am crimping them pretty good in the groove. That might be it, Thanks.
Reno

Make sure you have all the cases trimmed to the same length .001 or .002 wont make enough of a diff to worry about

[Ranch 13]

Compress the powder before seating the bullet, the expander from a Lyman, RCBS, or Redding die set can easily be set up to do that.
If you're bulging the cases due to the crimp, reread the die instructions on setting up the seating crimping die. Properly adjusted you can seat and crimp with one stroke of the press.

[Coffinmaker]

  Well . . . 

I'm gonna wade in here and put my toe inna water. 

If you were stuffing enough powder inna case to bulge, it wouldn't just bulge at the bottom.  The whole case would bulge.  The bullet also gives me pause.  Why load a bullet that large??

I wager your Die set-up is wrong.  Might give that a good hard look.

Play Safe Out There

[Abilene]

Being as Reno passed away not long ago, he will not see the advice. 

[Tascosa Joe]

Prayers for his family.

[Coffinmaker]

Well Heck.  I knew that but it completely slipped my feeble mind.  Oops.