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Hank45
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compression die
May 22nd, 2015 at 8:40am
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when screwing the compression die body into the press do I screw it down on the upraised shell holder or do I back it off? Thanks for your answer, Hank Undecided
  
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marlinguy
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Re: compression die
Reply #1 - May 22nd, 2015 at 9:35am
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If you mean the crimp die (not sure what a compression die is?) then the answer is no. The crimp die is adjusted to just seat the bullet and crimp the neck. If adjusted too far down, it will collapse the case.
  
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Hank45
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Re: compression die
Reply #2 - May 22nd, 2015 at 10:26am
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marminguy, by compression die I mean the die that you compress black powder in the case. Hank
  
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notlwonk
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Re: compression die
Reply #3 - May 22nd, 2015 at 4:33pm
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Because of the cobbled together set ups I use, I don't pay much attention to the die/shell holder spacing. Although it should be set so that you have at least the full movement of the press ram.
  
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marlinguy
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Re: compression die
Reply #4 - May 22nd, 2015 at 4:41pm
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If it's a BP compression die, then most people back the compression plug all the way out. Then put an empty sized case into the press, and raise the ram all the way up. Screw the compression die down lightly until you feel it touch the case. Then set the plug to the depth you want to compress your powder.
If you know the maker of your compression die, you might contact them to see if they can email you their instructions also.
  
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nuclearcricket
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Re: compression die
Reply #5 - May 23rd, 2015 at 7:50am
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Hank, my compression die body is a Lyman expander die. I went and checked and it is set  to tough the shell holder in my Co-Ax press. It is not really important where the die body is set as all it is doing is holding the compression stem. It is just important that its just set and locked. The depth of the compression stem is what does the work. You do want the die to be stable so that everything lines up  consistently each time you put it in your press so that you don't damage your case mouth as the stem enters. 
If you are only going to use one bullet, then you can set things and forget it. If you are going to be using several bullets or several different calibers like I do, what I do is to get the stem set for a particular bullet and then measure the overall length of the die and stem assembly and then record that measurement and bullet. I do the same thing with each caliber and bullet. This, I have found, will make things a lot easier if you want to change your seating depth or swap between different bullets of the same caliber. 
Hope this helps you and will make things easier for you in the future.
Sam
  
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marlinguy
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Re: compression die
Reply #6 - May 23rd, 2015 at 10:29am
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"You do want the die to be stable so that everything lines up  consistently each time you put it in your press so that you don't damage your case mouth as the stem enters. "

This is why you want the die down as far as possible, and the compression stem as short as possible. The farther you extend the stem, the more likely it is for it to be out of alignment with the case mouth, and damage it. Keep it short, so it will feed into the case mouth reliably.
  
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Hank45
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Re: compression die
Reply #7 - May 24th, 2015 at 6:22am
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to all contributors, I am breech seating my bullets so does that make a difference,? Hank
  
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marlinguy
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Re: compression die
Reply #8 - May 24th, 2015 at 7:33pm
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Hank45 wrote on May 24th, 2015 at 6:22am:

to all contributors, I am breech seating my bullets so does that make a difference,? Hank


Breech seating, and compressed powder loads don't mix, with black powder. You need the load to be against the bullet base, so if you breech seat, you'll need a wad above the powder to fill the case, and not leave a gap between the charge and the bullet.
  
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BP
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Re: compression die
Reply #9 - May 24th, 2015 at 7:57pm
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marlinguy wrote on May 24th, 2015 at 7:33pm:
Hank45 wrote on May 24th, 2015 at 6:22am:

to all contributors, I am breech seating my bullets so does that make a difference,? Hank


You need the load to be against the bullet base, so if you breech seat, you'll need a wad above the powder to fill the case, and not leave a gap between the charge and the bullet.


Might be an interesting test...
Compress the max amount of black powder into the cartridge case so that an overpowder wad can just be seated into the case mouth to retain it (if a thick wad is used, might leave it a little proud), then carefully adjust the breach seater so that when the bullet is seated, the charged case is inserted with the wad snug against the base of the bullet.
If a person can measure carefully, it should be doable.

  
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marlinguy
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Re: compression die
Reply #10 - May 24th, 2015 at 8:13pm
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I agree BP! I think if done carefully as you described, it should work. Unorthodox, but with care, it might show promise.
  
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