Lee Precision Bulge Buster

[@chrisgreth2125]

I've been using the bulge buster for several years now. There are a couple of tips to make it safer and easier to remove the bulges. First, bring the ram down, manually start the brass into the bulge buster (case mouth facing up of course). You don't have to press it very hard to get it started. Then bring the ram up and push it thru. This is tons better than trying to align the brass case on the ram and find the hole for the bulge buster. Second, I use an empty 1 liter plastic coke bottle to collect the brass. Cut the bottom of the bottle off and the neck of the coke bottle will slip right over the bulge buster. When it is full, just pull it off and upend it into where ever you store your brass.

[@rich1958]

While watching video I was thinking the same. Just start it die and then have the ram push it through. In this video the cases still seem pretty tight. Is that normal or is there a way to adjust die to make the resizing a little more like factory?

[@donball5918]

Thank you so much for posting this most informative video. In anticipation of buying a Ruger SR40 (which I purchased two days ago), I recently bought a Lee Bulge Buster (I already had the appropriate Lee crimp die as well as a set of RCBS 40 S&W dies) and tried it out with a small sample of 40 S&W range brass in preparation for reloading this round. It is of interest that after randomly selecting and resizing about fifty .40 cal cases I found that none of them would slide into a case gage thereby demonstrating (if only in my mind) how commonplace and pervasive the problem of bulged cases is with this round. I found the Lee Bulge Buster easy enough to use and this handy device should prove to be of great benefit in salvaging otherwise unusable cases. I might also note that in the process of recently sorting through 4,000+ sized and deprimed 9mm Luger cases I found a good many of these (easily 300+ cases) would not slide into a case gage (love those things!!) and I foresee using my Lee 9mm Makarov crimp die with the Bulge Buster to prepare these for trouble free reloading and shooting. While 9mm brass is far from being an "endangered species" and it would be easy enough to pitch them in the discard bucket beside my reloading bench, I hate to waste potentially good brass.

[@hornadyloader7574]

+Don Ball Hi Don, thanks! I found out about the "Glocked-up" brass bulge the hard way a few years ago, during a match with my new S&W M&P 40L. How embarrassing! The Lee device has eliminated that problem for me. I know what you mean about not wanting to waste brass. The Lee unit also helps avoid that issue as well. Thanks for watching!

[@driedjello]

Just watched this and had no idea this product existed. Never needed one before until a friend of mine started giving me thousands of range brass a week and suddenly I had sized brass that wouldn't chamber check! At first I thought I had pulled a stupid human trick and not adjusted my sizer down low enough but now I realize it was from others using guns that don't fully support the cartridge! Your videos are fantastic and have really made a difference. I ordered this tonight from Midwayusa!

[@hornadyloader7574]

+Fluffy O'Bannon I've been there Fluffy. Same thing happened to me. Unfortunately, it happened to me during a USPSA match! Talk about embarrassing! I'm glad you like the videos and I'm thrilled that they are helping folks out. Thank you for the kind words.

[@erichandyauto]

True, to reduce the chance of a kaboom, it's best and safer not to shoot any reloaded ammo through a Glock OEM barrel so I got an aftermarket barrel for practice, plinking, and reloads. Have you seen the "RIP GLOCK 20 kaboom" article that happened with a Lone Wolf barrel and factory ammo? The barrel survived without a scratch but the frame did not. According to Underwood, the pressure spike was caused by an anomaly with the Lehigh Defense‘s solid copper Xtreme Penetrator projectile.

[@trooperdgb9722]

Friend of mine has a c-frame press mounted upside down for his bulge buster...... brass falls into a bucket. Neat idea.

[@RT6Speed]

Great video! Just started reloading for .40 S&W and ordered the bulge buster so needed more info. You have a very nice reloading bench area.

[@dennisrybickisr.1438]

Great video I have reloaded over 1500 rounds of 40 s&w and just started to have a cambering issue. I will be ordering the buster today

[@gerrycarey6359]

Well done explaining keep up the great work

[@williebulletman5217]

Great video I really like the handle on your press nice a long keep making these great videos

[@odinwan]

Thanks. This was exactly the information I needed.

[@alexholland3811]

I would have to agree with the fellow before who feeds the cases in by hand rather than trying to balance them in the stem. With regards to case up vs case down on the stem, I think there are valid arguments both ways. If case facing down is going to roll the case mouth because of pressure then I would think that is still going to happen as the new case pushes the previous case through. The pressures are equal in both cases, just a difference in whether the case mouth is rolled by the stem piece or the case above it is pushing through. The pressures have to be equal when the operation is the same. That being said I think it is up to what the operator feels works best for them and there is always more than one way to skin the cat as the saying goes. Still a good an informative video. Glad I saw it. Alex H

[@toddduncan7268]

I use to do this for my glock 10 mm and 40 cal but got tired of the hassle so I just bought aftermarket barrels.

[@brentacusmaximus6677]

Lee's factory crimp die is also the answer. It FULL length sizes along with a perfect taper crimp.

[@lloydjones105]

Great video! Thank you for a super demonstration! 2 questions: just reloaded 1000 .380’s. All my dies & factory crimp dies are Lee. After finishing I ran each 380 thru my Lyman Pistol Max Gauge. About 40 of them just barely do not fit flush. Majority are perfect & drop in & drop out. All calibrate identical in all dimensions. As a side note the 40 will chamber & eject by hand from both.380 pistols I own. Just curios if the 40 may have a bulge? They are less than 1/2 the thickness of the shell heel above the gauge. Is it worth buying & running thru a Lee Bulge Buster?

[@mwm1960]

This Lee kit will swage Glocked brass to fit the chamber but the case wall will be thinned at the 6 o'clock area. Should it chamber again in the same unsupported position there is potential for rupture with dammage/injury. Glocks are great pistols but were designed for reliability only with safe factory new ammunition.

[@phild8095]

This is a 5 star tool. The one "trick" is that while most cartridges use the appropriate Lee Carbide Crimp die. However when running 9mm NATO (aka 9x19, 9mm parabellum, 9mm Luger) you need to purchase and use a Lee Carbide 9mm Makarov ( 9×18mm PM) die.

[@tripplebeards3427]

Thanks for the explanation. I have cast bullet lee sizer kits so I can just use the parts from them instead. I can’t find any lee kits in 10mm and own a hornady 10 mm die set. Will the Hornady crimp die remove the bulge if I remove the top of the die and run them through like the lee?

[@a075923]

Thanks, I had thought the Factory crimp die removed a bulge if it is present

[@irvyquitmyer6262]

Thanks for the video; however, do you run the risk of bullet set back when resizing loaded ammunation?

[@perspicator5779]

Thanks Irv. Should have realized that. I'll bust before priming and charging my cases.

[@mattlord9804]

I heard that if you buy the Lee buldge buster for 9mm you have to use a Lee Makarov 9mm for the factory crimp die. Also recently I went to order a buldge buster and the discripton said won't work for 9mm because of the tapper on the 9mm case. just to let you know I am very new to reloading. thanks,

[@mattlord9804]

+museack thanks for the information. I know now which one to get and why.

[@michaspi]

Matt Lord Lee Precision no longer recommends using the 9mm Makarov FCD to bulge bust 9mm Luger because the 9mm Luger brass can crack the carbide ring of the FCD.

[@crossmedhunt]

@@michaspi Do you have any recommendations in how to bust the bulge on a 9mm? I am new to reloading, thank you!

[@michaspi]

crossmedhunt I assume you mean 9mm Luger. It’s a tapered case and I don’t think you can bulge bust it. Toss it in the trash.

[@crossmedhunt]

@@michaspi thank you for the reply!

[@mr08golddigger99]

Will it work with any crimp die or only the Lee one?

[@xxToranachxx]

So to use this with 9x19 I'd need to get the factory crimp die for the 9mm Makarov?

[@rick31869]

usually the bulges come mainly fro brass fired outta glock right ?

[@richardholt3191]

I have tried to use the bulge buster on 9mm with Lees factory crimp die and it does not work. In fact, Lee does not advertise that the bulge buster will work on 9mm. I contacted Lee about this and they told me that the reason the lee factory crimp does not work is that 9mm have a tapered case

[@howlingmine]

This is true, but if you use a 9mm Makarov factory crimp die, it will resize them bottom of the 9mm Luger case to the proper size, then your regular 9mm Luger resizing die will correct the taper.

[@jerrshobe6765]

thanks for making this video

[@EmoFox9]

So do we /really/ need the bulge buster kit? if it really is just a pin, guide tube, and collection case.. Seems like you would get the same result with a wooden dowel, and the crimp die..

[@hornadyloader7574]

+Angry Dergon Hi, I'm sure you could rig up something without the kit. The only thing that really needs to happen is for the case to be passed all the way through the crimp die with the taper crimp piece removed. You might even be able to push it through with your fingers. But the big difference I think would be the speed at which you could do this without the kit. For $18.00, it's not that big an expense to gain the ability to process hundreds of cases very quickly. Thanks for watching!

[@EmoFox9]

HornadyLoader Yes, quite possibly, but i am starting off with the lee breech hand press, so it would be very much awkward to use with that,

[@hornadyloader7574]

+Angry Dergon Ah, ok, yeah, a hand press would present a problem.

[@EmoFox9]

HornadyLoader yup yup.

[@helturflippad]

Hi, is there no risk that it calibers down the diameter of the bullet if you size loaded rounds?

[@james_lessick892]

Very informative, thank you.

[@davebear8050]

Ahh yes glock perfection.

[@edstimator1]

With all due respect I believe that Glock designed their firearms with a purpose in mind. That purpose is to make their firearms perfectly RELIABLE because when you are in a shootout your main concern is that you can return fire and the least of your problems is that you are left with un reusable brass. They have accomplished THAT mission with legendary success. They are indeed Perfection for their intended purpose. Name any other product on the market that has achieved Perfection for every possible application of that product and I will be amazed.

[@F15ElectricEagle]

@@edstimator1 - "Name any other product on the market that has achieved Perfection for every possible application,..." The AK-47 assault rifle, the Mauser 98 bolt action rifle, the Smith & Wesson double-action revolver, the Colt M1911 pistol and I'll be happy to continue if you're not yet amazed.

[@rich1958]

@@F15ElectricEagle have you tried to reload brass from a wwii era 1911 or the other rifles mentioned? Lol

[@F15ElectricEagle]

@@rich1958 Yes I have and I've encountered no issues. In fact the brasses that I had the most issue with were the ones shot from Glocks (especially for the 9mm) with unsupported chamber.

[@ssswdon]

Hi Nice review. Won't the hornady full length resizing die do the same thing? Maybe it won't rich far enough down the case head, thoughts?

[@MrVideoyoulike]

i wish i had seen this video before i bought the kit.

[@eddie1v]

Do you have any experience with the Redding GRX die? I will be reloading 40 S&W soon and deciding between the two.

[@hornadyloader7574]

+Eddie Stivaoson Hi Eddie, no I don't although I have used many other Redding dies and tools. Overall, in my opinion, Redding makes some of the best quality stuff on the market so I'm sure you won't go wrong with the G-RX.

[@reb363]

If it is recommended that you wear protective equipment in case a round could be ignited when run through the Bulge Buster, then maybe it is not such a good idea to run completed rounds through the Bulge Buster, Just saying. I use my Bulge Buster to prep cases only. JMHO

[@thomasreece3903]

Why can’t I find one for a 9 mm ?

[@kostispapajohn5163]

are 357 magnum revolvers tend to bulge the case?

[@aerialeggbeater2644]

No, revolver’s chambers fully support the brass

[@tires2burn]

I use Lee dies and they size the 40 brass and the final crimp die makes them perfect. If you run The Lee Dies you don't need the bulge buster. Another out is sell your Glock.

[@aceelectriccompany1181]

Good info, thanks. I need something like this for 30-06 cases from M1 Garand. Any suggestions?

[@westlands703]

I have the same problem with some .30-06 rounds.

[@deeremeyer1749]

I suggest you figure out what's wrong with your rifle. Resizing bulged cases that went into a gun "in spec" like that's fixing the actual illness instead of hiding the symptoms and especially with high-pressure cartridges/ guns your hands and face are inches from while those bulges are being formed is pretty damned stupid.

[@briannemec9214]

With 30-06 If you crimp too hard you can force a bulge in the shoulder. Get a LEE factory crimp die to crimp with and your problem, will go away.

[@The.Alabama.Woodsman]

Why no 9mm?

[@mitchbertone3809]

9mm is a slightly tapered case, and forget resizing loaded rounds, kerbooom NEVER put a loaded round in this die regardless if it has flat nose bullet, Your life is worth more than the 50 cents the round is worth I hope.

[@The.Alabama.Woodsman]

@@mitchbertone3809 I've known all this but am still puzzled why people swear it works.

[@cliffjones6924]

I'm a new reloader and am reloading 40SW, 9mm and 380ACP. My problem exists with the 380 and it seems that I have the bulge problem. I switched from .356 bullets to .355 in hopes of solving the problem but tonight I realized that the problem is really at the base of the case. Out of 50 tonight 10 would not go all the way into my case checker. The .380s that my wife and I shoot are a Sig P238 and Browning 1911 380. We've been collecting our own brass for quite some time and don't believe we've picked much of other people's .380s so evidently one of our pistols is creating the problem. Are you using the Hornady taper crimp die to finish your round or are you staying with the Lee that you had to get for the bulge buster?

[@deeremeyer1749]

If you're crimping your pistol ammo or any other cases with anything but a Lee FCD you have GOT to have consistent case length or when you set your die to crimp if you end up with a "middle of the road" case every case longer will be overcrimped and every shorter case will be crimped less or not at all or may even have some expansion at the case mouth remaining. And there ARE .380 GLOCKS NOW and since .380 is a STRAIGHT WALL CASE proper chamber dimensions and proper ammo dimensions are a MUST with "short and fat" straight-wall cases like .45 ACP and .380 (JMB invented .380 as well as .45 ACP and .25 ACP and .32 ACP and .380 used to BE .380 ACP) and Glock sure as hell isn't known for precision ANYTHING besides PRECISION PROPAGANDA ABOUT "PERFECTION", I'd consider ANY bulged case a "Glock artifact" and I'd throw them away. People act like these "bulge busters" make everything all better but the CASE HEAD AREA contains much THICKER and "harder" brass that is being stretched WAY the hell out and is being WORK HARDENED in the process and then somebody puts it throughj pone of those "bulge busters" and that BENDS IT BACK THE OTHER WAY AND WORK-HARDENS AND STRETCHES/COMPRESSES IT IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION. And then they SHOOT IT AGAIN. Cartridge cases get ANNEALED multiple times as they're being formed from a "coin" of metal because of the work-hardening that occurs every time the metal is stretched or compressed. They really only have to worry about a case surviving ONE firing since its only NEW once but clearly they go above and beyond with annealing and producing a quality product that may need "resized" every firing but NOT WHERE SIZING DIES DON'T REACH FOR A REASON. At BEST you'll get a handful of reloads out of a high-pressure cartridge case like 9mm or..40 S&W if you load it "hot" and of the two .40 with its STRAIGHT WALL CONSTRUCTION AND HIGH PRESSURE IS THE ONE YOU DON'T WANT TO TAKE CHANCES ON. 380 is low-pressure and it should last hundreds of reloads if its not loaded hot BUT it's also a CHEAP and PLENTIFUL CASE AND BECAUSE IT WILL LAST FOREVER IF YOU BUY GOOD ONCE-FIRED BRASS THERE'S NO REASON AT ALL TO RISK IT. BLOWN CASE HEADS ARE HIGHLY UNLIKELY TO EVER KILL YOU BUT I GUARANTEE THEY HAVE MORE THAN ENOUGH ABILITY TO AT LEAST TEMPORARILY MAKE YOU THINK YOU'RE DEAD OR WISH YOU WERE. Are being prepared to defend yourself and your home and family or whatever useful benefits you get from shooting and reloading going to be dramatically reduced by throwing away Or SELLING AS SCRAP some cases you didn't pay for in the first place and are literally TRASH as-is to the point that you're willing to "roll the dice" and buy the TOOLS to "fix" JUNK instead of just throwing it away and getting something you don't have to fix before you get to start reconditioning it?

[@dosvaskosfarms2985]

Won't a LEE FCD take care of this?

[@hornadyloader7574]

+Dos Vasko's Farms Hi, actually, you would think that any full length sizing die would fix the issue, but oddly, they do not. It seems that the case needs to pass completely through the die so that it gets sized properly along the entire length of the body. The bulge buster uses the taper die because you can remove the crimping component of the die which allows the case to pass all the way through. The FCD and most other standard sizing dies have a built-in roll crimp component that would require you to back the die off a bit so that the case neck does not come into contact with the crimping component of the die which further exacerbates the problem. I've tried getting that bulge out with a standard full-length sizing die and for some odd reason, it simply does not work. Thanks for watching!

[@jabberwookie1404]

Actually, the FCD does 90% of the bulge busting during it's use on loaded ammo. And since the resizing is done with the carbide ring at the very bottom of the die, it usually removes "glock bulge" easily. The FCD for taper crimp rounds do not 'roll crimp' it's a very good taper crimp. I set mine about 1/4 turn past shellholder touching and it just works. That said, if you wanted to do empty brass in bulk, get the bulge buster.

[@deeremeyer1749]

I'd love to know how many .40 S&W brass "bulge buster" owners who think taking a case that clearly was stretched WAY BEYOND ITS ELASTIC LIMIT SINCE IT BULGED AND STAYED THERE AND WHERE THE THICKEST AND "TOUGHEST" BRASS ON THE WHOLE CASE IS BUT ALSO WHERE THE THICKEST AND TOUGHEST BRASS ON THE WHOLE CASE IS LOCATED BECAUSE ITS NEEDED WOULD EVER THINK ABOUT DOING SOMETHING SIMILAR WITH A RIFLE CASE THAT CAN COST 5 TO 50 TIMES AS MUCH AS A DAMNED OLD .40 S&W CASE THAT IS BOTH FIGURATIVELY AND LITERALLY TRASH WHEN THEY PICK IT UP AND HAVE ZERO TIME AND MONEY IN IT JUST TO "SAVE MONEY" BY SEPARATING OUT ALL THE TRASH IN THERE "RANGE SCRAP HAUL" AND SETTING IT ASIDE FOR SPECIAL ATTENTION LIKE THE SHIT IS EVEN MORE VALUABLE AND IMPORTANT AND WORTHY OF THEIR TIME AND MONEY SPENT ON TOOLS TO "FIX" SOMETHING THAT ISN'T "DAMAGED" BUT IS LITERALLY DESTROYED SINCE IT'S NOT "REPAIRABLE" WITH THE STANDARD TOOLS FOR THAT TASK OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE RELOADING DIE SET. AND THAT "BULGE" IS BEING "FIXED" BY BEING SUBJECTED TO THE EXACT OPPOSITE DIRECTION AND LEVEL OF ABUSE IT "SURVIVED" THE FIRST TIME AND WHERE OH BY THE WAY IT HAS NOW BEEN COMPLETELY BLOWN OUT OF ITS PROPER SHAPE AND THEN JAMMED BACK INTO "SHAPE" AGAIN. OR "CLOSE" TO IT SINCE THERE NO "PROPER SIZE" FOR AN AREA OF A CASE THAT ISN'T TOUCHED BY THE NORMAL FULL-LENGTH DIE. AND IT HAS NOW BEEN WORK-HARDENED EXTENSIVELY TWICE AND IN ONE "SMALL" AREA OF AN AREA OF THE CASE THAT'S ACTUALLY A SIGNIFICANT PORTION OF THE CASE HEAD AND THAT NO DOUBT WHEN IT GOT STRETCHED OUT AND FORCED BACK PUT SOME STRESSES AND STRAINS IN A LOT LARGER AREA THAN JUST THE "BAD PART. AND WHAT REALLY BLOWS MY MIND IS THAT THERE A"RE GLOCK OWNERS WHO INTENTIONALLY BOUGHT PISTOLS THAT THE MANUFACTURER OF THEM SPECIFICALLY AND REPEATEDLY "WARNS" NOT TO SHOOT RELOADED AMMUNITION OR LEAD BULLETS IN ITS PISTOLS AND THAT MANUFACTURER'S PISTOLS ARE WELL-KNOWN FOR THE VARIOUS "DESIGN ISSUES' IN THE HIGHEST PRESSURE AND HIGHEST LOAD AREA OF THE PISTOL AND WHAT BETTER "RED FLAG" COULD YOU HAVE ABOUT THE POTENTIAL DANGERS OMNIPRESENT THERE IN THOSE PISTOLS IN THOSE AREA THAN THE FACT THAT YOU'RE PICKING IT UP AT THE RANGE AND EVEN PRODUCING IT AT THE RANGE WITH A GLOCK PISTOL YOU CLEARLY HAVE NO RESPECT FOR AND EVEN LESS FOR YOURSELF AND ANYBODY AROUND YOU AND GOD FORBID MAY BE SHOOTING YOUR PISTOL WHEN THE PIECE OF SHIT FINALLY EXPLODES AFTER YOU FIRE HUNDREDS OR THOUSANDS OF REPEATEDLY BULGED AND REPEATEDLY "REPAIRED" JUNK BRASS CREATED AND RECREATED BY THE VERY "GARBAGE GENERATOR" YOU CHOOSE TO CONTINUE TO GRAB AND HOLD UP IN FRONT OF YOUR FACE WITH 40,000 PSI IN A COUPLE MILLISECONDS ON TAP AND READY TO "BREAK FREE" EVERY TIME YOU PULL THE TRIGGER. AND YOU'RE NOT ONLY ASSCLOWN ENOUGH TO RISK YOUR OWN SAFETY AND THAT OF ANYONE AROUND YOU BUT YOU DECIDE TO SPREAD THE WORD FAR AND WIDE. BUT ITS OKAY AND THE BRASS IS FINE BECAUSE THERE'S A TO0L TO FIX IT. YOU BET. THERE ARE TOOLS TO FIX LOTS OF THINGS THAT SHOULDN'T BE DAMAGED IN THE FIRST PLACE BY ACCIDENT OR CARELESSNESS OR RECKLESSNESS OR OTHER "MOMENT OF WEAKNESS" HUMAN ACTION OR LACK THEREOF SHIT HAPPENED AND METAL GOT BENT. BUT THIS IS A DIFFERENT KIND OF METAL AND A DIFFERENT KIND OF BENT AND THERE MAY BE A TOOL TO "FIX" THESE CASES BUT THERE AREN'T ANY TOOLS TO FIX "BULGED" PISTOLS ALTHOUGH ITS SURPRISING NO GLOCKSUCKER IS WORKING ON IT YET OR HAS AN "KABOOM REVERSER KIT" THEY'RE SHILLING ON KZbin AND AS FAR AS AN "EYE BULGE BUSTER" THEY DO HAVE THOSE. Its an exchange deal. You trade in your "bulged" factory original eye and in return you get a custom-made "drop in replacement" that only you and all your friends and family and whoever was at the range and in the ambulance and at the hospital that day or days will know its not the real thing. And if you're "lucky" you'll lost your NON-DOMINANT EYE AND WON'T EVEN HAVE TO "SQUINT" OR "WINK" ANY MORE WHEN YOU SHOOT. BONUS!

[@2001FLHr]

EXACTLY. While lengthy you are dead on with these very bad ideas. You get a good barrel for your ill chambered Glock or whatever and shoot YOUR resized brass through it only. Safer and tons faster. No tool to fix stupid. Hate these guys next to me.

[@michael84003]

Did any one read all that and care to provide a brief summary?