Up until know, I've been using just a Lee Handloader in combination with my vise and drill press to reload my .223, .270, etc. These Lee hand dies are inexpensive and way less than the investment required for a good press and dies. They have given me very good results accuracy-wise for my hunting loads. Well, I thought I'd start off the year by graduating to an RCBS single-stage press, case trimmer, and some quality dies for my .223 as I felt like my target shooting accuracy might be limited by my reloading process. The transition has been interesting. I brought home RCBS and Redding dies because I couldn't decide at the store. I was doing some initial checkout and ran into an issue with seating my Barnes 62gr TTSX bullets into new brass. I couldn't get a consistent seating depth with the Redding bullet seating die. I'd adjust the die to seat deeper and the bullet COAL would actually increase (Pkslinger, I didn't have to wait to see them grow). I concluded that the die was actually grabbing onto the bullet and not releasing it cleanly on the down stroke. You could see the contact marks on the bullet. I then tried the RCBS die and confirmed that was the issue. It was worse to the point that it actually extracted the bullet from the case and I had to take the die apart to retreve the bullet. I couldn't even tap the die on the workbencn and get the bullet to come out.

Suggestions?

I've had this happen before especially with newer shaped bullets that don't fit the die correctly. If it's a bullet you plan on shooting a lot (because you bought hundreds or thousands of them), you can send two or three of the bullets to RCBS and have them make a custom bullet seating stem just for that bullet. The last I checked it cost about $20 to $30 which included the new stem.

I don't know if Redding does that (perhaps give them a call), the other thing you can do is lap the bullet into the die with lapping compound on a lathe. But I would give RCBS a call and tell them.

Good idea OV1...I was going to suggest that the problem is the contoured recess in the seating stem in the seating die. Another way out is to use an almost flat seating stem, but that can be a problem when loading soft points or spire points...it will flatten the exposed lead tip.

You may find that RCBS have a range of different shaped seating stems anyway...they have them for their Lube Sizer, so I would assume that they would carry them for their reloading dies as well. Can't hurt to ask.

Cheers, Vince

the bullet is less sharper than the centering hole in the stem of your seating die. So you can change that centering hole: take away the sharp edge at the enterance or do anything that makes this hole having a duller top-angle. Don't exagerate when you don't want to make FP's of your SP's

Since I haven't decided on which dies I want, I'm not going to lap the seating stem just yet though I expect that will be the final solution if its not easy to get an alternative. I also have a set RCBS competition dies with micrometer seat adjust coming in a couple of days. I'll see if that seating die has the same problem. I'll let you know what RCBS and Redding say.

Check the diameter of the expander button too.

x2 on what OV said. I had that problem with Lee dies years ago. Lee will custom make a seater plug/stem whatever they call it for just a little cash. I just polished mine with flitz to a mirror finish and that worked for me.

Yep- getta LEE die.....if it it still does it they'll re-work they're die for 5$.

I think the first thing you need to determine is what the actual cause is !!!

Have you tried a different brand/style bullet ???
Is this because of the Barnes ogive design or it's length ???
I'm leaning towards the fact the bullet design it self is causing issue since you have the same problem with two different die sets.
If it was just a seating stem issue I would think one would have been finished correctly.


When determining what dies you want to use the single most important thing is weather or not they produce concentric results.
A run out gauge is the best way to evaluate them.

chambered221 wrote:

I think the first thing you need to determine is what the actual cause is !!!

Um, I think he did. At least that's what I gathered from his orrig. post, twas the die.

Your right stovey ............couldn't be a compatibility issue them dies are junk.
Get some good Lee dies and problem solved

chambered221 wrote:

Your right stovey ............couldn't be a compatibility issue them dies are junk. Get some good Lee dies and problem solved

I didnt say that you nimnull.
I said I thought he ID'd the issue as being the die based on what he said, as he's used these pills before.

Yeh, I'm LEE biased...sue me.

I bet Slim forgot to chamfer his case mouths!

Sides...LEE hand loader set how many 1000y records?

I've had little issues and glitches with their stuff, either worked around it or called them for a solution. No one's perfect. I just don't undertand all the LEE hate sometimes. I love their stuff for budget reloaders like me that can't do the big names and if I do my part my stuff makes one raggedy hole so...

Back on topic I'd have to see the offending part to offer more advice but the others saying give it a polish what can it hurt? Maybe the ogive and stem flute angle are compeating?

Sorry if I started a *h*tstorm again!

stovepipe wrote:

Sides...LEE hand loader set how many 1000y records? I've had little issues and glitches with their stuff, either worked around it or called them for a solution. No one's perfect. I just don't undertand all the LEE hate sometimes. I love their stuff for budget reloaders like me that can't do the big names and if I do my part my stuff makes one raggedy hole so... Back on topic I'd have to see the offending part to offer more advice but the others saying give it a polish what can it hurt? Maybe the ogive and stem flute angle are compeating? Sorry if I started a *h*tstorm again!

I found that when I polished my RCBS and Redding dies that they performed better and I got the added bonus of knowing that all of the packing oil was removed. I would if inspection showed, holy stone the stem.

What would Bushy do?!?!?!