bullet seater for compressed loads

It seems as if my most accurate loads are compressed loads. My forster ultra seater stem will not handle the compressed powder and my standard RCBS seater is a pain to dial to the ogive length for each cartridge with the fact the I need to pick up a screwdriver for any adjustment. What bullet seater should I look at to ease that pain? Thanks in advance...

Different advice, but I would rather slightly reduce the charge height to clear compression. You might use a longer drop tube and slower dropping through it to accomplish this. If a high charge still, you could partially seat a bullet & touch the case head at a ~45deg to the lid of your vibratory cleaner for a second. Finish the seat.

Mikecr said:

Different advice, but I would rather slightly reduce the charge height to clear compression. You might use a longer drop tube and slower dropping through it to accomplish this. If a high charge still, you could partially seat a bullet & touch the case head at a ~45deg to the lid of your vibratory cleaner for a second. Finish the seat.

Click to expand...

I use a long drop tube and I vibrate each case with an electric toothbrush. I wish I could reduce the charge, but I just don't get acceptable numbers. I've come to realize that I can't use a micrometer seater, so I'm looking for the most user friendly seater... i.e. not using a screwdriver to move the stem...

Have you tried the LE Wilson chamber micrometer seater? I've broken 3 Forster stems, and none were even compressed loads. I won't buy them anymore. I just ran up to 49gr of reloder 26 in Lapua 6.5 Creedmoor cases with a 143eldx, which is pretty compressed. It worked beautifully.

I know where you are coming from with the compressed loads and the Forster seater. I love the Forster, but get much better results with the Redding competition seater on compressed loads. The Redding seating stem is much more robust. It will seat with more consistent ogive measurements and less runout than the Forster with compressed loads.

I will look into both of those. Thanks

Hopefully the bullet noses won't be damaged by so much force. But you might try 1 cal smaller in stem. I don't know what bullet we're talking about, but pushing lower on the nose provides for a steeper contact angle.

Not to criticizes a Practice that is used by my self and many others, there is a point that is reached that this practice can be detrimental.

I use a 36" drop tube and it helps to load otherwise over charged cases. that can/do expand the case it's self and make it hard to chamber plus as mentioned, damage the bullet from excessive seating pressure.

Sometimes a change to a powder with more density potential will accomplish the same thing, Like going to a ball powder or a short cut type of the same powder. If accuracy is best at highest velocities
you may have a barrel that likes velocity beyond the ability of the case and just have to settle for the best accuracy at safe limits. I have owned more that one of these barrels/rifles and loaded hotter and hotter with accuracy improving as I increased, even to the point of blowing primers and ruining cases. so I backed off and worked at getting the same accuracy at lower velocities.

By increasing the bullet to neck tension and reducing the powder charge a small amount, I find the same velocity can be reached and sometimes accuracy can be improved. If the velocity of the heavily compressed load compared to the slightly compressed load is higher this can also be a sign that the bullet needs more tension or a hotter primer may be in order.

If all of this has already been addressed other changes may need to be made. At least you know how accurate your rifle can be and it's just a matter of finding another way to get there.

I have always believed that 98% to 101% case density was the place to be for accuracy and consistency, so don't give up. try to do different things and you will find a way around over compression of your powder charge. Good Luck.

It's hard to give advice for something that I have been guilty of myself, but taking my own advice I have been able to achieve the same results without pushing the envelope to a dangerous level.

Just an opinion

J E CUSTOM

I've gone to Whidden. Like others have said Forster breaks the seating stem with compressed loads, I broke 2 on a 6x45. I won't buy Forster again. I have had good luck for years with Redding competition dies. However, I got a set of custom dies from Whidden for my 6.5 Addiction, great dies and I run nothing but compressed loads. I got another set for 6.5 Creedmoor. I think Whidden used to use/sell Forster, but have gone to their own design.

I use Redding Competition seater but I have split the stem on one once so it will not handle really compressed load repeatedly. You can buy a separate seating stem for VLD bullets for it which seems to help with what I have been loading. The instructions for the Redding Competition seater though say it is not for compressed loads so it is one of those proceed at your own risk affairs.

If your load requires that much compression I wonder how far the bullets would ease themselves up in the case after sitting awhile. A day, a week, a month???
I've only used slightly compressed loads myself so I haven't had the opportunity to check that for myself but have read where others have experienced the problem.

I am not using crazy compressed loads. 100-102%... My rifle has always had better accuracy and velocity at the max + book loads with no pressure signs. It has always chronographed lower velocities than book values at any load, which is why I have always been comfortable to push the weight a bit. That I'm using a compressed load is not what I am looking to debate. I'm just looking for input on a user friendly seater that doesn't create runout. (maybe this doesn't exist?). I am not necessarily looking for a micrometer seater either. Thanks again...

Your doing something severely wrong, I don't think I've even heard of anyone breaking a seating stem and I've never seen it and I load a lot of round that need drop tubed and like to run a little compressed, you have to be running way more compressed than your thinking!!

No... not more than 101%. The forster stem flares out and seizes in the floating body. I never said that it "broke", like it snapped in half. It is a common problem with these seaters and compressed loads. That's why I'm looking for something different.