Bullet seating

BoomFlop

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Oct 16, 2012
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Location
Wisconsin
Hey

How does everyone seat their bullets?

Here is what I've done so far:
1)Seated bullet to OAL perfectly
2)Measure CBTO on that bullet and seat the rest
3)Check each bullet after seating

What I'm finding is that there are variables, I'm assuming in the bullet shape (40gr Nosler Ballistic Tip)

So do I go back and get them all to the same CBTO or Micro adjust seater for each bullet? For example seat cartridge 1, then back seater off and seat cartridge 2 and repeat?

Thanks
Steve
 
Jay

Do you make them all the same one at a time, or do you set 1 up and run them and let them be off a touch? Mine are varying .006 at times. Most of the time they are within .001-.002.

Thanks bud
Steve
 
I seat it, lift the handle slightly and rotate cartridge slightly 1/4-1/2 rotation and seat again. Don't know if it matters but thats how I dow it. I wouldn't worry about that one or two thou yet, it'll be fine. You are splitting hairs for a load that you dont even know will work yet. Go out and shoot them, get the cases fireformed then worry about the fine details. Once I know they fit in the magazine and feed properly I dont care about the OAL measurement (only CBTO)
 
Jay

Do you make them all the same one at a time, or do you set 1 up and run them and let them be off a touch? Mine are varying .006 at times. Most of the time they are within .001-.002.

Thanks bud
Steve
I set it up on the first round and check a few or so during the load process. Using this process, it is not unusual to have a difference in depth like you are seeing.
 
Forget OAL.
I seat a hair shy, measure CBTO, adjust seat, verify correct CBTO. Every single one.
Same with shoulder bumping and primer seating.

If that's a pain for you (it can be), then you can make it go really easy with other reloading actions. Stop over sizing necks, leave alone the carbon layer in necks, remove the press and shell holder from variance (Wilson seater & arbor press), and pre-qualify ogive radius with a BGC.
 
So I seated 60 rounds. Got the variance down to .001, which I think will be perfectly fine for test loads. I'm not sure that I can shoot well enough to notice the difference of .001 with a 10 power scope anyway but I'm striving to make them as perfect as possible. So if that will come with time/technique as well I hope.

New brass, I dipped in Imperial Dry Lube to run Sinclair mandrel in, wiped off outside but left lube on the inside. Thinking it would help with seating in new brass?

Thanks everyone for helping me with my questions.

Steve
 
If these are for your mag feed bolt action 223 you may not see much in the way of accuracy improvement by seating all the bullets to the exact same CBTO length. You may like to leave some as they come out of your seating die and compare to some that you have measured the same CBTO on and shoot both lots at the range.

For long range ammo I will alter each round as Mikecr has stated in post #6. I use the Redding instant indicator and adjust the seating die according to what the indicator reads.
 
3! I measure each round as it comes off the press. I'll except .001 either direction. Sometimes .002 but I'm hunting not a bench rest guy. As important I pay attention to how each feels as I seat them. Basically what Mike mentioned about taking care in other reloading steps. Especially the carbon in my necks.
 
After full seating testing, and finer testing, I do a window test.
To each it's own but 8-10thou is normal. If final tweaking for tightest group shaping puts me within 2thou of an edge, no problem.
2thou is pretty far.
 
It really depends on what I'm loading for. If precision, I check every round. If your checking at the Ogive, they should all be the same at the point that matters.
 
I am using a Redding VLD Micrometer Seating stem....that is what Redding advised for me to get for Ballistic Tips, Vmax and Amax type bullets.
 
If you have a seating stem that seats off of the ogive instead of the bullet tip, they should all be the same
As long as the ogive is in the same place on the bullet. I've seen as much as .025 difference in different lots of the same bullet.
Some manufacturers bullets are more consistent than others in the same lots also.
 
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