Wilson micrometer bullet seating die

[rcoody]

Presently I am using a co-ax and forster match dies

will I see any difference switching to the Wilson dies and an arbor press

how about a set of neil young sizing and bullet seating dies

just looking for an excuse for new toys

Thinking about a Harrell combo press for a Portable/field reloading setup. Will need a set of dies to go with it.

 

[Edd]

.....how about a set of neil young sizing and bullet seating dies ....

I wonder if he listens to Neil Jones records while he works.

 

[Mikecr]

Wilson dies won't ever make ammo LESS straight w/resp to another setup.
But if your standard press & dies make straight ammo already, you won't gain anything in going to an inline die system.

 

[FEENIX]

I wonder if he listens to Neil Jones records while he works.

LL! Give him a break ...

 

[rcoody]

I wonder if he listens to Neil Jones records while he works.

don't know where that came from. My spell checker on my phone does some crazy stuff sometimes

anyway I sent him a email. It is a crazy wildcat I want him to build dies for. Hope he is interested.

 

[nosualc]

There are a few advantages to the Wilson seater.

Straight bullet seating. The way they work you can't help but seat straight. It won't fix cases that are sized crooked, but it won't add more concentricity problems.

Portability. It's a lot easier to haul an arbor press and a Wilson die to the range than a full duty press with screw in seating dies.

Feel. The arbor press lets you feel when your seating tension is out of whack. This is IMO it's most important advantage and why all the competitive shooters I know swear by them.

-nosualc

 

[Bart B]

My Wilson chamber type bullet seater for .308 Win has the largest bullet cavity diameter of all others I have. It doesn't seat bullets any straighter than my standard seaters, RCBS competition nor several others tried.

 

[Edd]

My Wilson chamber type bullet seater for .308 Win has the largest bullet cavity diameter of all others I have. It doesn't seat bullets any straighter than my standard seaters, RCBS competition nor several others tried.

Your Wilson seater die should have whatever size bullet cavity you chose to put in it. If you wanted a smaller one you should have made it smaller.

 

[TOM H]

Presently I am using a co-ax and forster match dies

will I see any difference switching to the Wilson dies and an arbor press

how about a set of neil young sizing and bullet seating dies

just looking for an excuse for new toys

Thinking about a Harrell combo press for a Portable/field reloading setup. Will need a set of dies to go with it.

I use the Wilson seater and I'm not shooting factory chamber rifles and I haven't use standard type seater in years so I couldn't say one way other if standard is equal or better.

This is picture of my seater from another site

Nosler Reloading Forum • View topic - wilson dies

These ares some my Jones dies

Nosler Reloading Forum • View topic - Custom dies

I have Wilson VLD seater stems and you can take stem out drop bullet and for 308 bullet stem hole is just little over bullet dia and case can float in the seater and for me it works. I used the Wilson when I was shooting BR and I still shoot some tight neck rifles.

Mikecr has some pretty nice rifle that he shoots and I would trust his judgement if that means anything.

Well good luck

 

[Bart B]

Edd,

My 308 Wilson seater doesn't seat bullets more crooked, either. It was bought before they custom chambered them. But it has the bullet chamber about .0002" larger than Lapua's .3093" match bullets. It and all my seaters align the seated bullets centered in case necks. None of them straighten case necks any significant amount that aren't straight with the body axis.

Redding's web site has a page about seating bullets. They too, say no seater die fixes crooked case necks.

My opinion is, make case necks straight to the body and shoulder axis then use most any seater.

 

[Edd]

I'm not claiming they are better than anything else. I don't really know what the best is. I only have one of them and I've never used it. Mine is for a 30 caliber Wildcat cartridge and I don't have the rifle completed. The Gunsmith that chambered my barrel made the die from a Wilson blank using my reamer. The freebore diameter spec on my reamer is .3083". I can't imagine wanting anything smaller than that. I had it made because it seemed like the easiest way to get one for my cartridge. I think I can also use it for a chamber gauge.

 

[TOM H]

My Wilson chamber type bullet seater for .308 Win has the largest bullet cavity diameter of all others I have. It doesn't seat bullets any straighter than my standard seaters, RCBS competition nor several others tried.

The Wilson stem for 30 cal is same that would be use for all 30 cal seater and I would guess same for RCBS. I agree the Wilson stem is different as outside dia is larger that what RCBS would use as RCBS is attached to threads and non movable.

The cavities are tapered and if you took a bullet dropped in the cavity of either there may be difference in dia were it stops forward of the ogive. It pretty easy to find that dia and some may be interested in that.

I'm not trying to pick fight with you but be interest what you get putting bullet in each and we can compare.

 

[Bart B]

The Wilson stem for 30 cal is same that would be use for all 30 cal seater and I would guess same for RCBS.

Mine are all different across makes and have a small spread within a make for a given caliber.

I agree the Wilson stem is different as outside dia is larger that what RCBS would use as RCBS is attached to threads and non movable.

My Bonanza, RCBS and Wilson seater dies' stems all have threads and are moveable. 1/4-28 threads on Bonanza and RCBS.

The cavities are tapered and if you took a bullet dropped in the cavity of either there may be difference in dia were it stops forward of the ogive. It pretty easy to find that dia and some may be interested in that.

That's your idea and a good one. So you take the lead and measure all of yours then post them. Then I'll list mine for the same calibers I have after I measure them. Then all can compare them. Might want to list bullet chamber and seater stem body diameters for each to compare their diameters. There's quite a spread in clearance stems have to the bullet chamber across all makes.

I mentally mixed up my seater die's chamber diameters between 308 Win and 30 caliber magnums. My seven 30 caliber bullet seaters bullet chamber diameters at the mouth juncture:

Wilson BR chamber type .308, circa 1966;.3105"
RCBS standard .308, circa 1966; . . . . . . .3100"
RCBS standard .308, circa 1979; . . . . . . .3115"
RCBS competition .308, circa 1980's; . . . .3107"
RCBS standard .300 Win Mag, circa 1999, .3104"
RCBS standard .30-.338, circa 1967, . . . .3102"
Bonanza BR .30-.338, circa 1980; . . . . . .3093"

30 caliber bullet diameters I've measured go from .3070" to .3092".

 

[TOM H]

Bart, Like I say you can drop bullet in the cavity and that is taper and it's forward of the ogive and that's what I measure. I think most would be more concern on what bullets were used and since this is a hunting site that what I used.

This is list of bullets I used. 180gr Speer,180gr Partition,165gr AB, 190gr Hornady,180gr Hornady
165gr Hornady,168gr E-Tip,180gr Rem,185gr Berger VLD and the new Hornady 212gr.

I use seater stem from RCBS 30-338mag,seater stem from Wilson 30-338mag extra VLD from Wilson and seater stem from Jones die for 300Wby so used 4 different stem.

Of the 10 bullets measure

RCBS-- low was .266 and high was .285 and average was .276.5"

Wilson stem-- Low was .235 high .245 and average was 241.3"

Wilson VLD stem-- Low .266 and high was .274 and average was 271.4"

Jones stem-- low was .250 and high was .256 and average was .254.2"

Like I said I don't use standard seater and after measuring I could see where you and Mike think there is no difference but not enough that make me change. I think I'm going to change most of my Wilson over to the VLD stems