The Ring Around the Boolit, . . .

[Jeff R]

For seating lead Boolits, do you Pros have custom seating stems made? When I was shooting highpower, and the AMAX j-thing came out, the seating stem that came with my dies caused a deep ring right behind the polymer tip. Hornady made me a custom seating stem for 5 bucks that solved the problem. Here are a couple 30 cal Boolits that were seated with my standard RCBS seating die.

60510

I figure I'll need to get some custom stems made, unless there is a way to eliminate the ring that I haven't thought of. How do you guys seat your similar boolits without getting the ring around the boolit nose? Who do you have make your custom seating stems? Are there any board member vendors that make them?
Thanks,
JR

[Blanket]

I make my own seating stems to fit the nose, but my first question would be alloy used and neck tension?

[462]

Lyman seating dies come with stems that match their moulds' nose profiles, and they can be ordered individually. When using RCBS and Hornady dies, I've used hot melt glue, epoxy, and aluminum foil for a "custom" fit.

[Jeff R]

Hi Blanket,
I bought those boolits and do not know the alloy composition. However, I used my new "M" die to expand and flare the case mouth. Without that, the boolits wouldn't seat. I am assuming that the "M" die would give somewhat optimal neck tension. Anyway, it didn't take any excessive amont of pressure to seat the boolits.
JR

[williamwaco]

Hi Blanket,
I bought those boolits and do not know the alloy composition. However, I used my new "M" die to expand and flare the case mouth. Without that, the boolits wouldn't seat. I am assuming that the "M" die would give somewhat optimal neck tension. Anyway, it didn't take any excessive amont of pressure to seat the boolits.
JR

ditto.

I have seen that ring many times, but never with a case expanded by the "M" die.

[Blanket]

If you are rolling the case mouth back in to crimp the seater set long will also bump the bullets

[Jeff R]

If you are rolling the case mouth back in to crimp the seater set long will also bump the bullets

Blanket,
I haven't put a crimp on the case mouth yet. I'm waiting for my taper crimp die to come. It has been on back order for three weeks, but has been shipped and should be here on Thursday.

[.22-10-45]

Hello Jeff. On my .22 seaters, I chuck up seater in lathe..could use drill press also & coat bullet nose with coarse Clover valve grinding compound..finish up with fine & polish with 400-600 wet & dry paper for custom fit.

[Jeff R]

Lyman seating dies come with stems that match their moulds' nose profiles, and they can be ordered individually. When using RCBS and Hornady dies, I've used hot melt glue, epoxy, and aluminum foil for a "custom" fit.

462,
I have all these things on hand. If you could briefly describe your method, or steer me to an old thread describing it, I would be grateful
JR

[EMC45]

Take your seater stem out of your seating die and "break" the sharp edge of the contact points. It will show a marked improvement. No pun intended.

[pdawg_shooter]

Put some wax on the bullet nose, put hot glue in the seating plug, insert bullet, let cool a few seconds. Now the plug matches the bullet perfectly. Changing bullets? Warm the hot glue up, insert the the new bullet, perfect fit for new bullet.

[HollowPoint]

Up until recently I was getting the same "Ring" around the noses of all my 30 caliber cast bullets
and some of my jacketed bullets.

I did what has already been mentioned. I removed the seating stem and reamed the sharp edges
off of it.

Now depending on the bullet profile, I still get a very faint ring imprint but nothing like it was before.
Even when I was getting that annoying ring, it never seemed to affect accuracy at all though so, I'm
wondering if this is just a preference or an aesthetic thing more than any thing else?

HollowPoint

[462]

Put some wax on the bullet nose, put hot glue in the seating plug, insert bullet, let cool a few seconds. Now the plug matches the bullet perfectly. Changing bullets? Warm the hot glue up, insert the the new bullet, perfect fit for new bullet.

That's it, except I put oil on the boolit.

[**oneshot**]

I've modified/shimmed/polished both seaters and top punches to not mar boolits. Emery cloth and lapping compound do wonders to get rid of burrs and sharp edges.

[45-70 Chevroner]

Even when I was getting that annoying ring, it never seemed to affect accuracy at all though so, I'm
wondering if this is just a preference or an aesthetic thing more than any thing else?

HollowPoint[/QUOTE]
I agree, I don't let the ring worry me at all, it has never had any effect on the accuracy of the boolit.

[jonk]

I made a hot glue insert for a 30-06 die, but tried some with the ring, some without. Not a lick of difference in accuracy; the ring is perfectly concentric after all.

My Lube sizer makes a much worse ring anyhow.