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I just watched a video with someone loading .45-70 rounds. When it came time to seat thr boolits in the cases, he had a seating die that was cut away, so you could watch the boolit being seated in the case. This way you knew exactly how far it was being seated without having to continuously pull the boolit back down to check.
I found this very interesting and was wondering if a die like this is sold or was homemade?
Thanks
Vickerman inline seater https://www.vickermandie.com/products/
Wow that’s an awesome setup. I think I might get that on the wish list. Thanks for the info.
RCBS makes a micrometer seating die with the cutout as well, though not sure if it's available for all calibers.
https://www.midwayusa.com/product/10...ies-seater-die
The main benefit of the Vickerman die is the precision seating with little or no runout.
Herter's also sold these dies at one time. I had a set but sold them as I could find no real benefit and the added tolerances on the Herter's did not sit well with me. I would say the Vickermann's and the RCBS would have much tighter tolerances than the Herter's. Just my opinion though, james
I see Herters cut-away seater dies at gunshows all the time, they usually don't bring any more money that standard herters seater dies.
I think that style of herters die was called "model perfect" -- I have a couple sets 243 and 308 I think. I have never used them --
I think the die body is made from tubing rather than bar stock --
The matching sizer uses a similar body with a changeable insert - caliber to caliber ----
The sliding sleeve seaters with the cut out supposedly alighn the case and bullet much better. The case is ran into the die and the bullet inserted thru the opening into the sleeve ( bored very close to the bullet dia) while the lower part of the sleeve supports the case neck and shoulder. RCBS makes then currently herters, Belding and Mull, Vickerman, and I believe Neil Jones have made them also.
That is correct. The Vickerman die is designed for "straight line" bullet seating. The opening in the die is insert the bullet where it is in line with the case.Quote:
Originally Posted by MT Chambers
The Wilson hand seating die is another popular die for "straight line" seating. At one time Lyman made a line of PA (precision alightment) to do much the same thing. These Lyman PA dies have larger tolerances and many can be used to seat the fatter cast bullets. Vickerman and Wilson dies are a very close fit for jacketed bullets. Fatter case bullets won't work in these dies unless you have one made. I have some Wilson dies (308 ad 30-06) make to take up to .3125 bullets. I also have a .3125 custom bullet sleeve for my 30 cal Vickerman.
I like the vickerman but my Redding inline seater gives me less run out than anything I have used for seating 45-70 cast bullets.
I have and use the old original Vickerman seaters from .224 through .358. I even have and use one for .510 50 BMG bullets. They are very precise. I am unable to seat .512 cast bullets in the 50BMG because they are too large in diameter. Only .510 jacketed bullets fit in the die.
Bob
Vickerman type seaters were easily available back in the 60s, as were a few clones, and the prices were high but not outrageous. But, by the mid 70s they were virtually all gone. Why? I don't know but assume the average reality - compared to standard seaters - must not have lived up to expectations.
The only question I ever had about them was about bullet alignment. Most any sliding sleeve bullet holder can insure reasonable bullet-to-case mouth alignment but what about the alignment between the case mouth and body/base? Dunno ...
The readily available excellent Bonanza/Forster BR seaters, and later Redding Competition copies, are built with a sleeve that fully encloses the cases and holds them straight before seating actually starts. Those two are the only true straight-line seater dies in the standard threaded form (that I know of) and I LIKE that!
It is my opinion that the few current short sliding seater sleeves in other so called "Bench Rest" dies are sloppy fitted in order to insure the sleeve will slide down (by gravity) that the end alignment is probably no better, on average, than conventional seaters.
The cut away seaters are easier to use when handling lots of small caliber bullets.
I have never seen any way they would have an accuracy advantage over either a Wilson hand die or a Bonanza/Forster BR die. The case is aligned only by the neck and the neck bushing necessarily has to be large enough for the thickest case walls to slide out when expanded by a maximum diameter bullet.
Thinner cases will have some clearance which is a sloppier fit.
I only have one Redding competition sliding sleeve seater and it seems to be very good but I have little experience with it so far. The Redding competition non sleeve seaters for BPCR calibers are really nice to use and so far are accurate but the convenience of the micrometer is the best feature.