Custom made seating stems ???

[milprileb]

I have not noticed any real difference in 45acp reloading of cast bullets using Pacific or RCBS or Lee 45acp seating dies with factory seating stems. They all seem to fit RN and SWC bullets about the same and okay.

Not so with 9mm and my Lee and RCBS and Dillon stems leave a lot of wobble on my Lee 120 gr TC and 124gr RN bullets. none shave lead so thats not a issue.

I just don't like this slop and flop fit of stem to bullet nose.

Is there anyone who custom makes stems with greater tolerances and Is there a real issue here I need to fix?

My concern with bullet seating in 9 mm is due to that case being tapered and my thoughts are a stem that precisely fits the nose of cast bullet will seat that bullet far more aligned in a tapered case.

I am asking your thoughts on this and if you think a custom stem will make any difference ... if so, who can make it ?

Let me close by saying: Others warned me (they were RIGHT) that the Dillon 9mm seating die has no magic on seating bullets. The Dillon catalog shows a seating stem precisely fitting the bullet but die in 9mm does not look same nor fits same as that 45acp picture depicts. I called Dillon on this and they said the 9mm die I got is how they make them in 9mm..... if I had known this, never would I have bought the Dillon 9mm seating die as its got no JU JU over Lee or RCBS 9mm seating dies in the stem fitting area.

So this time, before chasing more perfection and FOG, I am going to ask for you to beat me up and save me from myself on this subject.

[Wally]

A machine shop can make them but they would not be cheap. I can well appreciate your concern about this as such things bother me. I suggest that you take a seating stem that has a bullent nose profile a bit larger than the bullet you need one for. You clean it with carb cleaner and use high strength (24 hour epoxy)..place the mixed epoxy in the cavity of the bullet mold and then take a bullet...carefully pull/stretch. saran wrap over it to stretch it to fit the bullet nose profile...then with the epoxy filled seater screw, I place it on table with the nose end up--you carefully press the saran warp covered bullet into the cavity and let it set for 12 hours. Once the epoxy has cured--you can remove it and the seater nose cavity will be an exact match. Some use a release agent instead...wiping the tip of the bullet with candle wax will also work, but you must make sure it is well coated.
To remove, you heat the seater screw with a propane torch just enough to melt the epoxy.

[wrench]

Second on the epoxy method. I've done several like this and they work great, perfect custom fit on the bullet.

[edler7]

I've done the same thing with JB Weld. I think it's about the same thing as epoxy...just what I had on hand at the time.

[462]

JB Weld. Whatever gun oil you use makes an excellent release agent.

[Jack Stanley]

Having never modified a seater stem like you guys are talking about , I can picture the mechanics of getting this done . One little question gets me though , How to you insure the new nose form is straight and won't seat bullets crooked ? Is this sort of an eyeball it as best you can project that always works ?

Thanks , Jack

[462]

Jack,
After you’ve prepared the seating stem, re-install it in the die body, and proceed as you would to seat a boolit -- set the oiled boolit in the case mouth and slide the case into the shell holder, raise the press ram till there is contact between the seating stem and boolit -- and let sit overnight. That’s probably as close as you can get to having perfect alignment. (I use a Lyman M-die to assure that the boolit sits squarely in the case mouth, to begin with.)

[Sonnypie]

Speaking of seating stems...
I FINALLY found a box of reloading stuff I knew I had, but lost in the last move...
9 years ago.

In there was the set of 45 ACP dies I had replaced with a Lee set. RCBS brand.
There is the classic RN stem in the die.
And well, what is this funny little flat cupped thing?
I quickly realized that RCBS had provided a seating stem for all of those blunt tipped SWC (Simi Wad Cutter) and TN (Truncated Cone) Boolits us roll-ur-own casters seem to love.
I always knew there was a reason RCBS has a following. And now there is a bunch more green boxes on the shelf, from calibers no longer in my safe.

I believe I do need to buy more guns...