Problem seating cast bullets

[Redcoat3340]

I'm new to this board and new to reloading.

Trying to set .303 175 gr. cast in.311 on new PRVI brass. I'm using Lee dies and Lee Hand Press Kit.

When I tried seating my practice round, I got a bit of shaved lead and a round ring around the tip of the bullet. Pictures attached.

What am I doing wrong....or is it the Lee die? Or something else.

I've had no problem seating jacketed bulles....but I don't understand this.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

[Redcoat3340]

Damn...meant to say trying to seat 185 gr. .303 British cast bullets (I've got 175 of 'em).....Sorry. (I'll be using 17.2 gr. of 2400 as my starting load.)

[vmathias]

Are you Flaring your cases? With cast or regular (non boattail bullets) you will have to flare the case mouth slightly to accept the bullet.

[Calamity Jake]

The ring around the nose is caused by the seating stem in your die. The shaving of lead is caused by one or
more of the following:Lack of deburring of the case mouth, to much neck tension (a 31 cal. "M" die cures this)
or no flair of the case mouth.

The ring on the nose won't hurt anything but the shaving will and needs to be corrected.

[MT Chambers]

The lack of a flared casemouth means that you are putting extra pressure trying to force the bullet into the case, and messing up the nose in the process. Look into a Lee Universal expanding die, it will work for all but .50 cal. case mouth flaring.

[imsoooted]

flare your case mouth just enough to get your boolit started...I had the same issue with a ring on the nose of the boolit. it is caused by a rough finish on the seating die. I chamfered mine but couldn't get totally rid of the ring so I inverted the seating stem. problem solved.

[Pepe Ray]

All of the above instruction is good.
But to answer your question.
Most of the die sets available today were designed to load JACKETED bullets only.
We casters/reloaders must improvise to accomodate the larger diameter boolets.
As far as I know the RCBS Cowboy line of dies are the only ones designed to work with cast boolets.
And as you probably already know, they arent available in all cartridges/chamberings.
Pepe Ray

[Elkins45]

The advice to buy a Lee universal flaring die is spot on. Regular rifle dies don't expand the case mouth enough to accept a cast boolet that is possibly up to 0.003 larger than a traditional jacketed bullet.

[Cherokee]

Lyman M die for .31 cal will solve the problem, but the Lee flare die might do as well.

[Redcoat3340]

Thanks to all for your help. I'm ordering a Lee Universal Case Flaring/Expanding die from Natchez tonight....just when I thought I had all the gear I need. Ah well, gives me a chance to look through their catalogue and order something else....

I've be reloading .303, 8mm Mauser and .30 40 Krag with cast, so I think it will come in handy and be worth the "investment. All $10 of it.

again, thanks.

[dromia]

The Lee die might or might not solve your problem, if the case neck diameter is too much for the boolit although you might not be getting shaving as the Lee flare will stop that you still might be getting the boolit sized down by the case. You need to measure the case neck diameter and check that it is no more that 2thou smaller than the boolit diameter, if it is smaller than that then you will need an M type die with a suitable sized spud. The ring on the nose from the seating die would suggest to me that the boolit is indeed a tight fit to the case mouth. There are skilled machinists on here who can make you one to your specification at very reasonable cost. Until you know the measurements of your case and boolits you are really blundering in the dark as to the correct solution.

[462]

Dromia's post is very informative as it points out the failings of the Lee die, and explains how the Lyman M-die addresses both case mouth expansion and neck tension.

[Spokerider]

Use a pair of needle-nose pliers, or a punch with a tapered shaft to flare out the case neck a little. Case lube on the pliers or punch will help it to spin easy as you twist the two together. Flare it just enough so the boolit slides in nicely with no stripping.
I don't have a Lyman M die, and so do the above for loading 30 40 Krag.

[Redcoat3340]

I went quickly looking for Lyman M die....and have two questions:

1. Do I need one die for each caliber I'm reloading? Natchez's catalog seems to show that.

2. Will it fit on my Lee Hand Press Kit? Or must I have a Lyman rig?

It will take five to seven days for the Natchez order to arrive, but if I can figure it out today, I'll add the Lyman die to my standing order and get it all at once.

thanks.

[OverMax]

Shh!! don't tell anyone but here's a tip for yaw to get by on: Save some money. Easy to flair a neck on that old 303 of yours. Do it the Bohemian way. Get a 270 or 25-06 loaded store bought shell and use to roll out a flair with. Usually without to much effort you can get a 0.005 flair. If the brass shaves again when seating its tip. Apply a little more pressure too the next rolling job. Give it a try you'll see. I do it all the time on my 30-30 brass with a 223 cartridge. Remember lets keep this little tip a secret.

O/M

[462]

1. Do I need one die for each caliber I'm reloading?
No. There is a short die body, primarily for handgun and a few short-case rifle cartridges i. e. .30-30, and a long die body for rifle cartridges, however the long body will work for the .30-30. The expander plugs can be purchased individually directly from Lyman, or custom made to fit by forum member Buckshot. (Go to Lyman's web-site and you will see exactly how the die works and why it is much more than a simple "flaring" die.)


2. Will it fit on my Lee Hand Press Kit?
Yes, the threads are 7/8" X 14.

[GOPHER SLAYER]

dromia is right on with his advice. You won't need a seperate M die for each cartridge but you will need one for each caliber, at least that is the way I do it. Flaring never worked for me, even with J bullets. Flaring still allowed the bullet to lean to one side and possibly shaving it. The M die allows the bullet to stay square with the case. When I had my lathe I made my own. All that is required is a piece of threaded rod turned down to desired diameter. I keep my M dies in a Lyman turett press and run my brass thru it after sizing. After charging the case with powder I push my cast bullets into the case before I put it into the press. Works for me.

[victor3ranger]

I don't want people to think I am highjacking the thread but this has me wondering something.

If the Cowboy dies open the neck just a little more, is there a part number for say the Lee pace setter die so that you can replace the expander mandrel so that the neck is sized to the proper diam for the larger lead bullet?
Not sure if that makes any sense the way I said it.
What I am really after is......I have a set of Lee Pace Setter 30-30 dies, can I buy a new expander mandral to use with lead bullets. I know that jacketed bullets for the 30-30 are .308, I am asumming that with lead they need something like .309??