Hornady seating die ?

[starmac]

I bought a set of hornady dies from a member here. This is actually the first set I have ever even looked at.
My question is how do you like the floating seating stem? It seems like a pretty interesting concept.
Does it gum up with lube using cast pretty quick or not. Just looking at them that is the only downfall I see to the design.
They are in a caliber I don't load for, so I can't even satisfy my curiosity with them, unless I buy another rifle of course.

Would that be considered a good excuse to buy a rifle that I don't need? I do have a little bit of brass, but then there would be the mold thing also. lol

[Doc_Stihl]

I LOVE the hornady seating dies.
I don't find that the stems gum up any faster than any others. If anything less often than my Lee's. The beauty part is that they're so easy to clean when they do gum up.

The thing I really like is that I can flare most bottle necks enough to seat cast comfortably and still get the alignment piece over the neck. I actually hold that sliding piece down until it contacts the shoulder. While doing this I can tell if something isn't right in the brass or alignment. Once it's on the shoulder I let go and in it goes. The seating stems can be had in a few different specific bullets. I bought a bunch on sale and have even JB welded a couple to fit nose profiles.

Almost forgot. I use these across different cartridges all the time. A 308 die works fine on a 300 Blackout as well as a 300 savage and 30/06. 22-250 does 223 just fine as well. I sometimes have to put the sleeve and stem in a short or long body to get the length right.

I keep 3 bodies empty and all the sleeves/stems seperate. When it's time to seat, I make what is needed from the parts.

[starmac]

Sounds like you are a hornady fan. lol I wish this was in a caliber that I use, because just looking at it I can see how I would like them. I hate to think about changing all my dies out though. lol I may justhave to pick up a 308 to try, as I do also do 300 savage and 06. Thanks for that tip.

I will check on some 308 ME dies, as I haven't bought dies for it anyway.

[Doc_Stihl]

I'm a fan of useful things.
I have RCBS, Eagle, Lyman, Lee, Redding, Forster, Pacific, Neil Jones, home made, and Hornady on the wall. I like Hornady, RCBS Comp, Forster Benchrest, and Redding Comp seating dies.
A Full length size die and seating die set from Hornady happens to cost A WHOLE lot less than a single comp die most of the time.

What caliber are the hornady dies you have in?

[williamwaco]

I bought a set of hornady dies from a member here. This is actually the first set I have ever even looked at.
My question is how do you like the floating seating stem? It seems like a pretty interesting concept.
Does it gum up with lube using cast pretty quick or not. Just looking at them that is the only downfall I see to the design.
They are in a caliber I don't load for, so I can't even satisfy my curiosity with them, unless I buy another rifle of course.

Would that be considered a good excuse to buy a rifle that I don't need? I do have a little bit of brass, but then there would be the mold thing also. lol

Well?

What are you waiting for?

[starmac]

What caliber are the hornady dies you have in?

7 mm

[dudel]

I have mostly Hornady dies with a sprinkling of others. I really like the floating seating stem. They can get gunked up if the lube is over applied. They don't seem to gunk up any more than the other vendors I have.

Good news, is that like the Dillon dies, the seating stem can be removed without changing the adjustment. Unlike the Dillon where the stem comes out the top; on the Hornady, the seating stem comes out the bottom once you release the clip at the base of the die. The sleeve and stem drop out. Clean them up, push them back in from the bottom, and put the clip back on. Easy peasy.

[starmac]

Well?

What are you waiting for?

Several reasons
1 I never buy a new off the shelf gun, I don't know why, I'm cheap I guess. I think the last brand new gun I bought was a 10/22 for 69.99. lol
2 I shoot left handed and left handed bolts just don't come up that often.
3 The dies are 7 mag, and for some reason I just never warmed up to it, Maybe because it isn't offered in a lever gun (my favorites)
All that said, if I do run across one in a left hand bolt at a price I like, I will own one, but for now, I will probably get a set of hornady dies in a caliber I use and try them. lol

[Randy C]

I recently bought 2 sets 223 and 243wssm and there decapping die. I have the same dies in RCBS I like the floating stem it centers the bullet and holds it in place I think they will shine on my progressive press. I've been using them on my single stage to build a pet load . I would like to have a set in 270wsm I want to show a coworker how to do it for his gun. There customer service was good. I don't mind having 2 sets of dies if I want to build custom loads I don't have to take them out of my progressive set up.

[MtGun44]

I have been telling people that Hornady New Dimension dies are
the best out there for several years. For example - I was recently loading some
.308 target loads. I got out my Hornady die set and my older Bonanza
benchrest die set.

Checking the necks after sizing showed a consistent .001 runout on the
cases sized in the Hornady die and .007 consistently with the cases
sized with the Bonanza die.

After sizing all cases with the Hornady die - (it changed the ones previously
sized in the Bonanza die to .001 runout), trimming, priming and charging,
I started seating MatchKings - again comparing the benchrest Bonanza die
against the Hornady seater die, and they both produced about the same
runout at the bullet, about .005 near the tip for each.

BIG fan of Hornady dies. They have a sleeve in the pistol dies,
too.

Bill

[engineer401]

3 The dies are 7 mag, and for some reason I just never warmed up to it, Maybe because it isn't offered in a lever gun (my favorites)

You can get a Browning BLR in 7mm Mag. http://www.cabelas.com/product/Browning-BLR-mm-Rem-Mag/1233825.uts

http://www.browning.com/products/catalog/firearms/detail.asp?fid=003B&cid=034&tid=006

I love the BLR.

They are not cheap if new.

[starmac]

[QUOTE=engineer401;2606231]You can get a Browning BLR in 7mm Mag. http://www.cabelas.com/product/Browning-BLR-mm-Rem-Mag/1233825.uts

http://www.browning.com/products/catalog/firearms/detail.asp?fid=003B&cid=034&tid=006

I love the BLR.
For some reason, I have never warmed up to the blr, I really don't have a reason, I've never owned one and the only one I ever shot was a shooter.

[tomme boy]

Has Hornady made a seating plug for the AMAX bullets yet? When they first took over Pacific dies,they did not fit the AMAX bullets and would leave a ring on the bullet.

[Forty Rod Ray]

Mr Vickerman made a pretty fair seating die. I got mine in a trade in 60-70's and it sat in its box for months before I learned what genius combined with a great machinist could do for you.

Frigid Alabumma is not fun.....

[garandsrus]

I also like the Hornady dies. I had trouble seating cast boolits with them due to the size of the boolits. I was probably using .30 cal dies so the boolits would have been .310. I dont think they fit in the sleve due to the sleve being made for .308.

I prefer the Hornady dies for jacketed bullets.

[Clay M]

I have the Hornady set for the .45/70 and they work perfectly. Even the expander die seems to work fine for my cast bullets. I have gotten good accuracy using these dies. I also have the set for a .204 Ruger. No problems with them either.

[Randy C]

I think Redding made one for burger bullets but that don't work in hornady

[liliysdad]

Has Hornady made a seating plug for the AMAX bullets yet? When they first took over Pacific dies,they did not fit the AMAX bullets and would leave a ring on the bullet.

Yes, they do. I have the AMAX plug in my 308 die, and use it for all bullets. No rings.

[Zyvek]

I purchased two (.223 & .308) of the Hornady New Dimension seating dies with with the floating seating stem, along with Hornady Microjust seating stem, a couple months ago.

I tried the .223 seating die first and my experience with the inconsistent seating was very frustrating, even after swapping out the seating stem.

Because of this, I never opened the .308 set until last week. My experience with the .308 (using at least 4 different bullets) was completely different, especially with the micrometer adjustment I couldn't be happier for the price.

I'm guess I have a bit more tinkering to do with the .223 seating die. Most of the bullets I was loading were 55 grains and lighter, I'm guessing that the ogive on those smaller bullets just don't fit the seating stems as well as bigger bullets. Perhaps I can try using the hot glue trick (which I've only one on 9mm RN bullets) until I get around to making my own stems on little benchtop lathe I have gathering dust.