Lee bullet seating plugs

[rondog]

So, Lee makes a wide variety of bullet molds for many types of bullets, but only offers ONE type of bullet seating plug in their die sets for any given caliber. What's up with that?

Does anybody make/offer different style bullet seating plugs for Lee dies? Like SWC, wide flat meplats, etc.

I'm thinking in particular about .44 magnum - there's round nosed bullets, round nosed hollowpoints, Semi-wadcutters, and the big flat-nosed 300 grainers, just for example. Every caliber has many different bullet profiles, as we all know.

Anybody do this? Yet another reason for me to lust for my own lathe.....

[Char-Gar]

I don't use Lee dies but have dealt with this issues in other makes. A dead flat seating punch will seat straight any bullets with a flat on the nose of any size. That only leaves a round nose punch to be had. Thus using two punches, I can seat any shape handgun bullet.

It is about a two minute job to turn any seating plug flat in my lathe. I have turned RN, WC and SWC plus flat and they all work. Lots of folks go to great convoluted detail work to come up with seating punches for each individual bullets when only two (dead flat and RN) will get the job done and done well.

[rondog]

Dead-flat punch works? Interesting. Now if I can get my older brother to make some for me, he has our dad's old Atlas bench-top lathe. But he's in Texas and I'm in CO.

[John Boy]

Rondog, you only need one seating plug for any bullet nose. Hot Glue!
Fill the cavity - spit on the bullet nose - twist the nose in the glue while hot - trim off excess glue - Done!
Been doing this for years and hasn't failed me yet :smile:

[gwpercle]

The bullet seating plugs, regardless of die maker, seem to never fit exactly the boolit you are casting.
Easy answer...any boolit with a flat nose on it can be seated with a flat punch.
Every other boolit can be custom fit to the punch.
As John Boy said ... Use Hot Glue . My method for a longer lasting punch is to use epoxy putty. My hot glue was on the soft side and the punch didn't last a long time. The epoxy putty cures hard and I have a wadcutter altered from a RN that has lasted 20 years at least.
Both hot glue and epoxy can be removed if you want to change it. The plus to these methods is you have a perfect fit to your boolit. No more funny looking noses on your loads.
The last punch I altered was to a flat. filled the nose cavity and sanded flat...TA-DAH ...flat punch with no lath work, machining or power tools required. I used J-B Weld Epoxy Putty , 5 min set up and 8 hour cure, you done. I did this at lunch sitting at my drafting table at work.
Gary

[waltherboy4040]

Pretty sure they will make any type you want, but only offer one type with the die set. I think the price was $7 each when I looked into it, but I ended up sticking a wad of aluminum foil in the die instead.

[rondog]

Good suggestions all, thanks! I'd like to have a few plugs for each die set, so I can use whichever one I need at the time. Still waiting for my bro to check his email.

[TheDoctor]

I normally have the issue of lee plugs not working with bullets cast from lee molds! One did surprise me the other day though. Was loading some 180 gr GDHP, and kept shaving the bullet using either my rcbs dies, and my hornady dies. Broke out the lee 40 cal seater, and it worked perfectly!

[Mk42gunner]

You can take the seating plug out of the die and turn it around for a flat nose on a Lee die. Gives you two options with one seating plug.

Robert

[rondog]

You can take the seating plug out of the die and turn it around for a flat nose on a Lee die. Gives you two options with one seating plug.

Robert

Negative, not with all of their die sets, only certain ones. The plug isn't just a straight rod in all of them. My .30-06 dies, yes, I can do that. Not so with most of the pistol dies, I haven't looked at all of them but most have some kind of shoulder on the top end.

[K7sparky]

A quick THANKS to rondog for starting thread et al for the ideas.:goodpost:

SOLVED my problem with the LEE 41mag seater plug for Keith SWC HPs

used gwpercle epoxy idea. Will be applying it to lots more seater plugs of various makes. Will work for custom sptizer shape. Dab of silicon grease on the nose and inside the die just in case I get sloppy for mould release. Put it together in a Rock Chucker for alignment. Best part is a bit of heat and the plugs are ready for another adventure.

In case you need a thickener to keep epoxy in place look for Cab-o-sil. It's extremely light and usually sold by volume. One thing I've found with it on boats over the years is once you like how it looks DONT touch it again. The epoxy sometimes turns liquid again if disturbed - depend on the phase of the moon or witch craft or maybe where it is in the cure cycle.

rondog is correct about LEE pistol seater plugs - the ones I've checked have a flange on top old and new ones. I had just looked at LEE site and the plug they show as a replacement must be a stock picture of a rifle plug - no flange and wrong dia to length. Custom fit is now $8

[thehouseproduct]

I also use a flat punch for 90% of my bullets. Never even take it out of the sizer.

[GhostHawk]

Had troubles with a couple of my rifle dies, turned it around and no more problems.

[No Blue]

OP, check out the "tools" on Craigslist for a metal lathe, you look for a while and something small will pop up. The 7x11 are perfect for most reloading work, run on 120v, you can bring it home in the trunk of your car, two guys can easily carry it and lift it on the bench. When I was first looking for a lathe 30 years ago, small lathes like that were made in Europe and cost $3000+ in todays money.

[Pavogrande]

I just bought a 7x14 from grizzly -- $595 and 98 pounds --

a 7x12 is available from grizzly for $495 -- 7x10 from HF is $569 --
both from the same maker Seig
grizzly also includes a steady rest -

I had a 7x10 HF and although it is a decent machine it is a bit short to use jobber length drills on any work piece over a few inches long --

my ha-penny

[Tackleberry41]

Lee does make different types. if you buy a set of 308 dies it will come with a seater made for pointed bullets. A 45 colt set, will be flat. They work for most applications, making other types would cost money and and to what a set of dies cost. While some of us would say cool it comes with the extra one, others would gripe at the cost of the extra one.

A lathe fixes such problems.

[tjlis2004]

New to the forum and my first post. I just wanted to say thank you for bringing this subject up as it answered some questions I had on reloading poly coated bullets.

[GhostHawk]

A little dryer lint, a little bullet lube I use Ben's red, mix together, pack into the cone shaped hollow.
Take a bullet by hand and work it and smooth it out so that it is a good match for shape. Remove excess so it does not clog up the works.

For flat nose reverse also works.

I suppose if I guy did a whole lot of one caliber, one bullet it might be worth a more permanent solution.