Lee classic turret

[crabo]

I loaded a bunch of 308s using my Forrester benchrest dies and the bullet seating depth is all over the place. It is sometimes .010+ off from shell to shell.

Is this normal for the classic turret? It is supposed to be a decent press.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

Not normal for the LCT.

maybe you have issues with your boolits?

[Buzz64]

Only time I’ve seen something like that on a LCT is when handle strokes were not the same...e.g. short strokes ��

[tazman]

Not normal at all.

[crabo]

Using Hornady Amax bullets

[sawinredneck]

Is the shell holder worn out? Are you sure you’re completely going the full stroke? Does your seating die operate on spring tension? Just saw a thread about that the other day, less neck tension the lower it seated, the more neck tension the higher it seated.
Just some random thoughts.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

Do you see any witness marks on the bullets?

Have you taken the seater die apart, clean and inspect it, and maybe place a bullet in the seater plug, to see how it fits?

I use the Forster BR seater dies, most of mine are Bonanza (that line was bought by Forster), anyway, they have tight tolerances and if they are older they could have some dried oil, making them not function perfectly.

[kmw1954]

I have seen .006" with plated pistol bullets which I contribute to the bullet shape consistency and not the press or the dies.

[crabo]

What would be an acceptable variance in col?

[dragon813gt]

What would be an acceptable variance in col?

They should all be exactly the same. I load on a LCT and there is no variance in OAL. W/ cast bullets you have to watch for lube build up In the seating die. As it builds up it can change the bullet seating depth. But this isn't an issue w/ jacketed bullets.

[tazman]

Check the length of your bullets with a micrometer. I have seen match grade bullets vary quite a bit at the tip. Particularly hollow points.
The seater plug works on the curve of the bullet, not the tip. Any differences in the tip shape or length will cause COL differences even when the dies are working perfectly.
I had one batch of Hornady 168 grain match bullets that varied by as much as .006 before seating.
Hopefully the A Max tips would help with this but make no assumptions.

[OS OK]

Measure a half dozen of the projectiles before you load them...tell us what you found.

If your seater plug contacts the projectile on the circumference of the ogive and the projectiles vary in length...then, the seater can do a perfect job of seating and you'll see a variance in OAL all day.

EDIT: Never mind...ole Taz beat me to it!

[kmw1954]

I have noticed that the variation that I see with pistol loads doesn't effect performance that I can tell. Rifle at distance may be different but then I do not load rifle.

[RogerDat]

You say seating depth is that based on Cartridge Overall Length? Or amount of bullet seated/showing?

Might be a silly question but are your cases all the same length? I get consistent COAL and depth with a Lee Turret but it is different die/bullet combination and brass trimmed to length. I also use the case neck sizer buttons from NOE to get neck tension consistent. Do feel a little foolish doing it for revolver calibers but it does yield a more consistent feel when seating so...

[kmw1954]

Roger, I see it while using Lee pistol dies and plated bullets. With these dies the bullet orientates on the ogive and not the tip. So any change is shape will alter the COAL and has nothing to do with the actual case length. The distance from the bottom of the shell holder to the bottom of the bullet seating stem does not ever change. So if the top of the bullet was contacting the bottom of the stem there would never be a variation if all the bullets were exactly the same length unless the press was short stroked.

[RogerDat]

Roger, I see it while using Lee pistol dies and plated bullets. With these dies the bullet orientates on the ogive and not the tip. So any change is shape will alter the COAL and has nothing to do with the actual case length. The distance from the bottom of the shell holder to the bottom of the bullet seating stem does not ever change. So if the top of the bullet was contacting the bottom of the stem there would never be a variation if all the bullets were exactly the same length unless the press was short stroked. Thanks for the clarification. At one time I had noticed that amount of bullet showing was different even through COAL stayed the same, untrimmed brass was the reason, thought it might apply here. That brass length difference in my case became obvious when crimping.

[flashhole]

I'm in the same camp with people who recommend measuring the bullets for consistency. Folks on several forums have been complaining about Hornady QC for similar reasons to what you are experiencing.