In line seating dies for cast boolits

[dromia]

Whats your favourite seating dies, in-line or other for seating cast boolits in rifles.

I have a couple of very accurate seating dies a Lyman and a Hornady that work very well with condom boolits but won't work with the same calibre cast rounds because the cast diameter is generally at least couple of thou over condom diameter and the case neck has to be expanded, I use Lyman "M" type dies for case neck expansion.

What works for you to give minimum cast boolit run out?

[Bret4207]

I have had the pleasure of using original Vickerman style seating dies. That would be my choice if I had my druthers, and they'd be cut large-.312 for 30 cals, .315 for 303 cals., .362 for the 35's, etc. As far as runout a lot of that can be adjusted for by allowing the die a bit of play to align itself., The Forster Co-Ax press allows for this. You can also try the "seat it halfway, withdraw and turn case 180 degrees and seat the rest of the way" method.

[cajun shooter]

+1 on Bret again. I was shown this way of seating from a old bench rest guy when I first started. The inline Mic dies are a step above this

[1hole]

If the bullet throat in any die is snug it will seat straight. A tight conventional seater will do better than a sloppy "in-llne" seater. The fit we get from any individual seater is a crap shoot.

I've tried the "seat half way and turn method" but with poor results. According to my concentricity gage, a bullet that is seated half way will almost always continue in the same degree of off-set after the turn. BUT, seating only a bit, maybe 50-60 thou, and turning SOMETHIMES improves concentricity.

I'm no precision cast bullet shooter but the efforts I've made in .30-06 indicate that slightly oversizer (normal) cast bullets pretty much self align to the bore.

[357maximum]

I have best results when I use my co-ax press and a slightly lapped out new dimension hornady seating dies. I also have had Adams' "SNUG ISSUE" lapping the floating seater a wee little bit cured it............... Works good nuff fer me:mrgreen:

My co-ax presses and my modified hornady dies will get me better accuracy than the spensive dies I have tried.....go figure. That nice expander on the hornady sizing dies works well too, but they can take their newer "zip spindle" and throw that away IMHO....I like the old stem enough to have ordered OLD new replacement from hornady. You have to tighten the zip spindle up WAAAAAAY to tight when case froming from one caliber up to another or it goes zoooooooooop and slips.....give me a real threaded die stem please.

[1hole]

"..my modified hornady dies will get me better accuracy than the spensive dies I have tried.....go figure."

You make my point that a proper fit is more significant than anything else.

I simply ran a threading die down my "zip spindle" dies and put a nut on them. Cheap fix, works fine. I think I remember that #10x23 threads is what I used. Anyway, it's not critical, any thread you can cut on the spindle to, just a quarter inch or so will work fine to retain the rod and still let it serve it's designed function to slide UP if it hits an obsticle.

[357maximum]

"..my modified hornady dies will get me better accuracy than the spensive dies I have tried.....go figure."

You make my point that a proper fit is more significant than anything else.

I simply ran a threading die down my "zip spindle" dies and put a nut on them. Cheap fix, works fine. I think I remember that #10x23 threads is what I used. Anyway, it's not critical, any thread you can cut on the spindle to, just a quarter inch or so will work fine to retain the rod and still let it serve it's designed function to slide UP if it hits an obsticle.

Well heck, why did I not think of that....cudos:drinks: and thanks

[dromia]

I also have had Adams' "SNUG ISSUE" lapping the floating seater a wee little bit cured it............... Works good nuff fer me:mrgreen:

Michael could explain this further for the techincally challenged bumbler that I am.

[Bret4207]

If the bullet throat in any die is snug it will seat straight. A tight conventional seater will do better than a sloppy "in-llne" seater. The fit we get from any individual seater is a crap shoot.

I've tried the "seat half way and turn method" but with poor results. According to my concentricity gage, a bullet that is seated half way will almost always continue in the same degree of off-set after the turn. BUT, seating only a bit, maybe 50-60 thou, and turning SOMETHIMES improves concentricity.

I'm no precision cast bullet shooter but the efforts I've made in .30-06 indicate that slightly oversizer (normal) cast bullets pretty much self align to the bore.

Try a real Vickerman. It's been a few years, but IIRC it works pretty much like a Hornady New Dimension with a slot cut in the side so you can place the boolit. By "cut big" I meant large enough to handle CAST BOOLITS without shaving or otherwise distorting the boolit.

Another thing to check for run out is the shell holder. If it's not inline with the die you can produce an offset case.

[725]

I've noticed that I can seat just about any boolit crooked if I just plop it atop the case (flared case mouth) and run it into the die. I've taken to placing it atop the case and turning it back and forth with my fingers as I run the case/boolit into the die. Run up slowly and I get very good results.

[scb]

Vickerman.
http://www.castingstuff.com/gmw_products.htm

[dromia]

I emailed Gemmels Machine Works a couple of days ago ago about cutting bespoke Vickerman seating dies but I haven't had a reply yet. :(

[scb]

I'd try again. I emailed them 6/11 and had a reply in less than 12 hours.

Actually it was less than 5hrs.



Yes sir.

Thanks,

Bob
----- Original Message -----
From:XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
To: bgemmell@bmi.net
Sent: Thursday, June 11, 2009 5:21 PM
Subject: vickerman dies


Sir:
Can a Vickerman die be had to seat .460 dia. cast bullets?
Thanks, Steve

[Bret4207]

Vickerman.
http://www.castingstuff.com/gmw_products.htm

SCHWEET!!! Now all I need is money........:grin:

[dromia]

Still no reply from Gemmels so emailed them again.

[longranger]

Try Buffalo Arms for the Vickeman in-line seating dies. I have their .40 cal inline seater and use it for 40-65 Win and 40-70 Sharps Straight.My bullets from the Lyman Snover mould are .410 as well as a Paul Jones Creedmoor. No problems with fitting oversize bullets.

[dromia]

Had a reply from Bob Gemmel, seating dies with bespoke size guides are $25US extra. I'm going to order a few and see how they go.

[Char-Gar]

I am a believer in straight line seating. I started using the Vickerman dies back in the mid-60's. I have a custom 30 caliber slieve made in .3125 (5/16") for use with cast bullets. I also like the Wilson chamber type bullet seaters and have a number of them. Wilson made me a custom one in .308 for use with cast bullets also reamed .3125.

Since I have my lathe up and running I am amusing myself making chamber type seaters from the breech end of old barrels. I follow the Wilson pattern and ream what if left of the bore .3125 with the 5/16th. inch chucking reamer. The plug is turned down to .312 from a 3/8 X 24 machine bolt. That is the same way Wilson does it.

Thus far I have made a 30/40from a shot out Krag barrel,A 30-30 from a Winchester 94 barrel and finished today a 30-06 from a 1917 Enfield barrel. I have am 8mm Mauser barrel and that will be next. I am am going to have to buy a new reamer. Living down here on the Border, about 2/3 of what the Industrial Supply places goes to Mexico. They stock a full line of metric reamers, etc, so the right one can be found. Due to the contours of the barrels, they all have different outside diamters and contours, but they all work the same.

[357maximum]

Michael could explain this further for the techincally challenged bumbler that I am.

Pull the little metal clip off the bottom of the die.

get the floating seater out and into your paws

look at how it is made -a little step for the brass to fit into, then a smaller diameter area the actual seater stem rides in. In my 223 with cast all I had to do was open the larger area the brass would reside in to a larger size. I used fine clover and an appropriate sized piece of brass. In my 35rem I had to open both diameters a tad, again with appropriate sized pieces of brass. I did not lap the whole area the sliding xpander sits in, just enough to accept my BOOLIT. I would have had to make another sliding seater rod if I lapped out the whole cylinder for the stem.