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Pystis
08-10-2006, 12:26 PM
I have had problems with a Lee bullet seating die for 7.62x54R with cast boolits. It tends to size the driving bands on short fat boolits like 314-120RF and TL314-90 SWC.
Is this normal? If I enlarge the die does it affect the alignment with thinner j-words or boolits?

Thanks,
Jukka

StarMetal
08-10-2006, 12:38 PM
Jukka,

On the Lee bulleting seating die, doesn't it have a separate little cylinder bullet seating piston in it that floats and has the adjusting screw above it? if so openning it up some at the fatter end shouldn't affect jacketed seating as long as the small end of the hole still centers the bullet nose.

Joe

Pystis
08-10-2006, 03:36 PM
Joe, I have turned some pistons for different nose shapes and bullet lengths, but I think its the die body that is too small. When you push the case and bullet into the die until you feel some resistance and back it out, bullet is left in the die.
I havenĀ“t tried it with longer boolits yet.

StarMetal
08-10-2006, 03:54 PM
Jukka,

I have the 7.62x54R Lee dies. When I get time I'll investigate what you are saying. For right now I can tell you I'm loading the Lyman 314299 sized at .313 and have no problems with my die.

Joe

utk
08-10-2006, 05:01 PM
Would it be possible to back-out the die and screw down on the seating depth adjustment the corresponding amount? This has been suggested in another thread...

Urban

Pystis
08-11-2006, 01:18 PM
Would it be possible to back-out the die and screw down on the seating depth adjustment the corresponding amount? This has been suggested in another thread...

Urban


I have try this out, as I have longer seating stems, short boolits aren't problem.

Thanks,

Jukka

georgeld
08-24-2006, 03:21 AM
Jukka:
Try contacting Lee and see if you can get a larger bored die.

They make a number of items with different size's, this might be one of them.

I recently learned you can order empty collet die bodies for about $12 each, where they are listed for $38 with the inserts.

Since I have a lathe now, I turned five double ended insert bushings to the size's I wanted to resize brass. They run from 1/2" down to .205" which is the outside neck size of .17 cal.

There's two size's of their dies so know which one you have. One has a bore of .700", the other is about .505". Make's a lot of difference!!

The smaller one I just got a couple weeks ago and it has the case mouth expander's. As I'd just made the bushing set for the .700" thinking that's what I had on order. That left me with large bushings and small die. So I just made another set of bushings without the largest sized one, only the four smaller size's. They can all be used, so it's no big deal, I enjoy turning things so had fun making the extra's too.

Plus, this way I can size two steps without swapping inserts.

Maybe someone else might want to make a set of these. They work real slick once the bore's have been properly polished. Until then, they will just tear up brass, so IF you make them, be sure to polish them real nice.

Oldfeller
08-24-2006, 04:28 AM
Joe,

Lee has a reduced diameter section at the top of "most" of their current bullet seating dies that is a thou over the common jacketed diameter -- it is intended to make sure the bullet ogive is guided into the cone thingy correctly and to guarantee that centrality and loading safety is maintained when a newbie reloader is making up his first jacketed rounds.

Lee thnks like that .....

Yep, it can resize your cast slug or stick a throat sized cast bullet and pull it right back out of the case unless you take care of the restricted zone in the bullet seating die by opening it up.

When we throat size slugs (most are .003-.006" over jacketed size) we generally have to open this Lee seating die restricted area up to the increased main bullet diameter we opened up our sizing dies to provide for us. You can do this with the same tecniques as used to open up a sizing die.

(The list used to pass around letter sized cobalt drill bits to do the same trick, but they didn't last very long before the hard LEE die steel ate them up)

See, a politely worded helpful technical-type post supporting the general technical level of the intended recipients. I send it to Joe, who knows me pretty well and won't take any offense to any of it.

==============================

Hey Joe, how's the tractor going? Tilled any good dirt lately? Got you a bush hog to fit up to it yet? My scooter's fine, 'cept I got this problem with the right footpeg. Can you help me?

Oldfeller