seating cast in modern seating dies

[elginrunner]

I don't know how much of a problems this is, or if it's my OCD, but when seating cast in rifle dies, the seating stem is made for a "pointy" boolit, and often leaves a ring in the nose of the cast projectile. I doubt this has much effect on the accuracy of the boolit, but the ring bothers me....This seems more prominent with my 375 H H with the large flat pointed 250 grain projectiles...

[Rcmaveric]

Use some 400 to 600 sand paper on the edge of the stem. Then use a bullet to match up the stem. Just keep sanding and buffing until you get a better match

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[Yooper003]

Filled most of my seating stems with hard epoxy.

[toallmy]

I have that problem also , I started using a case neck expanding die like Lyman m dies , and NOE expander plugs to expand the case mouth a little more to help me seat my over size cast boolits with less force . It helps a lot but I still get a little damage on the softer boollits . I haven't tried it yet but I have read about members altering the seating stem profile with hot glue or JB weld or similar fixes .
Another issue I have had to work out is a few of my seating dies had to be adjusted much higher in the press so the boolits would not get stuck in the die before engaging the seating stem .

[BK7saum]

hot glue or epoxy and form to the bullets if your choice.

[hoodat]

AND -- if you are crimping, do it in a separate step after backing the seating stem out of the way. jd

[bedbugbilly]

I think it depends on the die set in many cases. All I load is cast with the exception of .223 where I load both jacketed and cast. On my other rifle calibers - I either alter the seating stem or cobble something up that works. As already stated - hot glue or epoxy seems to work well to fill the seating stem.

As mentioned above - I never seat/crimp in the same operation - no matter if pistol or rifle.

[Bazoo]

I seat and crimp 30-30 in the same step. 31141 and lee 309-150-F seats fine using a plug I ground down flat. I had two RN plugs, and I faced one off square and polished it. It seats all flat nosed, cast and jacketed without issue.

If it were me, and a spitzer plug leaves a ring, removing the sharp edge is where I'd start, but I'd likely chase down another plug to convert into flat nose.

[elginrunner]

I use the lee expander die and it does well. I dont seem to have problems seating, just dont like how it deforms the head of the boolit....i may try the hotglue trick. I think the wife has one some where....LOL

[AlaskaMike]

I'm not sure how much of a ring you're getting on your bullets, but the faint ring I sometimes get on my .30 cal bullets has no effect on accuracy whatsoever. I agree it's a little unsightly, but try shooting them as-is. If they give you the accuracy you're looking for, then there's nothing to worry about.

[charlie b]

I am another who reshapes seating stems. Chuck them up in a drill and then use dremel tool to shape (small grinding or cutting bits). When I have the shape I want I sand/polish it.

[JM7.7x58]

Hot glue is fast. It works fine. It is easily removed or altered.
JM

[Papercidal]

NOE makes a adapter to use your top punch in a Lee expander die as a custom seating die.

[gwpercle]

Custom fit the boolit to the stem with a small ball of epoxy putty if it is pointed or round nose .
Any boolit with a flat tip , can be seated with a flat seating stem . Fill the stem with epoxy , glue or putty , let harden , then sand dead flat and level . Now any boolit with a flat can be seated .
Gary

[gwpercle]

Hot glue is fast. It works fine. It is easily removed or altered.
JM

If you use hot glue be sure to use a hard glue , I tried some and the glue had a pliable consistency , like a soft plastic and didn't last long at all before it deformed and came out .
I have one done with JB Weld epoxy and it's been in service 20+ years .
Gary

[Cherokee]

I use a small lathe to alter the nose profile. If I didn't have the lathe, then JB Weld or like product will do it. When making the impression of the nose in the stem...make sure you have a straight alignment of the bullet to the stem.

[stubshaft]

hot glue or epoxy and form to the bullets if your choice.

+1 On this.

[elginrunner]

I will admit that I'm not the sharpest knife in the drawer... sometimes I have to purposely engage my brain... So I took apart my seating die to see about hot gluing a plug in.. I looked at it and thought I bet I can make that in less time over on that big machine you have in the corner.... I go through phases with some of my hobbies, I get distracted fairly easy some time....


I wasn't sure the bronze rod was going to be durable enough, but I've tried it out this morning, and it works like a charm!!