G/C Seating Tool

[Ben]

Ben's Gas Check Seating Die

For about as long as I can remember ( & I starting reloading in 1965 ), I've had problems seating a g/c on the shank of a bullet squarely. This problem is aggravated by g/c shanks that are a few thousandths of an inch too large.

I've tried about every method and had only partial success. I realized early that the real problem that continued to be the culprit of my g/c seating problems was the ability to achieve perfect coaxial alignment with the center line of the bullet and the gas check that the shank was about to enter.

The different methods that I'd been using just did not have the precision necessary to accomplish the task. Time for a new design and a man that could make it. I contacted Buckshot a couple of weeks ago about my idea that I had for seating gas checks. I asked him if he could make the die to my specs ? His reply was " YES ".

I took a lot of measurements of a .30 cal. Hornady g/c, width, height, etc. and drew a sketch of the exact dimensions that would be necessary for the tool to work properly and sent those drawings to Buckshot. Now it would be a matter of time to pass until the idea would turn into a functioning tool.

My idea was to make a die ( hand operated tool on your bench - - there was to be no reloading press needed ) that is .3120" in it's inside bore. The underside of the die has a recess cut ( tight tolerances....no wiggle room ) for a Hornady .30 cal. gas check.

The die was to be .630 " in height, I felt that was plenty tall enough to accommodate all of the bearing surface ( drive bands ) on any of my .30 cal. cast bullets and keep the main body of the bullet in perfect coaxial alignment with the center line of the bullet and the gas check .

In order for the die to work properly, you'll need ANY .30 cal. cast bullet with any nose style that is 1st sized to a perfect .3110" in diameter. I simply push a .30 cal. cast bullet ( lightly lubed ) through a Lee Bullet sizing die that I have honed to size a bullet EXACTLY .3110 in diameter. This keeps the die and the bullet in tight tolerances with each other and guarantees perfect alignment and seating of the g/c properly.

At this point in time, it is obvious that the die is caliber specific causing one to need a 2nd die cut to very critical tolerances to use it with another caliber.

When I size one of my .30 cal. cast bullets in a Lee Bullet sizing die that I have honed to EXACTLY .3110 " dia., that bullet can be slid with some thumb pressure down the bore of the die.

When a g/c is in place and the .311 cast bullet placed in the bore of the die, all that is left to do is to place your top punch that fits your cast bullet on the nose of the bullet and give a couple of soft taps with a small tack hammer. The g/c is seated perfectly every time. The g/c isn't crimped at this point in time. All you have to do now is pass the g/c'd bullet back through a .311 sizer die , or .310 or .309"...( your choice ) in order to crimp and lock the g/c onto the shank of the bullet.

The beauty of the system is no crooked and cock - eyed looking gas checks anymore. The bullet goes into the gas check with no possibility of mis-alignment ( which had always been the Achilles' Heel of all my other attempts in the past ). In the past, if the bullet entered the g/c just a few degrees out of alignment, you'd always end up with the g/c on the base of the bullet , in a mis-aligned fashion. We all know what this does to accuracy. No more mis-aligned checks now !

Once the g/c is seated onto the g/c shank of the bullet, soft thumb pressure will eject the bullet from the die and you're ready for the next one. It is a quick system and a SUPER ACCURATE system with no mis-alignment.

I know.....You want one, Right ? ?

Well, you'll need to contact Buckshot, the tool was made with my plans and by my specs that I wrote up and provided Buckshot.

I have no interest in making a single penny from any aspect of this endeavor.

If you want one, you need to contact Buckshot via. PM. No one here on this forum will owe me anything for the use of the plans ( which Rick has now ) and / or their ability to obtain a tool from Rick.

BTW, I know of no reason why this concept can't be adapted to other calibers, .22, 6mm, .25, .264, 7mm, .35, .44, 45, etc.

I've been waiting for something like this for a LONG TIME !

[Ben]

Here is the " End Product " :

[Catshooter]

Very nice Ben. That Buckshot is damn fine mechanic, isn't he? And good design too on your part.


Cat

[Ben]

Cat:

Yes, Buckshot is a SUPER nice fellow !

I'm proud to be able to say that he is my friend !

Ben

[TCFAN]

Ben
Will it work with a Pat Marlin home made check? How about a Gator check? Great idea............Terry

[Ben]

Terry :

The question is " Will the tool work with brands of g/c's other than Hornady? "

The only other .30 cal. checks that I have on hand right now are .014 " Ameri-max alumimum checks that I made with a Check Maker Tool , made by Pat Marlin.

" Ben's Gas Check Seating Die " works flawlessly with the aluminum ones that I've made.

Here is an aluminum gas check in position in the die :

[btroj]

Buckshot is to a lathe what Ben is to a camera.

Hats off to both of you for a great idea and beautiful execution. What a great tool.

[W.R.Buchanan]

Ben: great execution I will make one just like it and for exactly the same application.

I also need one for my new oversized .45-300 mould I got back from RCBS. I jsut seated 50 GC's last night and I was using a little dead blow to square up the checks on the oversized shanks before seating them in the size die.

I use a 5 OZ Stanley Dead blow hammer as it is much easier on the die.

They are $12.95 from ENCO right now.

Randy

[Ben]

btroj :

Yes, Buckshot knows how to run a Lathe. He is GOOD ! !
Me and the camera..... well, I'm still learning but thanks for those generous remarks.

Ben
___________________________

Randy:

I wish you well, make all of them you want.
I'd like to ask you to share your results here, if you would ?
I'd be very interesting in seeing some of your work.

Ben

[SSGOldfart]

nice job to both of you

[94Doug]

Nice Ben, you've gone ahead and found other ways to spend my money. I may have a new hp mould that you don't, by the way.....I'll send you a photo soon.


Doug

[SSGOldfart]

Hummmmmmmmmmmmm which HP mould??

[Ben]

Can't wait to see it Doug.

Ben

[riceone]

Ben, you and Buckshot have made a remarkable tool. Good idea and good machining. riceone

[SSGOldfart]

Ben any ideal what this tool is going to run when finished,would tapering the inside provide a cramp instead of using another die in the press?? kinda like a roll cramp used for pistol ammo?? show us a close up of the punch please.

[Ben]

No Bob, I have no idea what Buckshot will be charging for the tool. Mine was a " proto-type " and may not be a reflection of what he will charge to do others ?

No, the tool isn't designed to crimp the g/c into place. I did not want that. It is designed to do one thing , .....that is..... seat a gas check perfectly square each and every time. That it does, and does well. The tool has met and exceeded my expectations.

[WHITETAIL]

Congrats! to both of you.
This is another example of
how great the people on this forum are.
My hat is off to the two of yous.

[MikeS]

I have one of NOE's gas check seating dies, and your setup looks like it would have more precision than the NOE tool! So far I've only used Lyman checks, so I don't know how they compare to the Hornady ones, but they work find in the NOE tool, and would probably work even better in a BCST (Ben's Check Seating Tool)! <-- There, it even has a name now!

[Ben]

MikeS:

What I like about my current version, the BCST as you have justly named it, is the fact that there is no chance for the bullet to enter the check out of perfect alignment.

I used my tool to load some 06' ammo for my Tikka. It is a little slower than other methods of putting a g/c on the base of the bullet , but it is far more precise.

I shot the group below with bullets g/c'd with my tool.

Ben

[gandydancer]

how do I get one GD