help with consistent seating depth ?

[Webster]

No full length bushing die sizes the entire neck. Just a couple of suggestions:
1. Make sure the seating die is not touching the tip of the bullet
2. Perhaps look at using a Wilson hand die and arbor press to seat bullets
3. How are you measuring the .005 variance? Are all primers set under flush to the brass so as not to affect the measurement. You should be measuring cartridge base to ogive and not overall length.
4. Make sure you are not crushing the powder (ie compressed loads). This will push the bullets back out over time.

Dave

I like the first comment. The bullet tip may be touching the seating cone shape before the ogive. Verify it.

 

[Dave M.]

I know. On my list but that is a very long expensive list of upgrades lol. Amp annealer next...

Personally, an arbor press and Wilson seating dies would way higher on my purchase list than the Amp annealer (and I am a HUGE proponent of induction annealing).

 

[Dave M.]

Sounds like you're in the benchrest game.

While I am not and never have been or never will be but if I was, I would ask your fellow competitors, the ones that are winning the most, what kind of variation in seating depth they are experiencing. If it is substantially less than yours and they believe it contributes to winning scores find out what they are doing.

I shoot F open class and am almost always near the top of the field and I will make an entire box of 100 rounds that are +/-0.0005” (measured by Mitotuyo gauge).

 

[Dave M.]

I was seating 6mm the other day with a Wilson seater. Things began to get weird on depth.....
The darn stem had become loose. I retightend and problem went away.....

I may one day pay for putting purple lock tight on it but that isn't the first time it's come loose in 7yrs.

Just make sure it is tight before seating, don’t put loctite on it because you may have to adjust the stem later for a different bullet.

 

[coldboreshot]

I am reloading for my Tikka 223 bolt gun using a Redding bushing die to size the case and neck. I am using an RCBS competition seating die to seat the bullets. I have-not been able to get consistent seating depth. I am loading Berger 80.5 full bore bullets and some 80 gr SMK's. The seating depth will vary by about .005 with both. I am only bumping the shoulder by .001 to .002. I have read that the Redding bushing die does not size the entire neck, could that be a problem ? Could another problem be the brass not being trimmed to the proper length ?
Is there anything you guys could suggest for me to be doing ?
I forgot to mention I am using Lapua once fired brass. Some have been fired 4 times and some 6 times

Question, Has this been going on since you started reloading this cartridge for this rifle or just this cartidge in general or, has this issue recently popped up?

 

[6.5 forever]

A couple things can help with this. First, make sure you are chamfering and deburring. Another thing I do that really helps with consistent seating depth is I use an expander mandrel rather than an expander ball. But I don't use the mandrel until I'm ready to seat bullets. If you size your brass and let it sit, the brass will change shape over time. Using the mandrel as the last step ensures the neck is consistent.

I am going to give this a try. I have always run thru a mandrel after cleaning off the sizing lube. The amount of time they sit waiting to be loaded may be a while..... I am retired!!!

 

[urbanrifleman]

You will never get consistent seating with unsorted bullets.

My Bergers hold a thou or less. Never sorted in my life.

 

[urbanrifleman]

Pretty much a guarantee.

Short freebore.

Seated below the Donut.

Too small of bushing.

 

[urbanrifleman]

Personally, an arbor press and Wilson seating dies would way higher on my purchase list than the Amp annealer (and I am a HUGE proponent of induction annealing).

RIGHT???????!!!!!

 

[rebs]

Question, Has this been going on since you started reloading this cartridge for this rifle or just this cartidge in general or, has this issue recently popped up?

This started when I switched to RCBS competition seating die, Berger bullets and Lapua brass and Redding bushing sizing die

 

[urbanrifleman]

This started when I switched to RCBS competition seating die, Berger bullets and Lapua brass and Redding bushing sizing die

What bushing?

 

[rebs]

What bushing?

48, I also have 47 and 49

 

[urbanrifleman]

48, I also have 47 and 49

What is your freebore? How many reloads on your brass?

 

[Bugs]

I'm gonna throw out the idea of using one of Bob Green's comparators. . . . . just sayin'

 

[rebs]

What is your freebore? How many reloads on your brass?

I do not know the freebore and the Lapua brass has 6 reloads on it. THe distance to the lands is 1.936 with the Berger 80.5

 

[CharlieNC]

Loading 223 for fclass I experienced a similar problem, and noticed the depth differences correlated to the seating force I felt. Tried annealing, problem corrected. It's not a good practice if you're mixing the brass with such a range of firing history, do you feel seating force differences?

 

[rebs]

Loading 223 for fclass I experienced a similar problem, and noticed the depth differences correlated to the seating force I felt. Tried annealing, problem corrected. It's not a good practice if you're mixing the brass with such a range of firing history, do you feel seating force differences?

I keep the brass sorted into lots according to how many times fired. I have not felt any seating force difference.

 

[Rsadams]

Case head to bullet comparator, Hornady makes one etc... Your seeing a difference in tips etc... Happens to everyone...

 

[urbanrifleman]

I do not know the freebore and the Lapua brass has 6 reloads on it. THe distance to the lands is 1.936 with the Berger 80.5

Donut...

Are you measuring to the tip or to the ogive with a comparator?

 

[rebs]

Donut...

Are you measuring to the tip or to the ogive with a comparator?

to the ogive