300 blackout seating die recommendation?

[Lefty2506]

Can someone recommend a decent seating die for the 300 blackout?

I'm currently loading 300 blackout with a set of Hornady dies that I got with the upper. I'm loading 125 gr flat base bullets, and it's a pain in the rear. The hornady seating die doesn't stick down far enough to come out the other side of the press (rock chucker), so I have to get my bullets to balance perfectly on the brass while I raise the ram, and most of the time they fall over before they make it up into the die. Its very frustrating.

Can anyone suggest a 300 blackout die set where the bottom of the seating die sticks out past the bottom of the press so I can guide the bullet with my fingers until it's started into the seating die.

Thanks
Mark

 

[MrK.]

Hornady's seater die has a floating sleeve that is there align the bullet. I don't have one in .300 blk but I do in 6.5 Grendel and it works well. I load on a RCBS RS-2.

 

[Lefty2506]

Yes, I know that the seating die has a floating stem in it. Problem is that the base of the die does not stick out of the press. Mine is recessed back up into the press far enough that my flat based bullets usually falls over before it ever gets into the die.

 

[Uncle Ed]

You could buy a Lyman type "M" expander that allows the bullet to be seated straight with just your fingers. You can bump the case mouth onto the second step that will make the case mouth approximately .001 larger than bullet diameter.

You could use a Lyman type "M" expander for the .30 carbine for your Blackout.

Or you could try a Forster bench rest seating die.

 

[Lefty2506]

I have several Forster seating dies and love them. Just trying not to spend quite so much since this is not , and will never be a precision rifle. I'll give the Lyman M expander a try.

 

[Lone Hunter]

Forster is the way to go but I understand that it’s not a true precision rifle. It amazes me how hard it hits steel at 300.

 

[SmokinJoe]

Like you, I started out with a Hornady die set but also didn't like the seater so sold that set and bought a Forster Bench Rest Die set. Like that much better. No, not going to be a very precision rifle though it does pretty well for what it is.

 

[dellet]

I wonder if your die possibly has the wrong seating stem or insert installed. The Hornady dies I think had two. One regular one for VLD bullets. It also does not make sense that you can’t back the seating stem out enough to screw the die down below the bottom of the press, another reason to question the stem.

Most any other die will do what you are hoping for that I have used, Redding and Forster completion dies are easier than a regular die for me.

The other options something like the Wilson inline seater that requires an arbor press. You can drop the bullet in from the top, install the stem then seat the bullet. This really helps with the flat base 110’s.

Vickerman makes an in-line seater that mounts in a press. Again you drop the bullet in from the top through a window.

Flaring the mouth as stated before like you would a pistol bullet goes a long way toward solving the problem, but you still may have the big fingers, small bullet, small working space issue no matter what. The Wilson die makes that go away.

 

[Lefty2506]

I've had the die apart several times trying to figure out how I can get it lower into the press with no luck. I don't recall if my die set has the other stem or not. I bought this upper used from a friend of mine who put it together. He sold me everything he had including the die set, some loaded ammo, some factory ammo, load data, a couple boxes of projectiles, and some brass. There may be another stem in the box, or he may have misplaced it long ago. As I recall, if I lower the die anymore it will start trying to crimp the case. My memory is fuzzy on that, but it seems like there was something else that was preventing me from screwing the die farther into the press.

I put an order in for an M die this afternoon. I suspect that it will fix my problem well enough. I'm not super picky about it, I just want the darn pill to stay on top of the case while I'm raising the ram so I can crank out some cheap blasting ammo .

I mainly use this for carbine training and home defense. I fancy myself more on a Precision shooter, but the training is useful and fun, and tends to burn through ammo... Thus the need for the cheap blasting ammo. Home defense gets 125gr SIG hollow points. I would like to shoot a deer with this upper just to see what these hollow points do. Problem is I have a hard time leaving my Grendel at home during deer season...