6.5 Creedmoor Seating

[Riesel]

I have several 6.5 Creedmoors that I have been reloading. I'm not having much in the way of sizing length on the brass as they are chambered almost exactly the same but the bullet seating is driving me a bit batty. I've been using the Lee seater die and Wilson inline and have cannibalized other caps and stems from other and still not getting there. Where is a good place to get additional caps and stems at a reasonable price or does someone have a simple solution to the problem. Might consider a micrometer type if I thought I could keep up with the settings.

 

[Auto-X Fil]

Micrometer dies are the way to go. I like the Redding. It's very easy to jot down the setting for each rifle - the dies are perfectly repeatable.

 

['Freak]

“I've been using the Lee seater die and Wilson inline and have cannibalized other caps and stems from other and still not getting there.”

Where, exactly, is “still not getting there” …?

 

[Laurie]

With long-nose 6.5 and 7mm bullets (for example), it's essential to check that the seater die stem can accommodate the bullet nose fully and bears on the neck shoulder sides not the bullet tip. Doing this for the 140gn 6.5 AMAX and 160/162gn 7mm TMK and AMAX for example recently, I found most makes of die are unacceptable in this respect.

Generally, Forster seaters are rarities in having off the shelf seating stems that fit almost everything properly. (Redding may be so too, but I haven't bought a new Redding set for a long time.) Until recently, even most Wilson inline seating dies' stems were too shallow and I found myself buying the company's 'VLD stems' in consequence as an extra purchase as well as having a friend with a lathe modify the as-supplied examples. (Very recent Wilson dies have been fine, so maybe the company is fitting its 'VLD stem' as standard in some calibres now.)

If the bullet is seated through pressure on its tip, runout will usually be large and COAL consistency poor. I find it really frustrating that Hornady produces many 6.5 and 7mm extra-long tipped designs and yet its 'all-calibre' 6.5 and 7mm seater dies provide a poor match for its own bullets. Many of those attracted to the 6.5mm Creedmoor and buying this company's die sets should bear this in mind.

Although plastic-tip bullets are a particular issue, it applies to all of the longer-nose HPBT match designs too. Some die manufacturers seem to be stuck in an earlier era so far as match bullet seating is concerned of relatively short-nose 7-calibre radius nose designs like the older Sierra MKs

 

[jlow]

You should not have had any problem with the Wilson inline seater. I seat my 140 Berger Hybrids with one in my 260 Rem consistently with no problem. The stem is opened inside and you will never be able to touch the tip of the bullet.

 

[jdh47]

The Lee dead length seating die will seat bullets to the same length pretty much but they have such a short oversized throat that run out is induced. I turned a small plug that fits below the seating stem and it works well. If Lee made a longer die with a close fitting longer throat and engraved the barrel they would have a decent seating die and it wouldn't cost much more to make.

The best are the Wilson and the Forster/Redding type but all bullets seated to the same base to ogive length may not have the same coal.

Joe

 

[Riesel]

After re-reading I see I wasn't all that clear. I'm using different bullets in these Creedmoors', all the way from 100 grain NBT to 142 SMK. It is the constant adjusting of the die to get from one OAL to the next OAL. Adjusting the seater die in and out is a pain. Hope that clears it up some.
Thanks for reading and replying.

 

[K redden]

Redding micrometer seating die works for me . I use it for several rifles and bullet weights as well . I just wright down the micrometer setting for each application

 

[jlow]

After re-reading I see I wasn't all that clear. I'm using different bullets in these Creedmoors', all the way from 100 grain NBT to 142 SMK. It is the constant adjusting of the die to get from one OAL to the next OAL. Adjusting the seater die in and out is a pain. Hope that clears it up some.
Thanks for reading and replying.

This and working up load with different seating depth is why most people use seating die with micro adjusters, they are well worth the money.

 

[Riesel]

Micro seater adjuster for Wilson or Redding is what it will be.

Many thanks to all.

 

[muleystalker]

Whidden die works great, easy to adjust.

 

[SheepDog]

I would simply get separate seating dies for each bullet. It is costly but you don't waste time in setup so it speeds your reloading up and provides consistent seating of each different bullet.