Best setup for seating bullets at the range?
- Thread starter jlorenzo
- Start date
BoydAllen
Gold $$ Contributor
If you want to keep it simple, and inexpensive, bolt a press to a piece of plywood, use your regular threaded seating dies. All you need is a pair of C clamps and some sort of table or shooting bench to clamp your press to. Unless your range is busy on the day that you test, you can probably clamp it to the bench next to the one you are shooting on, or to the other side of the one that you are shooting from, if it is.
NZ_Fclass
Silver $$ Contributor
For OAL testing, I load bullets long and take a similar one of these mounted in the car. Test at 500 and seat accordingly.
www.brownells.com
SINCLAIR INTERNATIONAL Sinclair 7/8-14 Benchrest Press
Check out SINCLAIR INTERNATIONAL Sinclair 7/8-14 Benchrest Press available Online at Brownells Today and many more Reloading Presses products are available in our Reloading Department.
www.brownells.com
JL -
While I have a portable arbor press, I have probably used a Lee hand press along w/
a ( Hornady ) micrometer top seating die most often.
Loaded cartridge " runout ' has not been an issue ( for me, my loads).
Pics show:
- My wildcat " DEEP 6 " w/ Sierra 95 T-MK seated
- Hornady " Custom Grade New Dimension " seater die in-use in a Lee Hand Press, along w/ a Lyman X2 shell holder. The Hornady seater features a case holder " sleeve " that interfaces w/ the shoulder of the case/cartridge. " Micro-just " seater top not shown.
With regards,
357Mag
Attachments
Agree with LHsmith 100% on using Wilson arbor dies at the range. If you don't have an arbor press you can use a plastic mallet to gently tap the top of the seating die after you have adjusted the depth. Hypothetically if you forget your arbor press at home & have everything else with, field expedient modification is in order... Sharing for a friend
Al
Al
jackieschmidt
Gold $$ Contributor
I like Redding dies. I find them to be very accurate.
However, I do not rely on the cam over of the press linkage to determine the highest point that the bullet achieves in the die.
I set the die up to where the shell holder seats firmly against the die body, setting the depth with the stem.
However, I do not rely on the cam over of the press linkage to determine the highest point that the bullet achieves in the die.
I set the die up to where the shell holder seats firmly against the die body, setting the depth with the stem.
This is what I use. Best of both worlds.
The advantage of seating with an arbor press is you can feel the amount of resistance as the bullet enters the case. There is an initial learning curve with this - especially in how you grasp the handle. I find "choking up" on the handle lessens the mechanical advantage and gives a better feel on the seating pressure. A press specifically made for reloading usually provides the best sensitivity. The K&M with the force measurement gives you the added benefit of the gauge reading the force which may be redundant once you become adept at "reading" the seating force by feel.
My early days in BR I used a Lyman Tong tool with a neck sizing die and a Wilson seater. These days I still use the Wilson seater and the same Sinclair Arbor press and the Tong tool is now just an artifact along with the Harrells powder measure.
My early days in BR I used a Lyman Tong tool with a neck sizing die and a Wilson seater. These days I still use the Wilson seater and the same Sinclair Arbor press and the Tong tool is now just an artifact along with the Harrells powder measure.
Mark W
Gold $$ Contributor
They are sometimes referred to as hand dies.
How to Reload With Hand Dies and Arbor Press « Daily Bulletin
Creedmoor Sports has released a series of helpful how-to videos in its new InfoZone web page. In the latest InfoZone video Bill Gravatt shows how to seat bullets using L.E. Wilson Hand Dies and an <a href=https://www.creedmoorsports.
RegionRat
Gold $$ Contributor
The Wilson style seater over all length depends on the caliber and the bullet, but those are no problem for typical designs.
When you use something like the K&M I showed in the photo above, that whole blue toggle body is adjusted up and down as required.
Sinclair and a few other outfits also made their copy of the Wilson style seater die, so if you look around you will find alternatives.
I've got some miles on my odometer and have seen lots of folks at BR matches over the last 40 - 50 years or so. If you go to a well attended club match and walk around, you will learn a lot just by walking around and watching.
jimmymac
Jim McGregor
For seating depth testing at the range it is hard to beat one of these:
https://www.brownells.com/reloading/reloading-dies/rifle-reloading-dies/micro-adjust-bullet-seaters/
They are quick to adjust and those adjustments are very precise.
https://www.brownells.com/reloading/reloading-dies/rifle-reloading-dies/micro-adjust-bullet-seaters/
They are quick to adjust and those adjustments are very precise.
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