Bullet seater problem

[tripcrow]

My new regular Redding 243AI seater die was grabbing the bullets as it seated them and most of them were actually being pulled back out to varying degrees on the down stroke. I emailed Redding and they sent out a new seat plug for the die. It took about 10 days for the new polished part to arrive. Not as slow as Lee, but nowhere near the service of RCBS.

Anyway I took just the new seat plug and pressed down on the 68g Bergers that gave me problems before and they still stuck in there pretty good. Then tried 65g VMaxs and 70g BlizKings with the same results. I took apart a 243 Lee seater and their plug didn’t grab any of the bullets at all. Taking apart various other make and caliber seating dies I discovered that some grabbed bullets to varying degrees, none as bad as the new or old 243AI Redding, while others didn’t. I couldn’t make heads or tails of it.

I then lapped the heck out of the Redding plug using a drill, 600 & 200 grit, and a Berger and then a VMax bullet. It didn’t do much good. Out came the Dremel and that failed to give me the release I was after.

Does anyone have an idea of what is going on here? I’m thinking Redding just got in or made a lot of 6MM seater plugs that are tapered inside to the wrong angle or design and they sent me another that is bad but polished. This is really a problem when using a light neck tensions.

 

[Mikem]

There are several things I don't like about Redding dies, and this is just one, there design is acting like a Morris Taper with these bullets, and they would have to change the angle of the seater plug to eliminate this problem.
On there regular BR neck sizing and F.L die, the expander ball isn't a ball at all, its a cylinder that causes a lot of drag when removing it up through the neck, and can pull the neck off center, or move the shoulder forward, even when well lubed. That's why I use Forster BR dies, non of these problems.
JMO.
Mike..

 

[tripcrow]

Redding sent another seater plug that contacts the bullets at a different spot and it works great. Only took 2 days thsi time around.