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Bullet seating issues 30-30

Shiloh24

Ive been having an issue reloading for 30-30.
My case necks appear to be buckling as I seat the bullet. I resize with a lee die set that has an expander mandrel that should be sizing the case neck to .3055” (I took apart the die and measured the mandrel) and i double checked the spec on the die and thats what is suppose to measure. I also double checked the inside diameter of the neck and it measures .3055”. When I place a bullet into the case it really doesnt stay because it doesnt fit inside and would fall over every time so i have to guide it in when i go to seat the bullet. I tried seating the bullet incrementally so that im not putting too much force at one time and it keeps happening. I dont use lube inside my case necks and I also don’t clean the inside of my case necks with a brush which I will start to do but I do check the inside on each piece and I would definitely clean them if there was any large chunks or obvious debris. I do chamfer and deburr with a hand tool.

Ive tried looking for a thread that has this issue and haven’t found one. Can someone give me some insight as to what may be happening here?

Im also reloading once fired brass.
 

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What diameter are your bullets and how are you setting up your seating die? Looks like you are crimping and seating at the same step.

Put an empty case in the shell holder, run the ram to the top of the stroke, screw the die down until you feel contact, back then die off 1/4 to 1/2 turn, seat a bullet.
 
dk17hmr said:
What diameter are your bullets and how are you setting up your seating die? Looks like you are crimping and seating at the same step.

Put an empty case in the shell holder, run the ram to the top of the stroke, screw the die down until you feel contact, back then die off 1/4 to 1/2 turn, seat a bullet.
Click to expand...
Bullets are .308 in diameter and i dont believe the lee seating die has a crimp function in it. I had to buy a separate Lee die to crimp the 30-30. Ill try what you mentioned with the die setup. Currently I put the shellholder on the ram (with no case) and run it to the top then screw my seating die in until it touches the shell holder plus a 1/4 turn tighter. Then i backoff my seating depth on the top of the die and seat a bullet and slowly adjust it down to what i want my seating depth to be.
 
Well i dont know how that worked but maybe my die was set too deep? According to the lee die setup instructions it asks you to screw the die to the shell holder plus an additional 1/4 turn but it seems that backing off a 1/4 turn is what it needed?
 

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lawman29 said:
Amen.

Click to expand...
Would this still be valid for a shouldered cartridge? In the video they are reloading straight walled cases. He mentions that it crimps too after adjusting it a but deeper. I took my die apart and didnt see any crimping features but in also newer to this so maybe im wrong.
 
Shiloh24 said:
The lee website is the first place i went but they dont do a good job of troubleshooting. They only show briefly how to setup and even in the video they give an additional 1/4 turn instead of backing off a 1/4 turn.
Click to expand...
This is part of the learning process we all went through... It will become clearer as the number of times you've pulled the handle on a press increases.
 
For my revolver and lever actions I seat and crimp separately, even if the seater has crimping capability. After seating I'll crimp with the Lee Factory crimp dies.
 
lawman29 said:
For my revolver and lever actions I seat and crimp separately, even if the seater has crimping capability. After seating I'll crimp with the Lee Factory crimp dies.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the insight! Im hoping to be off to the races now with my 30-30. I tried that last one without powder so as long as the bullet depth isnt going to be affected by my powder charge (which it shouldnt) then ill see how this batch goes and go hit them with the chrono.
 
I have crushed several cases doing exactly this.... Part of learning. At least it was a 30-30 and not case that cost several dollars a piece.

Make sure you have clearance when seating and if you need to crimp do it in a separate step.
 
Shiloh24 said:
Bullets are .308 in diameter and i dont believe the lee seating die has a crimp function in it. I had to buy a separate Lee die to crimp the 30-30. Ill try what you mentioned with the die setup. Currently I put the shellholder on the ram (with no case) and run it to the top then screw my seating die in until it touches the shell holder plus a 1/4 turn tighter. Then i backoff my seating depth on the top of the die and seat a bullet and slowly adjust it down to what i want my seating depth to be.
Click to expand...
Your comment.
I screw my seating die in until it touches the shell holder plus a 1/4 turn tighter. Sounds like you’re adjusting the seating die as if it's a sizing die.

Sounds like the flat base of the bullet is against the end of the case mouth. Cannot image how else you push on the neck enough to bulge it. It damages the neck then slips in. I'm assuming you do the seating depth and crimp with the same die. They must be adjusted separately.

I always adjusted seating depth with a screw on top of the die, not by moving the die up and down. I never crimped so I am not familiar with the process. Are you changing the amount of crimp when adjusting the seating depth? I assume you crimp with the seating die since you cannot control the amount of sizing and amount of crimp both at the same time by moving the die up and down.

Just throwing things out to think about.
 
243winxb said:
Buy a Lyman M die. It puts a step in the case mouth & expands.
Click to expand...
Bingo! An absolute necessity for seating flat based bullets, I have the M Die for all my rifle dies.

I have had similar issues over the years and somewhere I have a partial box of 30-30 or .32 Special that have crushed necks.

The best way is to seat the bullet than crimp. Crimp by feel
 
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