bullet seating problem

[Intell]

I’ve noticed the same thing last week while making a box of shells.
I’m currently using some blemish 80 elds and most weigh 79.9 to 80.1 so not to bad weight wise.
The base to ogive are varied and I couldn’t get the same depth for more than 2-3 in a row.
I tried turning my micrometer die out 10 from what I want, seat then measure and adjust for the difference I need then reseat for the final, then back it off again. If I didn’t I would eventually have one to deep then have to pull it back out for reseating and that’s no fun.
It was time consuming but I think it helped, that batch of loads shot so well you would never think they were seconds.
I’m going to try the same procedure for my next batch.

 

[rebs]

Those are good presses. Ensure your seating die isn’t out of internal adjustment. It’s kinda hard to explain but they are two piece dies iirc and you may have to move the upper die body down to have enough movement. It’s happened to us here with a Redding micro seater and a 270 wsm. Son in law had a head scratcher for a day until we started studying the die setting.
May not be your problem but I can’t hurt to check.

I put a case in the press and run it up in the die then turned the die down until it hit the mouth of the case and then backed the die out one full turn so it won't crimp. .

 

[L.Sherm]

I dont think its a press problem either, ive got a mid 80's RCBS one i still use today.
If your sure its not the die which sounds like to me you set it up right and your nk prep is good i would start looking at the stem even though its a VLD try another, even try another seating die gonna have to start ruling out one thing at a time.Are you using same lot a bullets, not 2 lots mixed together?

 

[rebs]

I dont think its a press problem either, ive got a mid 80's RCBS one i still use today.
If your sure its not the die which sounds like to me you set it up right and your nk prep is good i would start looking at the stem even though its a VLD try another, even try another seating die gonna have to start ruling out one thing at a time.Are you using same lot a bullets, not 2 lots mixed together?

yes bullets are the same lot #

 

[243winxb]

Could the press be the problem ?

Yes. Worn linkage. The hole the ram runs in can get inlarged, also. At the top of the stroke, the shell holder/ram fell forward a noticeable amount.

See post #23.

 

[barefooter56]

Berger 80.5 Grain Fullbore Target Rifle Bullets are often used by competitive shooters who seek the highest accuracy possible. FullBore Rifle Bullets are often used beyond mid-range distances out to 600 yards or more. The 80.5 Grain FullBore Rifle Bullet was specifically designed for accross-the-course competitive shooting with today’s AR platform target rifles where reliable magazine feeding is a must.

Actually, the 80.5 grain bullet was designed because 80.5 grains is the heaviest bullet weight you can use if you shoot a .223 REMINGTON cartridge in PALMA competitions. Since the AR-15 rifle is (unless the rules have changed) the only rifle you can use to shoot PALAM competitions with if you are using the .223 cartridge. This bullet migrated over to across the course completion for use at 600 yards . Because PALMA completions are known as " FULL BORE" COMPETITION. This is where the term " full-bore" in the name comes from. Same for the 155.5 FULL BORE BERGER BULLET.
The 80.5 is a "TANGENT" ogive bullet so you can use the standard seating stem in the die. HOWVER, you need to use a sample lot of the bullets you are loading to see if any " bottom out" as has been stated IN THE SEATING STEM CAVITY by removing the stem from the die. Placing it with the opening up and putting bullets in it. Bullet length is the largest variance you can see in a box of bullets. The tell for the bullet tip making contact with the base of the seating stem cavity is a GAP around one side of the bullet between the bullet and seating stem opening. NO GAP = NO CONTACT.
In regard to the bullet base to ogive tolerances that are acceptable IN A LOT OF BERGER BULLETS. The dimensions we track are found here: https://bergerbullets.com/information/why-berger/ . In a test I did with the BERGER 6.5 130 VLD bullets using LOTS that were so different in production age that none of the BOX LABELS were the same. I found, after using the middle age LOT as my control lot finding a bullet seating depth accuracy node. That after seating bullets from the two outlier LOTS that the CBTO was within =/- .0005 in my case. So one lot had a slightly lower velocity with the accuracy powder charge. While the other LOT had a slightly higher velocity than the control LOT due to more or less of the bullet in the two outlying LOTS being closer and further away from the powder column in the cartridge case changing the pressure/velocity. So, one hit the target slightly LOWER than the control LOT and the other was slightly higher than the control LOT group on the same target.
Bullet comparators are funny things. No two measure a bullet alike. And you need to practice with them to get as to close to the same pressure on the caliper roller that you can to reduce variances between measurements. As FRED SINCLAIR told us " It's a COMPARATIVE MEASUREMENT" not ALWAYS ABSOLUTE.
You want absolute. You need to spend money on precision tools that are used by the bullet manufacturers to measure bullet base to ogive during the manufacturing process.
Hope this helps.

 

[rebs]

are you guys that seat bullets on a single stage press, are you caming over?

 

[Bc'z]

are you guys that seat bullets on a single stage press, are you caming over?

No.
I dont want my seater in contact with shell holder.

 

[L.Sherm]

are you guys that seat bullets on a single stage press, are you caming over?

Me either when I did everything but all my LR hunting stuff now is Wilson inline seating dies