Custom Micrometer Seating Die Options & Questions

[TikkaSporter]

I've got a couple rifles coming online soon that are in custom chamberings, without factory die availability. I'm fairly comfortable with the custom FL sizing die process and options (send in 3x fired-NS only brass, reamer print, $$, and wait).

I'm less familiar/comfortable with the custom micrometer seating die options. My dad has a Whidden micrometer seating die and is less-than-enamored with it, and there seems to be other reports floating around on the www saying the same. Some questions:

- Who else besides Whidden can make a custom micrometer seating die at a reasonable cost/value? Off the top of my head; Neil Jones (but not > 0.512" diameter for my 338 Norma improved).

- Is it as important to send in the fired brass to have a custom seating die made for you as it is for the sizer, or would a reamer print be fine? With the wait times involved, having the seating die being made from the reamer print while waiting on the rifle to be chambered, and both arriving around the same time, would be beneficial. It would make seating for the fire-forming loads easier/faster?.?.

- Does anyone have experience with the Neil Jones custom micrometer seating die? How about the Hornady custom 'Match Grade' micrometer seating die?

 

[DngBat7]

I've got a couple rifles coming online soon that are in custom chamberings, without factory die availability. I'm fairly comfortable with the custom FL sizing die process and options (send in 3x fired-NS only brass, reamer print, $$, and wait).

I'm less familiar/comfortable with the custom micrometer seating die options. My dad has a Whidden micrometer seating die and is less-than-enamored with it, and there seems to be other reports floating around on the www saying the same. Some questions:

- Who else besides Whidden can make a custom micrometer seating die at a reasonable cost/value? Off the top of my head; Neil Jones (but not > 0.532" diameter for my 338 Norma improved).

- Is it as important to send in the fired brass to have a custom seating die made for you as it is for the sizer, or would a reamer print be fine? With the wait times involved, having the seating die being made from the reamer print while waiting on the rifle to be chambered, and both arriving around the same time, would be beneficial. It would make seating for the fire-forming loads easier/faster?.?.

- Does anyone have experience with the Neil Jones custom micrometer seating die? How about the Hornady custom 'Match Grade' micrometer seating die?

Warner tool makes a bullet seater for any custom cartridge

https://warner-tool.com/collections/reloading-dies

 

[BoydAllen]

I have heard of excellent results using micrometer seating dies made from Newlon blanks chambrered with a barrel chambering reamer. These dies are not sliding sleeve, but if you check around I think that you will find that they do an excellent job due to their design and quality. In order to chamber a die properly a smith needs to be as careful in how he sets it up in his lathe as if he were chambering a barrel, and because of the shorter length of a die, special equipment is called for.

 

[Richard Coody]

i have a neil jones made for an arbor press. works great. of course you will probably wait a while to get it.

another option is send a blank wilson seating die to the guy that chambers your rifles and have him use your reamer to make a wilson in line seater. you will need an arbor press. once i switched it is all i use for seating bullets

 

[BOB LEE SWAGGER]

https://www.gretanrifles.com/product-page/custom-seater-or-neck-die

 

[Dusty Stevens]

Have your gunsmith chamber a micrometer seating blank from newlon with your reamer. No wait.

 

[avidflyer]

I have heard of excellent results using micrometer seating dies made from Newlon blanks chambrered with a barrel chambering reamer. These dies are not sliding sleeve, but if you check around I think that you will find that they do an excellent job due to their design and quality. In order to chamber a die properly a smith needs to be as careful in how he sets it up in his lathe as if he were chambering a barrel, and because of the shorter length of a die, special equipment is called for.

As Boyd said....just got a Newlon seater last month we dialed it in like a barrel and it works perfect....

 

[ireload2]

Seaters do not require heat treatment so anyone that can chamber a barrel should be able to make a seater.

I have several shop made seaters that have better workmanship than Wilsons's.

 

[NorCalMikie]

Consider RCBS Compitition seaters. Side window so you can see the bullet when it's dropped into the case neck. And you don't end up smashing your fingers on the ram up stroke. Find a used one and swap the guts to fit your round. I've done that on a bunch of them. A call to RCBS will get you the parts you need.
Or, order the one you need from RCBS in the caliber you're working with.

 

[KenOath]

Don’t have any experience with what you’ve mentioned but Wilson do a very good inline seater, you can buy a blank and have it reamed..

 

[TikkaSporter]

Consider RCBS Competition seaters. Side window so you can see the bullet when it's dropped into the case neck. And you don't end up smashing your fingers on the ram up stroke. Find a used one and swap the guts to fit your round. I've done that on a bunch of them. A call to RCBS will get you the parts you need.
Or, order the one you need from RCBS in the caliber you're working with.

Another rifle I have coming online soon will be a 6.5 PRC in a lightweight hunting setup. This is one of the few factory seating dies available right now for this caliber with a micrometer. Appreciate the feedback. Any experience with the Hornady Match Grade seating dies with micrometer? How do they compare to the RCBS?

 

[Bc'z]

I use alot of Hornady dies and am quite pleased with them. Especially thier seating dies. I have thier micrometer on all my seating dies and find it accurate.
I should add I've only ever used Lee and RCBS prior, so i can't comment on other companies.
If I'm not mistaken Hormady will also build custom dies to your specific requirements.

 

[BoydAllen]

While I have no complaints about the one Hornady FL die that I own, and am of the opinion that the expander has the best design in the industry, but I will say that I did a comparison on loaded round runout comparing a round that I used the Hornady seater on to one that had had its bullet seated with a Wilson die and the runout for the Hornady seated round was twice what of the round done with the Wilson seater. Of course this is an apples to oranges comparison, and you would almost expect the difference.

 

[NorCalMikie]

I just received my Micro Top Seater "back" from Whidden Gunworks. Works fine but I still prefer the RCBS Comp Seater with the side window for loading the bullets into the case neck. You can see it!! On most of the others, when the ram goes up, you don't see the bullet anymore. If you try one yourself, you'll get the picture. I have a bunch in different calibers.

 

[Phil]

I use the chamber reamer to cut a Wilson die blank for seating duties.

I also have custom Whidden, Newlon Precision, Neil Jones, and Warner Tool seaters and neck dies...

Last I heard Warner Tool doesn`t make anything smaller than 6mm.


Phil.

 

[dbaird]

I've got a couple rifles coming online soon that are in custom chamberings, without factory die availability. I'm fairly comfortable with the custom FL sizing die process and options (send in 3x fired-NS only brass, reamer print, $$, and wait).

I'm less familiar/comfortable with the custom micrometer seating die options. My dad has a Whidden micrometer seating die and is less-than-enamored with it, and there seems to be other reports floating around on the www saying the same. Some questions:

- Who else besides Whidden can make a custom micrometer seating die at a reasonable cost/value? Off the top of my head; Neil Jones (but not > 0.512" diameter for my 338 Norma improved).

- Is it as important to send in the fired brass to have a custom seating die made for you as it is for the sizer, or would a reamer print be fine? With the wait times involved, having the seating die being made from the reamer print while waiting on the rifle to be chambered, and both arriving around the same time, would be beneficial. It would make seating for the fire-forming loads easier/faster?.?.

- Does anyone have experience with the Neil Jones custom micrometer seating die? How about the Hornady custom 'Match Grade' micrometer seating die?

Neil Jones- I have one in 30.06 and 300 win.mag. A++++++++++++

 

[HomeSlice]

I’m curious what your dad (or you) don’t like about the Whidden die? I only have one, but I find it works every bit as well as my other Redding dies.

 

[Bart B.]

Measured my seven 30 caliber bullet seaters to get the bullet chamber diameters:

Wilson BR chamber type .308, circa 1966;.3105"
RCBS standard .308, circa 1966; . . . . . . . .3100"
RCBS standard .308, circa 1979; . . . . . . . .3115"
RCBS competition .308, circa 1980's; . . . . . .3107"
RCBS standard .300 Win Mag, circa 1999, .3104"
RCBS standard .30-.338, circa 1967, . . . . .3102"
Bonanza BR .30-.338, circa 1980; . . . . . . .3093"

Standard bullet seaters will benefit from a layer or two of thin tape wrapped around their seater plug so they center better in the die's bullet chamber.

One nice thing about the Bonanza (now Forster) seater is it centers the case shoulder in the die and aligns the case neck perfectly centered in the die's neck; providing the case neck is dead centered on the case shoulder and straight with the case body axis.

 

[ridgeway]

Wilson makes a nice micrometer seater blank. Use your chamber reamer for a custom fit die...