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Dillion RL-450 using a Forester Ultra Micrometer Seater Die in .308

I have been using the Dillion RL-450 since 1984 using the Dillion seater die in station # 3 & a RCBS crimp die in station # 4. The problem is that the OAL of the finished round is not a set measurement, but a range. The range can vary up to 0.030 or more sometimes. The Dillon is setup to install powder in station #2, brass prep work & priming is done separately.

To stop this issue, I purchased a Forester seater die in .308 & installed it today according to the instructions, but the locking ring ran out of threads before I got the die installed to full depth, so the die was installed as deep as possible & setup with a dummy cartridge for operation.

To you folks who have used this die, will the way I have it installed negatively effect the rounds in OAL? I am not a bench rest shooter by any means, but I believe that if 50 cartridges in a bullet tray on a level surface are all different lengths that you can see, the quality of the reloads is poor. The OAL I am shooting for is 2.775 as a maximum since everything I shoot is mag fed. M1a, Zastava M77 & so on.

I have not started reloading with the new die as I spent all day completing a run of .50 bmg M-33 ammo that I bought back in 2012. Tomorrow, will be the start of a big run of 147gn FMJ-BT w/ cannelure if all works out.
 
1. I had a shell plate problem when loading bottle neck cartridges, like 243.
Each station of the shell plate was different. If the bottom of any die contacts the shell plate, OAL will be different from each station.

2. OAL- The seating stem should not contact the bullet nose. It should contact the bullets ogive.
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I looked at a few U tube video's & they show the compression of the spring loaded tube to be just touch the shell plate & back off 1 turn. That is no where near what the instructions state.

Putting the lock ring on the inside of the press is doable, but never something I would think be recommended. The Die is designed for a Forster press where the dimensions are completely different
 
My brass is processed on a RCBS rock Chucker & checked with case gauges to make sure they are correct. The brass is then trimmed to length, the military primer crimp ring removed if necessary, the primer pockets cleaned & finally tumbled in walnut media.

After tumbling clean, the cases are primed & only then run thru the rest of the reloading process. This removes any issues trying to do everything in one pass in a progressive machine.

If I am wrong, this is the way I have reloaded for the last 25 years & it works, but I don't want the range in the OAL as it has been.
 
Am not familiar with how the Dillon is designed, but, I have used Lee progressives for years.

I noticed a difference if I was doing a full length resize while seating bullets. The extra force of the size die on the shell plate distorted things a bit. If I did resizing in a different setup then the problem went away.

I would usually resize and prime cases in one setup. Then charge cases and seat bullets in another setup. Took a little longer but I didn't have problems with runout or OAL differences.

Now days I use a single stage press to load my precision rifle cartridges. The progressive is used for stuff like pistols and .223 plinking ammo.
 
I got time to test out the Forster Die this morning, set up as described in the first post. Once it was dialed in to the OAL of 2.775, it showed that it also has that range instead of an exact measurement. The range is much smaller than the Dillion die, but it is still a range of 2.780 to 2.765 which considering the projectiles I am using that are Armscor 147 gr .308 caliber fmj-bt with cannelure, should be expected.

The customer reports are not real good on this projectile, but to improve to a higher quality bullet would force me to almost double what I am paying per bullet & for my usage of the ammunition, is not worth it.

The large price paid for the Forster die is not really worth the cost in my usage, but it is paid for & works as best as it can, so I will continue loading with it.

Thanks to the guys who replied to the post to help me out.
 
I ran out of my 3rd case of Armscor .308 bullets & opened up the 4th one. When starting to reload, the OAL was the same, but the cannelure was lower down the bullet ogive than the last case.

This is the first time that opening a new case of bullets proved that inexpensive bullets are made on different machines & are NOT identical in manufacture.

The Forster die was readjusted & back to reloading, with a bit more knowledge than before.
 
Measuring OAL from the ogive using a Hornady or other tool clamped to one jaw of your caliper is the best way to measure this. Very few, if any brands of bullets other than the monolithic solids will measure exactly the same from one bullet to the next if you measure from base to tip. Several companies offer meplat trimmers to trim the tip of the projectiles so they are all uniform.
 
A very knowledgeable and highly ranked shooter who is one of the legends in the sport and I were discussing the feasibility of using a progressive press to load for "F"-Class , and he said that he loaded on a single stage press for over forty years because it gave him consistent ammo , without variations of seating depth .
I have copied his advice , and my loads never vary more than .0005 seating depth . Sometimes ; there are just no short-cuts to getting "quality" over quantity .
 

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