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Frankford Arsenal Universal Seater Tested

A few months back I bought a Frankford Arsenal universal seater planning on using it to do seating depth tests on my 30BW ( 30 Major, 30 Grendel). The rifles builder had supplied me with a Wilson inline but without the micrometer top. Excellent once you have seating depth dialed in but a bit of a pain to use for varying the seating depth. I have not experimented much with the 30 BW so far but recently purchased 1000 Berger 6mm 68gn flatbase bullets and 8 pounds of N133 for my 6BRs. I planned on loading 50 rounds this morning but soon discovered the short flatbase bullets were a challenge to get started using a Redding Micrometer seater without pinching my fingers. I thought this is a good time to try that Frankford seater out. Fifty rounds later I was glad I had purchased it.


The window for loading the bullets made life simple again, the micrometer adjustments were spot on, and runout on the finished rounds was 90% less than .001 with a maximum of .0015. I only wish this had been available when I first started reloading


$99.00 recommended list price but can be found for around $75.00
 

Here is information from the page linked by JimSC.

The Universal Bullet Seating Die works with .224 to .338 caliber bullets. Featuring a cutout window die body, the Universal Bullet Seating Die holds the bullet in place while seating. The built-in micrometer allows for precise .001” micro-adjustments to the seating depth of the bullet. Includes 9 bullet alignment sleeves, 3 VLD bullet seating stems, and a molded storage case. (Note: one alignment sleeve and one VLD bullet seating stem are pre-assembled inside the die.)
Included Caliber Fittings

  • .224 Cal
  • .243 Cal
  • .257 Cal
  • .264 Cal
  • .277 Cal
  • .284 Cal
  • .325 Cal
  • .338 Cal
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A few months back I bought a Frankford Arsenal universal seater planning on using it to do seating depth tests on my 30BW ( 30 Major, 30 Grendel). The rifles builder had supplied me with a Wilson inline but without the micrometer top. Excellent once you have seating depth dialed in but a bit of a pain to use for varying the seating depth. I have not experimented much with the 30 BW so far but recently purchased 1000 Berger 6mm 68gn flatbase bullets and 8 pounds of N133 for my 6BRs. I planned on loading 50 rounds this morning but soon discovered the short flatbase bullets were a challenge to get started using a Redding Micrometer seater without pinching my fingers. I thought this is a good time to try that Frankford seater out. Fifty rounds later I was glad I had purchased it.


The window for loading the bullets made life simple again, the micrometer adjustments were spot on, and runout on the finished rounds was 90% less than .001 with a maximum of .0015. I only wish this had been available when I first started reloading


$99.00 recommended list price but can be found for around $75.00

You're getting good runout numbers and wondering what press you're using???

Hmmm??? The Ultimate Reloader test shown in the YouTube video showed +/- .002 runout (.004 TIR), which he characterized as "good". But in my book, .004 TIR is NOT "good" and I look for TIR in the area you say you got. So, it seems we've got some conflicting evidences for how well this seater performs.

 
A few months back I bought a Frankford Arsenal universal seater planning on using it to do seating depth tests on my 30BW ( 30 Major, 30 Grendel). The rifles builder had supplied me with a Wilson inline but without the micrometer top. Excellent once you have seating depth dialed in but a bit of a pain to use for varying the seating depth. I have not experimented much with the 30 BW so far but recently purchased 1000 Berger 6mm 68gn flatbase bullets and 8 pounds of N133 for my 6BRs. I planned on loading 50 rounds this morning but soon discovered the short flatbase bullets were a challenge to get started using a Redding Micrometer seater without pinching my fingers. I thought this is a good time to try that Frankford seater out. Fifty rounds later I was glad I had purchased it.


The window for loading the bullets made life simple again, the micrometer adjustments were spot on, and runout on the finished rounds was 90% less than .001 with a maximum of .0015. I only wish this had been available when I first started reloading


$99.00 recommended list price but can be found for around $75.00
I also purchased this seating die a couple of months back and have been very happy with my results. I have seen no difference in my group size so far with 6mm 6.5mm & .308 calibers. Setting it up for the different calibers to be seated is a breeze and it is very easy to adjust seating depth as the micrometer seems to be spot on.
 
You’ve got to very careful with the small (I mean tiny) set screw in their die block. Although it doesn’t strip thread , the brass face contacting the threads on the die mangle -necessitating constant retightening in the block. If you don’t the die will walk -changing values , either sizing or seating. I filed the contact surface, buying a little more time. Oops. Just noticed my subscription expired, next time I post I’ll be gold!
 
You’ve got to very careful with the small (I mean tiny) set screw in their die block. Although it doesn’t strip thread , the brass face contacting the threads on the die mangle -necessitating constant retightening in the block. If you don’t the die will walk -changing values , either sizing or seating. I filed the contact surface, buying a little more time. Oops. Just noticed my subscription expired, next time I post I’ll be gold!

Any way to insert a piece of nylon to cure both problems?
 
the set screw on mine is brass. I did not "monkey fist" it when tightening but I did apply a reasonable amount of force. I just loosened it and there was no discernable damage to the threads on the steel die body. I suppose one could always replace the lock ring with a different type if was a concern.
 
You’ve got to very careful with the small (I mean tiny) set screw in their die block. Although it doesn’t strip thread , the brass face contacting the threads on the die mangle -necessitating constant retightening in the block. If you don’t the die will walk -changing values , either sizing or seating. I filed the contact surface, buying a little more time. Oops. Just noticed my subscription expired, next time I post I’ll be gold!
Replace the look nut with a Forster or Hornady clamp style. Every die I own has one or the other. That tiny screw doesn't apply pressure evenly and can or will cause the die to not sit straight.
 

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