Lee Dead Length bullet seating die?

[CanusLatransSnpr]

Anybody out there, besides myself, ever had any trouble with Lee bullet seating dies producing inconsistent cartridge overall length. I was loading last night and my calipers were telling me that the bullets weren't all being seated to the same depth, causing different jump distances. Thinking of switching to Redding competition bullet seating die! Any input would be appreciated. Thanks!

Mike

 

[Winchester69]

Bullet tip-to-base length varies widely. The accurate measurement is base-to-ogive. Your die seats off of the ogive, and the ogive should be used for assessing consistency.

 

[Gearheadpyro]

+1 Winchester69. You cannot get an accurate measurement by measuring to the tip of the bullet, you must measure on the ogive.

I've had issues with the Lee die myself, it varied the C.O.L. on my .308's by nearly .020" and that was measuring off of the ogive. If you watch the adjusting knob on the Lee die you can see the whole knob move every time you press a bullet in.
I switched over to the Redding die and it is fantastic! It's also pricey though, and probably more than I really needed. It sure is nice though, I'd buy it again.

 

[cliffy]

Lee Crimping Dies work dead-on for me, attested to via my 1/2" groups at 100 yards. I feel confident using my LEE dies, which by fact they are a miracle in pricing over other brands. I have no affiliation with Lee Products; I just never had any problems with their precision products. I also like Forster, Lyman, and RCBS. Cliffy

 

[Winchester69]

Thinking of switching to Redding competition bullet seating die!

If you don't need the micrometer, look at the Forster non-mic die. It has the same capability of the Redding and the Forster Ultra.

 

[fdshuster]

Except as it relates to magazine length limitations, cartridge over-all-lengths mean nothing, as stated above. Pick a selection of bullets ( ex: Sierra/ Berger, etc hollowpoints) out of the box and measure their o.a.l. I can easily find .015" difference between short and long. Take these same bullets, load them normally, then take a base to ogive dimension using the Sinclair "nut" or the Stoney Point/Hornady chamber o.a.l. gage, and you'll find the critical measurement (base-to-ogive) is the same on all. The Forster Ultra Micrometer Benchrest Seater Dies are my #1 favorite, and they are approx. $25 less than the "other brand". Many high quality dies out there, and I've even had very good results with the "standard" seating die that comes with the basic 2-die sets from RCBS, Redding, etc. that sell for $25 to $30.

 

[CanusLatransSnpr]

I know where the ogive is on a bullet but, what special tool do I need to measure the C.O.L. at the ogive. With my calipers I have been measuring to the ballistic tip on the bullets. I may be wrong but, in my minds eye a fellow should be able to measure at ballistic tip after seating bullets and get a consistent measurement! Within a +/- .001 one way or the other, which isn't any good either because I want them all the same!

Mike

 

[fdshuster]

Mike: The only way you will ever get cartridge o.a.l.'s to be identical would be to sort them into seperate "piles" based on their o.a.l., but then you would also be re-adjusting your seater die each time a different group were loaded, and your ogive points-of-land-contact would vary with each. That would make no sense. If you don't already have one, get a copy of Sinclairs 2009-B catalog. Even if you never buy anything from them, it is an excellent source of info for what tools, gauges, etc. are available to those interested in precision reloading. Gauges commonly used for this seating "problem" are shown in great detail on page 29: Hornady Lock-N-Load OAL Gauge. Item# CFG-2000 at $34.95/ maybe less elsewhere. Another item that does essentially the same job is shown on page 30: Sinclair Hex Style Bullet Comparators, item# 09-600 and #09-700 at $18.25 each. note: When I said "sort them" I meant the individual bullets. Looking further on page 30, directly above the "nut" is shown yet another gauge that is a bullet comparator, part# 09-1000 body and #09-0xxx inserts. All quality, you could not go wrong with either choice.

 

[CanusLatransSnpr]

Thanks Frank! I was of the impression that you set a bullet seater one time, all the bullets are exactly the same, and run until you have your desired number of cartridges. Apparently this isn't the case. Learn something new everyday. Thanks for all the info everybody!

Mike

 

[fdshuster]

Mike: PM sent