Mill notch in wilson seater die?

[kris bassett]

Has anybody milled a small notch in the base of their wilson seater die to make it easier to extract the shell? It shouldn't affect the functionality of the die I wouldn't think?

Thanks
Kris

 

[WSnyder]

No, but as you pick up the die and roll it to the side you grab the seating knob with thumb and forefinger while holding the body of the die with your other three fingers and when you give the knob a flick up and then back down the air will push the cartridge down a touch out of the die and then with your other hands thumb and forefinger you grab the base of the case and pull it out. Clear as mud eh??? Once you get the hang of it it’s pretty darn easy to do and after hundreds or thousands you don’t even think about it.

 

[jobhopper66]

I once had a Wilson 222 seater die that had 2 pry notches milled into it. To my eye they appeared to be factory done but I cannot confirm that. It was the only Wilson seater I have ever owned that had them.

 

[Krogen]

Newer Wilson seaters have a bleed hole in the seating stem which precludes the technique noted above. The bleed hole is supposed to allow easier removal of the completed cartridge. It fixed one problem and exacerbated another.

I found that sticky cartridges in the seating die were from neck sizing. Wilson bushings and probably others size a portion of the neck leaving the lower neck, shoulder and body unsized. When I went to full-length sizing and mandrel neck expanding the problem with stickiness in the seating die went away.

 

[gunsandgunsmithing]

I just believe that the die, properly made, should freely drop the sized case without needing a pry notch, but that's just me. Whenever I make a wilson type seater, I polish/hone it out until it drops the case freely.

 

[Clancy]

I just believe that the die, properly made, should freely drop the sized case without needing a pry notch, but that's just me. Whenever I make a wilson type seater, I polish/hone it out until it drops the case freely.

100%…. A well finished die and a proper sizer.

 

[jcm800]

Wilson used to make them with the notch.... probably used a radius cutter.
If you have 2 rifles with slightly different chambers / brass they would be useful.

 

[jobhopper66]

Wilson used to make them with the notch.... probably used a radius cutter.
If you have 2 rifles with slightly different chambers / brass they would be useful.
View attachment 1567576

Mark, the pic you posted is exactly like the one I alluded to in my reply. I always assumed this was an early model.

 

[Fast14riot]

I do like above, grab the die and with my thumb I lift the seating cap 1/4" or so and the case just falls out into my other hand. Same hand motion as a sliding thumb switch on a power tool handle.

 

[kris bassett]

Maybe my neck needs to be opened up because they do not come out without being popped loose. I may just mill a couple slots like the above picture.

 

[gunsandgunsmithing]

Maybe my neck needs to be opened up because they do not come out without being popped loose. I may just mill a couple slots like the above picture.

Ink up a case and see where it's tight/rubbing

 

[Walt Krafft]

The chamfer on mine is large enought to use a screw driver if needed to remove a case. I have assumed it is tight at the .200 line and have been planning on polishing it bigger. I will ink the next stuck case and see where exactly it is sticking.

 

[bozo699]

I’ve had this issue in the past and it’s almost always the seating stem. Take the bullet your using and chuck one in the drill, use some lapping compound and polish the seating stem , it has usually solved my problems
Wayne

 

[Shooter13]

I have one in a Whidden seater, like it, just to many dies LOL
EDIT: It's for sale on here is the reason for the comment of "just to many"

 

[JMayo]

I find they stick when it gits sticky from missed lube. I Clean regularly with a cotton swabs.

My ppc sticks on some, about 10, out of 200 that are miss made at the 200 line.
I've kinda buggered up a spot or two on the bottom using A screwdriver to pry . I can feel These marks so i know the seater isn't sitting down perfectly. So i do not like doing it.
However i haven't come up with a solution.

 

[Walt Krafft]

Inked up a couple of my sticky cases today. It was the .200 line that was tight. A couple of minutes in the lathe with some emory paper fixed it.

 

[AlNyhus]

I've kinda buggered up a spot or two on the bottom using A screwdriver to pry . I can feel These marks so i know the seater isn't sitting down perfectly. So i do not like doing it.
However i haven't come up with a solution.

Get a piece of 5/16" wooden dowel. With a fine toothed hacksaw blade, slot the end of it down about 1/2". Fold a piece of 320 grit into the slot, get a little oil on it, chuck it into a power screw driver and run it in and out a ways. After 20 or so strokes, clean the beejeezus out of it and try a case. Rinse and repeat until it's smooth with ten o's (smooooooooooth).

 

[kris bassett]

I did a bit of work to my die today. The round was sticking in the neck. I polished it with valve lapping compound, jb and then flitz. It's still a bit tight but I have smaller neck bushings coming so I didn't want to go too far with it. It is nice and smooth though. I also milled some slots in it. It worked out great. I contoured and polished the stem too.

 

[jackieschmidt]

One thing I like about Redding Competition Seaters is you have the press to pull it out.

I make my own sliding sleeves for my Redding dies, where the resized sized case has just about zero clearance. They make extremely straight ammunition.