new Redding seating die shaving side of bullet issue / question

[mjgillen]

Hello all,

Bought a new set of Redding dies, the competition bushing dies. I also bought a new Redding turret press. Cleaned them all up, reassembled, put them in the turret.

So I thought I would taking an existing loaded round and get the seating depth of the new die set for my current depth as a starting point. I back off the micrometer to between 3 & 4, put a loaded round in the shell holder, ram it up, and screw down the micrometer, note the value. I take out the round and notice that there is a slice taken out of one side of the seated bullet. Near the neck / base of the bullet. I did notice a bit of resistance, not the smoothness I was expecting, as I was putting the ram up. Hmmm.

So, I take out the die, take it apart, make sure there's nothing funny going on. While its apart I put in another loaded round into the "sleeve" and it falls in and out with no resistance, no marks on the brass or bullet. I put the die back together. I put a loaded round in the die, falls in and out no problem no marks. I even push on the round to make it go all the way in, Still no marks no problems (I know at this point I should use a dummy round I will from now on until I get this thing sorted out).

So I put the die into the press and put a round in it. Same problem. The round comes out with a slice shaved off the side. So I back off the die so that the lock ring (I replaced the Redding lock ring with a Hornady as I like them better) to take the lock ring out of the equation - same problem.

So I disassemble the turret, make sure its looking OK, put it back together. Looks good. No play. Put the die back in - same problem.

Its like something is not in alignment. It appears that the die is OK because I can drop a round in there no problem. Falls in, falls out. So is the turret press out of alignment? Any guesses on what is wrong? Anyone else ever seen this?

Thanks,
Michael

 

[Jose_Luis_G]

I'm afraid it is not a matter of the dies or even the press.
I believe that you have missed the step of deburring the case, mainly the inside of the neck.
Shaving the bullet is quite normal when you miss this step.

 

[mjgillen]

Sorry I was not clear. These are already loaded rounds. I'm just trying to set my new die to the same seating depth as my already loaded rounds.

The "shave" is on the outside of the bullet, above the case neck.

I had previously chamfered and deburred each case.

These are 3x fired cases, from my bolt rifle, neck sized only.

Michael

 

[dkhunt14]

I believe the only thing that can shave a bullet is the mouth of the case. The seater stem rides up on the ogive. Did you use an expander? Maybe the neck is too tight.

 

[mjgillen]

There is no seating going on.

I put a reloaded round, bullet and all, into a new seater die with the seater all the way out. Trying to adjust the die to match the loaded round.

Does that make sense?

 

[Rsadams]

This is reaching... But is it the correct die for the caliber?

 

[lpreddick]

There is no seating going on.

I put a reloaded round, bullet and all, into a new seater die with the seater all the way out. Trying to adjust the die to match the loaded round.

Does that make sense?

I see this from time to time. This is what i think is happening...could be wrong. The bullet seating stem resides in a recess in the die. It is very slightly larger in diameter than the stem. The bullet enters this recess before contacting the seating stem. There is a sharp edges to this recess and the bullet rubs against it until it straightens up. We are really just balancing a bullet when we let go. A boat tail self aligns in the case mouth. I have polished the hell out of the sharp edges of this recess and this seems to help, but getting the bullet straight reduces these marks. Not sure performance is affected, but I don'the like these marks. I'll try to post a pic of what I think you are seeing.

 

[lpreddick]

I see this from time to time. This is what i think is happening...could be wrong. The bullet seating stem resides in a recess in the die. It is very slightly larger in diameter than the stem. The bullet enters this recess before contacting the seating stem. There is a sharp edges to this recess and the bullet rubs against it until it straightens up. We are really just balancing a bullet when we let go. A boat tail self aligns in the case mouth. I have polished the hell out of the sharp edges of this recess and this seems to help, but getting the bullet straight reduces these marks. Not sure performance is affected, but I don'the like these marks. I'll try to post a pic of what I think you are seeing.

Does your bullet look like this?,

 

[mjgillen]

Yes, like that but worse. I posted a pic below.

Now that you explain it, I think you are right in that the bullet is not in perfect alignment and because its already seated, it's just scraping the side of the die.

So I think I'll just get the depth correct and see how the die performs.

Thanks to all that chimed in.

Michael

 

[lpreddick]

Yes, like that but worse. I posted a pic below.

Now that you explain it, I think you are right in that the bullet is not in perfect alignment and because its already seated, it's just scraping the side of the die.

So I think I'll just get the depth correct and see how the die performs.

Thanks to all that chimed in.

Michael

Another thing that can cause malaligament of bullet is if the case is not perfectly centered in the case holder. A single kernel of powder in the holder or extraction groove of the case will have the case entering the die crooked and bullet gets gouged by this edge inside the die.

 

[mjgillen]

Thank for the idea. I'll check.

Which also reminds me that I bought the Redding shell holder set so I'm going to use those.

Michael

 

[lpreddick]

Does your bullet look like this?View attachment 1002201,

I found this internal pic of a Redding bullet seater die and circled the edge that shaves the bullet. Would be nice to chamfer this. I'll polish it vigorosly, but not sure if it helps.

Does your bullet look like this?View attachment 1002201,

 

[dellet]

If it's shaving a loaded round, check for concentricty, If it's not out, then it's probably in the press/die set up. Either the turret is out of time or it's not square to the ram.

Can you try the die in another press? That would be the easiest test.

A small level, like used for scope install placed on the ram/shell holder and compared to the top of the turret. May show a visible, difference.

It might be possible that a single hole in the turret is off, but not likely. Try another position.

Last thing I would do is read all the instructions then call Redding and experience their excellent customer service. Seems like the older I get, the quicker I do this.

 

[hrlincoln]

I found this internal pic of a Redding bullet seater die and circled the edge that shaves the bullet. Would be nice to chamfer this. I'll polish it vigorosly, but not sure if it helps.

View attachment 1008997

I recently had the same experience with my Redding Competition Bullet Seating Die. Very fine line scratches on bullet's surface that started about an 1/8" above the case mouth, extending about 1/4" around the circumference of the bullet. Contacted Redding....tech said it's "extremely important" to keep the die clean in the area you have circled in red. After cleaning the die "extremely" again, there was slight improvement, but there were still scratches. I ended up doing exactly what you're considering. I chamfered the entrance to the bullet seating cavity with some 600 grit wet/dry. Nice shiny bullets now with no scratches.

 

[243winxb]

Interesting problem. http://www.redding-reloading.com/tech-line-a-tips-faqs/168-working-with-your-competition-seating-die and another http://www.redding-reloading.com/images/stories/PDFfiles/seaterquickstart.pdf

 

[Fotheringill]

I have he same die and have not had the problem. I would also suggest trying it with a different press. If the problem persists, call Redding and ship it back to them after speaking with them along with tow or three dummy rounds for examination. I would also suggest sending them a few empty cases and unseated bullets.

 

[243winxb]

What if?

Move the die up/out 1 turn, while adjusting the seatng stem for correct OAL?

If the sliding sleeve doesn't contact a stop on its upward travel, it cant damage the bullet? Or can it?

 

[Milo 2.0]

Try a different hole on the T7, if that does not work, try a different shellholder, I had the same issue with the same equipment 11-12 yrs ago. For the life of me I cannot remember what I did to fix it.
I seem to recall an RCBS shellholder more forgiving than a Redding.