Seat them upside Down

[pig ranch deadeye]

Here is a trick I came up with to avoid over-crunching the powder on compressed loads. When you can observe that the powder will poke down into the powder in a compressed-load situation, this is not good. The bullet smashing down into the prowder over-crunches the grains, breaking up the grains into sand instead of pebbles. So I finish the bullet seating by using the LEE loader and do the final seating using the Lee loader upside down. With this approach the bullet, instead of smashing down into the powder and destroying the grain structure, lifts up the entire powder column. The top of the powder column presses against the inside of the case head, compressing the entire column. Whatever space there is settles in around the bullet. This is better.

 

[MagnumManiac]

Makes no difference, there is only so much space for the powder to fit into.
I have just pulled down about 180 loads in 300WM, 270 Weatherby and 264WM today.
Most of these loads were not heavily compressed, yet the powder was still clumped up and sticking to the base of the bullets. Powders were RE25, H1000 and RETUMBO. Shaking the cases prior to disassembly still showed room in the case.

Cheers.

 

[pig ranch deadeye]

Makes no difference, there is only so much space for the powder to fit into.
I have just pulled down about 180 loads in 300WM, 270 Weatherby and 264WM today.
Most of these loads were not heavily compressed, yet the powder was still clumped up and sticking to the base of the bullets. Powders were RE25, H1000 and RETUMBO. Shaking the cases prior to disassembly still showed room in the case.

Cheers.

Conversely, there is no advantage to seating them right side up!

 

[cohunt]

I tried this, and very time I turned the case upside down the powder would fall out before I could get the bullet in

When I used to work offshore, I could never find the ceiling grinder either.

 

[MagnumManiac]

You weren't using a SKYHOOK, this is why the powder fell out.

Cheers.

 

[pig ranch deadeye]

If it troubles you to seat the bullet upside down in the manner I have described, just do it while standing on your head and everything will look normal.

 

[lancetkenyon]

Have you ever tried to cut or crush a kernel of powder?
Or, pulled apart a compressed load round?

I have.

Super hard to cut a kernel.
Pulling apart highly compressed loads has NEVER revealed powder "crushed to sand".

 

[WapitiBob]

Ahh yes, internet forums where people can post but really shouldn't.