Seating Die

[shepardswatch]

if you like arbor press and wilson in line try this arbor press you can see what you are doing with the dial. https://lewilson.com/k-m-precision-...ard-force-measurement-ram-and-dial-indicator/

I've only used RCBS press and Dies, but have looked at a number of others. Had an accident years back and it stopped me from loading and shooting, but starting to walk and get around pretty good for some distance and wanting to load and shoot again. mentioned to my wife last night that it would be good therapy... :-}

 

[shepardswatch]

I don't anneal every time. Every third firing. And I have been experimenting using an expander for neck tension recently. You right, my neck tension is more consistent.

Buttons are the first thing to hit the trash when I buy a die

I've annealed some in the past but only had a pan of water, a deep well socket on a cordless drill to turn the brass. How's your neck turning coming out, i've watched some video's about it but never ventured that far..

 

[shepardswatch]

I don't anneal every time. Every third firing. And I have been experimenting using an expander for neck tension recently. You right, my neck tension is more consistent.

Buttons are the first thing to hit the trash when I buy a die

Please forgive my ignorance but I'm not familiar with the buttons you guys are taking about..

 

[shepardswatch]

I'm looking for 3 things. A micrometer top, a sleeve to stabilize the case and a seater plug that matches the bullet. I use only Redding, Forester or Whidden seaters.

Will those type dies fit in an RCBS press, or is it worth messing with?
I've never heard of Whidden..

 

[shepardswatch]

if you like arbor press and wilson in line try this arbor press you can see what you are doing with the dial. https://lewilson.com/k-m-precision-...ard-force-measurement-ram-and-dial-indicator/

I checked out your link and those are very interesting and to my surprise really not that expensive. have you replaced your normal press with the arbor press?

 

[shepardswatch]

James, I think you will be happy with the results. Goodluck

I have several different calibers to load for, I've loaded basically for the varmint calibers and the
25-06, but haven't gone into 7mm or 300wm yet I wanted more experience under my belt before going there at least for loading safely. I do want to product better, more consistent rounds. I take my time now when seating and try to get each round as close to the same as possible with the dies and press that I've got, even if it takes several attempts. What I've noticed is just seating with the RCBS dies there's sometimes a vast difference between each rounds seating depth and it takes several tries to get exact seating depth, especially from round to round. Is that common using a RCBS press and dies? If I adjust the seating die and lightly press for feel then measure as I go, I can get the varmint rounds pretty consistent that way, but it takes some time getting there..

 

[dok7mm]

Will those type dies fit in an RCBS press, or is it worth messing with?
I've never heard of Whidden..

Yes, they are standard dies. They fit all
7/8"-14 presses. It sounds like you would be better served by a micrometer seater, if you're having trouble getting precise seating depth,
as they are far easier to adjust. Keep in mind that most seating depth variances are directly tied to your brass prep and the bullets you're using.

 

[SealT5]

@shepardswatch what your experiencing with your RCBS dies is pretty common. Bullet type and brass prepping practices contribute a lot. You can try rotating the case 180 degrees after seating the bullet and again raising the ram. This can help reduce runout which is basically a crooked bullet.

Every piece of equipment on your bench has been machined with certain tolerances. The seater stem, shell holder, press ram, etc... the more pieces you have the more the tolerances are being stacked which in return creates more and more runout, or room for error. An arbor press and chamber type dies are pretty much idiot proof. No room for slop and play. You get a hard stop every time you seat a bullet.

An arbor press can seat bullets and neck size brass. You will need to continue using the RCBS press for your FL sizing. Another added benefit is you can seat your Bullets long and pack the Arbor to use at the range. This is great for working on seating depth

The button we are talking about is the little round ball that holds in your decapping pin. In a FL sizing die the neck is basically over sizing and when you lower the ram that little ball opens up your neck to you final size. When using bushing dies it basically undoes everything your trying to accomplish by using a bushing. Some other negative include over working your brass and they induce crooked necks.

I neck turn all my brass for uniformity. Not because I run a tight neck chamber. My latest batch of 6br brass had a neck thickness of .013"-.01475". So I set my turner to .0135" and turned all my brass. Adjusting my turner until I have about 90-95% cleanup. Now I have uniform necks and consistent neck tension. I highly promote the K&M neck turning kit and have heard great things about the Sinclair NT4000.

 

[shepardswatch]

@shepardswatch what your experiencing with your RCBS dies is pretty common. Bullet type and brass prepping practices contribute a lot. You can try rotating the case 180 degrees after seating the bullet and again raising the ram. This can help reduce runout which is basically a crooked bullet.

Every piece of equipment on your bench has been machined with certain tolerances. The seater stem, shell holder, press ram, etc... the more pieces you have the more the tolerances are being stacked which in return creates more and more runout, or room for error. An arbor press and chamber type dies are pretty much idiot proof. No room for slop and play. You get a hard stop every time you seat a bullet.

An arbor press can seat bullets and neck size brass. You will need to continue using the RCBS press for your FL sizing. Another added benefit is you can seat your Bullets long and pack the Arbor to use at the range. This is great for working on seating depth

The button we are talking about is the little round ball that holds in your decapping pin. In a FL sizing die the neck is basically over sizing and when you lower the ram that little ball opens up your neck to you final size. When using bushing dies it basically undoes everything your trying to accomplish by using a bushing. Some other negative include over working your brass and they induce crooked necks.

I neck turn all my brass for uniformity. Not because I run a tight neck chamber. My latest batch of 6br brass had a neck thickness of .013"-.01475". So I set my turner to .0135" and turned all my brass. Adjusting my turner until I have about 90-95% cleanup. Now I have uniform necks and consistent neck tension. I highly promote the K&M neck turning kit and have heard great things about the Sinclair NT4000.

I really thank you for taking the time to explain this for me, i'm getting what your saying. I've looked at Sinclair neck turning kits before but knew that I wasn't ready yet. Do you think that I should look into this press's and seater's that was mentioned before?
Would that be a sound investment in the right direction? Would you please elaborate on your set up and its benefits, so I can look this parts up. I'm open for a new direction so I can improve the rounds, also open to learning about neck turning, I just figured I would take off to much and damage the case. I'll rotate 180 till I get the rest straightened out! Thank you so much, I really mean that! this will help me tremendously in occupying my hands and my mind, like I told my wife it should be good therapy for me..
https://lewilson.com/k-m-precision-...ard-force-measurement-ram-and-dial-indicator/

 

[shepardswatch]

Yes, they are standard dies. They fit all
7/8"-14 presses. It sounds like you would be better served by a micrometer seater, if you're having trouble getting precise seating depth,
as they are far easier to adjust. Keep in mind that most seating depth variances are directly tied to your brass prep and the bullets you're using.

Thank you very much!!! I'm kinda starting over with my old stuff just had a snag in the road, and look forward to loading my own 7mm & 300wm's.