What am I doing wrong here!!

[Plowboy85]

Anybody have any input on a decent setup that won't break the bank?

Cheapest (may not be the best) route to try first is to make sure you have a nice chamfer on your brass neck opening. Size one case as you have been and measure the OD of it vs a loaded and see if you are pushing the bullet into a too tight neck. I have some cheap 300wsm dies that were really over sizing my brass and was hell trying to seat a bullet. As far as the seater goes, I use Forster if it's not a custom die and midway should have them for <$100 I think. The expander mandrel route we suggested is a better path than the rigid expanders most dies have.

 

[dfanonymous]

Anybody have any input on a decent setup that won't break the bank?

There's no such thing as saving money and reloading for precision rifle.

 

[PPR]

Just shoot the cases in your chamber to fireform if you will. I bet your neck tension will be normal on second loading. Seems Lapua always has very tight necks on first firing. Easy peasy!

Paul

 

[Ucsdryder]

There's no such thing as saving money and reloading for precision rifle.

You should have told me that a few months ago!

 

[Ucsdryder]

Just shoot the cases in your chamber to fireform if you will. I bet your neck tension will be normal on second loading. Seems Lapua always has very tight necks on first firing. Easy peasy!

Paul

I took some 1x fired and they loaded like butter.

 

[Jim’s Hunt]

Here's a zoomed in picture that shows the ring on the end of the bullet.

Every post I've read all have the right answer about tension a seating stem and neck reaming. I prefer a full length neck bushing die set from redding

 

[Ucsdryder]

I think the answer is "no", but can I change the seating stem on my Rcbs press or do I need the Hornady dies if I want to use the eld stems?

 

[Shane Lindsey]

IF you are only going to shoot that bullet, you could bed the seating stem for a perfect fit.

IF you plan to experiment with other bullets, you would need additional (maybe) seating stems.

 

[Old Rooster]

Welcome to the rabbit hole!
Most die stems are the same thread pitch as I have removed many on hand gun loads to seat a flat tip cast bullet from Redding to Hornady to RCBS die sets.
I too have Lapua brass that has a tight neck the first time around.I fixed that with a mandrel that cost about 15.00 dollars each.
Seating stems are not very expensive as you will need one for Berger bullets for sure.
Enjoy the ride in this rabbit hole!

 

[Old Rooster]

Caliber Specific Expander Mandrel Kits

Our caliber specific expander mandrels are available in .0005” increments in calibers 22 to 338 and will range from .001” above bullet diameter to at least .003” below bullet diameter depending on caliber. This will allow the reloader to find proper neck tension to fine-tune their loads. The...

21stcenturyinnovation.com

These folks have what ails ya.

 

[BHP9]

Look at this.

https://www.uniquetek.com/store/696296/uploaded/Bullet_Seating_Stem_Customization.pdf

and this.

Seating Stem « Daily Bulletin

Content tagged with Seating Stem.

bulletin.accurateshooter.com

 

[xsn10s]

Anybody have any input on a decent setup that won't break the bank?

You already have a decent press. I'd get a concentrically gauge and just keep on learning. If the rifle is standard production then with simple reloading equipment you can make fine ammo. Later on if you get a rifle built and want to get into say benchrest or some other discipline you can upgrade your equipment. Heck with standard dies, a cheapy Lee handheld press, and decent components I shoot my PSS out past 1000 yards. It's not hard to do, just pay attention to detail. It's like painting a house, most of the work in the the prep work and your knowledge base.

 

[nwmnbowhunter]

Try running your expander button through the neck with some redding dry graphite lube.

Make sure you chamfer the cases also.

 

[misterc01]

Try measuring the outside diameter of the expander ball and the bullet. Then measure the case neck thickness. These will let you determine the Neck tension. I use a biuhing die, so I set the tension at .003. I have other bushings to vary the neck tension based on how the rifle shoots. As for the marks towards the tip, I also believe you have seating stem issue. especiually if you are use a VLD bullet, suc as in my case, Hornady VLD Match, A-Max or Sierra tipped match kings. This from Beger "We recommended that when loading a Very Low Drag (VLD) bullet, Hybrid bullet, or any bullet that has a secant ogive, that you use a VLD seating stem or a reloading die that was made specifically to match a secant shape. While traditional bullets have a tangent ogive (nose) shape, a VLD bullet has a secant ogive shape and a Hybrid bullet has a blend of both. Traditional seating stems will have an inside chamfer to meet the angle of the tangent ogive, while a VLD seating stem will have a more aggressive shape to meet the more aggressive design of a secant bullet. If you load a VLD or Hybrid bullet using a traditional seating stem, you may find that you are having a hard time keeping your loads at a consistent seating depth, see small marks on your bullet ogives after seating them, or even end up deforming the ogive of the bullet."