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Trouble starting bullets- Help
Topkick
Member Posts: 4,452 ✭✭
I know my components are right.
Win .243 cases- prepped, clean, resized, and reamed the case mouth properly.
Speer .224 80 gr spitzer bullet
The trouble is, I can't get the flat-based bullet started in the case.
I have had no trouble starting boat tails.
Should I resize again?
Win .243 cases- prepped, clean, resized, and reamed the case mouth properly.
Speer .224 80 gr spitzer bullet
The trouble is, I can't get the flat-based bullet started in the case.
I have had no trouble starting boat tails.
Should I resize again?
Comments
JM
JM[:D]
In a .243?!
And it WON'T seat?! It should drop into the case and plop onto your powder.
When you deprime, do you also resize and flare the case neck in the same operation?
Have you put a caliper on the expander plug lately?
Do you have a pointy seating plug or a spitzer seating plug?-You can tell if it's the wrong seater by the ring around the top of the nose and difficulty seating.
It is the Sierra 6MM/.243 bullet. 80 gr spitzer.
I also load my .223 and I haven't had my morning coffe.
I am at work and NOT at my loading bench- thank God.
Anyway, I do chamfer the inside and the outside of the case mouth.
I have the Hornaday Custom Die set and I don't know if I have the right seater. It does leave a small ring on the bullet though.
I will look for the proper seater.
I'm new at this, so there is a learning curve for me.
I have loaded (successfully) the Hornaday VMax, but the Sierra spitzer is a new bullet for me to use.
I can put my caliper on the plug- but I'll tell you- it's rather new- maybe 200 rounds or so.
I will research a bit more, but I don't have a reloading buddy in my area yet- so you guys are my best source.
Thanks!
A very slight ring mark is OK from the seater stem but much more than that is not good....
I encountered the problem during the raising of the ram.
The bullet keeps falling off of the case mouth.
I'll resize in the mean time and reposition the expander ball.
I want to get this done!
Much appreciated!
Thanks for the replies!
I encountered the problem during the raising of the ram.
The bullet keeps falling off of the case mouth.
I'll resize in the mean time and reposition the expander ball.
I want to get this done!
Much appreciated!
With flat bullets you need to hold the bullet with your fingers to guide it as straight as possible into the die. The key is to remove ones fingers before the die ram illustrates the amount of pressure it can apply to your digits. [:D]
You've encontered a common problem in reloading. Many solutions exist and I believe most of them have been listed.
The one that was not: Lee Precision makes a die specifically to flare the case mouth only! It does not go into the case what so ever and is not an expander die as usually thought of in reloading.
This die allows you to put a slight bell on the case mouth, just enough the start the bullet, and allows you the same seating as if they were boattails.
They call it a " Universal case expanding die" Part # 90798 price $12.95. Works on 22 hornet to the ultra mags.
Handiest die I ever bought. Works real good with lead bullets, no shaving. A buddy uses one to seat Moly coated bullets.
Try it you'll like it![8D]
+1
Do tell us the story about how you know well enough to keep your fat little finger out from under the ram when your seating those flat base bullets.....[8D]
TopKick- do exactly as mrpost mentioned and you can save a few dollars on something that is not needed.
To many years of seating 40 grain FB bullets into a 221FB case with a Big Max I guess.....
As I stated in my previous posts, just hold the bullet until the bullet guide catches it.
I ran all the cases thru the expander once again and gently reamed the case mouth open a bit more and -viola! it worked.
I still have all my fingers.[8D]
I WILL be getting the expander as suggested- thanks for the heads up.
I got 125 cases loaded AND got to try a few at the range yesterday.
Thanks for the help all![:D]
I have reloaded 12 and 20 guage shotshells for 30 years but am really new at metallic reloading. I only have dies for .223 and .243 so far and will be purchasing .270 and 30-30 soon.
The price of loaded ammo has pushed me over the edge- and I love it.
Dont' forget to have your morning coffee(notice spelling) before you:
A. post[:D]
B. reload, so you don't remove any fingers.[:D]
C. even look at your .224's and .243's[:D]
Mr. Bruce I'll thank you not to make fun of those of us who had to take one or two of our MR. li'l Piggies to the bathroom and get a band-aid for that very reason.[}:)][:D]
In all seriousness just run the press up slowly with the bullet at the mouth of the case and it will center and go in. Chamfering with each reload never hurts also.
I dissasembled the die and did some minor polishing on the case mouth resizer. I cleaned the die well and lubed it lightly.
It was catching in the press rather hard and I even had a stuck case.
It's working well now and much easier to operate- thus resizing the case mouth much more smoothly and now the bullet is easier to start.
My groups shrunk to 2.5" at 100 yards with the 760 GameMaster I like and now I can go about adjusting the charge and get it right.
The factory Federals gave me 1.5" groups, but I want to load my own. I don't like to spend $27 a box!
Thanks for all the replies!
My groups shrunk to 2.5" at 100 yards with the 760 GameMaster I like and now I can go about adjusting the charge and get it right.
The factory Federals gave me 1.5" groups, but I want to load my own. I don't like to spend $27 a box!
Keep in mind that the factory load ammo is crimped.
this does to things.
1. It insures that the case mouth is griping the the bullet equaly and consistantly from case to case. Thus #2 insures consistant start pressure and velocity from round to round.
So if you hit a wall and can't get thsoe groups below the 1.5" that you get with the factory loads. Pick up a lee factory crimp die $10 and see if that doesn't make them shink by about 50%
I load 22-250, 243, 300win and got to within an 1"-1.5". After crimping (if I do my jump behind the gun) I can get sub 1/2" groups @ 100yds with the 243 and 22-250 and sub 1" w/ the 300win.
quote:Originally posted by Topkick
My groups shrunk to 2.5" at 100 yards with the 760 GameMaster I like and now I can go about adjusting the charge and get it right.
The factory Federals gave me 1.5" groups, but I want to load my own. I don't like to spend $27 a box!
Keep in mind that the factory load ammo is crimped.
this does to things.
1. It insures that the case mouth is griping the the bullet equaly and consistantly from case to case. Thus #2 insures consistant start pressure and velocity from round to round.
So if you hit a wall and can't get thsoe groups below the 1.5" that you get with the factory loads. Pick up a lee factory crimp die $10 and see if that doesn't make them shink by about 50%
I load 22-250, 243, 300win and got to within an 1"-1.5". After crimping (if I do my jump behind the gun) I can get sub 1/2" groups @ 100yds with the 243 and 22-250 and sub 1" w/ the 300win.
Factory crimp dies are great! once you get them set up, you don't have to worry about crimp variance from round to round because the trim length isn't perfect. I use Lee Factory Crimp Dies for all the loads I shoot in my semi-auto and auto 223s and 308s!
I'll get one for the .243 soon.
Still building my setup.[8D]