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Whidden Micrometer Seater


PhilM

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Picked one of these up as part of a die set (it was the click adjust FL sizer I was really after).

Anyway, I’ve watched the video on setting it up and am still mega confused and not having any results!

It doesn’t seat any bullets and is so far from seating bullets the case comes out empty and the bullet is usually lodged in the seating stem until I give it a tap to make it fall out.

The mic bit was set on zero. The stem wound out the top about an inch, the body was screwed into the due until it touches the shell holder (tried contact with both the solid body, and the moving sprung sleeve).

I then wind in a further two turns. 

Put the round in the shell holder, raised the ram, wound down the seating stem in the top until it touches a dummy round (set at target length length), and then tried a real case/bullet to seat and nothing! 

Infact the only way I could get it to do anything was then winding the mic portion almost all the way down....

Clearly I’m doing something wrong! I didn’t struggle with my Lee seating die like this!

Anyone have any pointers? 
Thanks!

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Thanks John.

The brass is brand new and neck tension wasn’t an issue - I went on the seat the bullets with another seating die to continue my session.

Ill take another look at it tomorrow, I’ll strip the die down, it may be something daft like the seating stem isn’t in it (I recall having to specify which I wanted, but don’t remember fitting one). 
 

It was literally like the die was too tall, and for my rounds to be loaded it needed to come down loads to actually push the bullet into the case! It wasn’t even getting close!

(Session saved by reverting back to my non fancy Lee seating die!).

 

Ps, I actually ordered the non-bushing FL sizer die for when I do come to size them next time around. 

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Hi

I use these, from what you have indicated it seems to me that the die has not been set up correctly. Mine is set up for 7mm vld's and the stem is approx 1/8 th inch proud of the locking nut ? I hope this is usefull for you and good luck.

Ps these dies are the best I have ever used

Tony

 

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Either the die isnt set in the press correctly and the sleeve part is bottoming out on the body, or youre maybe missing the bullet seating part and actually winding down the adjustment stem on to the bullet instead.

If you take the die apart it will be obvious to you what the problem is I think.

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I can’t work it out.

I stripped the die to see what’s going on, and lined it all up.

 

I inserted a case inside the seating sleeve, all the way (it has a shoulder milled in, so this case is inserted all the way until it stops). Looks ok.

Then I lined up the seating stem, positioning it at its lowest possible (where the bottom surface of the top is in contact with the upper surface of the seating sleeve). 
 

I sat a 139 Scenar in there for illustration and also added a second case by the side to demonstrate the maximum possible seating.

As you can see, it’s not a lot, not really acceptable for the maximum possible.

My big issue is to achieve this maximum seating, the case has to be all the way in, the seating stem has to be solidly down all the way, and to achieve this it needs the rod wound all the way in and the micrometer all the way down too.

Maybe I’m missing something here, but when I follow the instructions for normal setup, the die doesn’t even push a bullet into the neck at all.

Ive sent Whidden this précis and photo, to see if they have any words of advice, but I can’t see what I’m doing wrong!

0FD619C7-950F-4552-9927-00EC8875E178.jpeg

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