Laurie Posted January 22, 2015 Report Share Posted January 22, 2015 I recently read a post on one of the forums I visit - can't remember which, but I don't think it was UKV - about somebody struggling to get consistent COALs on a 7mm cartridge. Having invested heavily in the genre over the last couple of years, I make a point (no pun intended) of always removing the seater die stem and trying the bullets I'm going to use in it - to check they enter fully and the bullet tip isn't bottoming inside the cavity before the stem mouth and sides contact the bullet nose section. I can't comment on Redding dies as I don't have any from this make for my 7mm numbers, but so far a newly bought Lee 'dead-length' seater (in a 7mm-08 set); 7 or 8 year old Hornady (universal 7mm die - the company uses calibre not cartridge specific models); and Wilson (hand dies) do not have a generous enough cavity for any longer 7mm bullet model I might want to use, and that includes the popular 162gn Hornady A-Max, and the 168gn Berger VLD. The only off the shelf die set I've got that is OK for all pointier and VLD type bullets is from Forster, a recent model 284 Win seater. If the bullet tip bottoms out before the stem fully contacts the bullet neck walls, you will produce poor quality ammo - non-concentric, inconsistent COALs, bent plastic tips on tipped designs and likewise damaged lead tips on BTSP models etc. So ... well worth checking this out if you're a 7mm user. So far as Wilson goes, the company makes 'VLD stems' as optional accessories for all calibres - not cheap and never supplied as standard with seater dies so far as I can see. No doubt, Spud can supply. Bearing in mind the number of useless 7mm dies / stems I'm accumulating, I wonder if anybody can 'deepen' them with a bit of clever machining? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveT Posted January 22, 2015 Report Share Posted January 22, 2015 Bet Davy of Shooting Shed fame could. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dasherman Posted January 22, 2015 Report Share Posted January 22, 2015 Did one for Elwood yesterday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurie Posted January 22, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 22, 2015 Did one for Elwood yesterday. That's good to know Neil. I'll shortly have two if not three Wilson stems that are otherwise unusable for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elwood Posted January 22, 2015 Report Share Posted January 22, 2015 Mine was a Newlon die, which doesn't have a replacement VLD seating stem. These become more problematic with pointed projectiles as the length will increase in the pointing process. I'm sure what Neil has done is going to work but it hasn't been tested yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1967spud Posted January 22, 2015 Report Share Posted January 22, 2015 got them in stock as Laurie says not that exspensive really Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trucraft Posted January 22, 2015 Report Share Posted January 22, 2015 I bought the VLD stem for my Redding 7 SAUM dies after reading an article on Accurate Shooter. I found that both 168grn vlds and Amax work fine with the standard stem though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redshift Posted January 22, 2015 Report Share Posted January 22, 2015 I had exactly the same problem years ago with a redding 223 rem die set, I took the stem out went down the workshop, found a drill a few thou smaller than the stem, put the stem in one of my lathes and drilled deeper into the stem until a vld bullet stopped bottoming out. As Laurie states forster seating dies can contain a vld without mods, I'm not sure about the other makes as all the dies I have bought since then have been red box ( forster) . In this day and age you would think all companies would produce dies to seat all bullets, but evidently not. Redshift Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Gun Pimp Posted January 22, 2015 Report Share Posted January 22, 2015 Laurie - bring 'em Sunday if you like and I'll do what Redshift did to cure the problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hobbit Posted January 14, 2016 Report Share Posted January 14, 2016 Hi - newish to the forum but have got a lot out of it so thanks I am having a similar problem with .223 I have just started reloading (38/357 for a marlin and .308 for a TRG22) which has been rewarding even if the effort going in is not yet justified by my skill as shooter. I am pretty basic at this stage using a lee classic turret press and lee dies which has been fine so far and I stick to the reloading manuals fairly conservatively. I am now reloading 223 for a AR (patriot ordinance factory Revolt Light ) and have found a similar thing to this 7mm issue. I have started out by trying a few different bullets for the 1/8 twist, 18.5 inch barrel. The Lapua scenar 69gr (GB501) and Privi 75gr seat very well and without deformation but the Lapua 77gr OTM's are being deformed (a small ring a bout 2mm from tip) As Laurie points out (thanks for all the informative and thoughtful tips btw - I have just got Mic Mcphersons hand loading book off amazon on your steer) this can't be good for accuracy and makes a mockery of forking out for Lapua match brass and bullets. I am not very experienced at this but having spoken to Spud (again thank you) on the phone I think the lee seating die is just not shaped right for the long but gently sloping 77gr Lapua (see photo - 77gr LHS, then 75gr privi then 69gr) The long run option is probably to stick to the lighter bullets and avoid the issue given this is only an 18 inch barrel AR albeit a reasonable one, that 1in8 is the min twist for the 77's and I am not yet trying to push distance with it. However - I still have 90 77gr rounds left and part of the fun of this is problem solving and building a body of your own empirical knowledge to use as your shooting develops - is it possible to get a custom insert to the lee seating die in the uk? - it can't be beyond a good machinist - or is there a non lee die that will fit the lee 4 hole turret? any ideas welcome Thanks James Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leeman Posted January 14, 2016 Report Share Posted January 14, 2016 Laurie, You can also make your own 'custom' seater stems by using a small amount of bedding epoxy and release agent on the ogive of the bullet, using it as a former in the seating stem as the epoxy cures, then drill out the centre section as previously mentioned, easy enough to do in a drill press. I've done a few of the older Foster seaters where VLD's just didn't sit right in the stem. Richard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alpha1 Posted January 15, 2016 Report Share Posted January 15, 2016 Machining L.E.Wilson seating stems deeper should be fairly simple I would of thought. I have just modified some for seating cast bullets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hobbit Posted January 15, 2016 Report Share Posted January 15, 2016 Thanks - interesting ideas here Apols but I missed the point on forster seating dies - given my lack of a lathe and epoxy experience that might be my first port of call would they fit the turret on a lee press or would this require another press (probably a daft q but I am new to this and have only used lee gear so far) will give spud a call Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Posted January 16, 2016 Report Share Posted January 16, 2016 Back before the VLD bullets I used to make beer money opening up the seater's on Metallic Silhouette shooter's reloading dies on my lathe. If I made one from scratch I would put the bullet in a 4 Jaw chuck, dial it in, and then put the seater plug drill chuck and run it up to the waxed bullet with a dab of accra-glass in between. When it set it was very precise. I did the same for Lyman 450 bullet lubricator nose punches for the cast bullet BR crowd.~Andrew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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