Seating depth varies

jmccracken1214

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Using horandy custom dies, Hornady eld bullets, Im measuring just using my calipers, but the seating depth is never consistent! Is it the dies, the tips on the bullets? I can seat one, measure, turn down my die to seat the next one a tad deeper and it'll measure longer than the one before... Wtf gives? It's very frustrating
 
Using horandy custom dies, Hornady eld bullets, Im measuring just using my calipers, but the seating depth is never consistent! Is it the dies, the tips on the bullets? I can seat one, measure, turn down my die to seat the next one a tad deeper and it'll measure longer than the one before... Wtf gives? It's very frustrating

That is perfectly normal. As Tim said, measure on the ogive using this:

https://shop.brownells.com/reloadin...XvGuWxGnlmljmW_VX7Pyg6eErCSEhrLMaAsEgEALw_wcB


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View attachment 48904 View attachment 48905 Also, Hornady makes a special seating stem specifically for the ELD bullets.
Well that would have been nice to know about. My dies have a 2nd stem in the box, is that it or no?
That is perfectly normal. As Tim said, measure on the ogive using this:

https://shop.brownells.com/reloadin...XvGuWxGnlmljmW_VX7Pyg6eErCSEhrLMaAsEgEALw_wcB


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I just ordered the $26 kit from amazon, and had to get the .264 bushing on ebay, should have it all by thursday or friday.

I found a load that got me about .6" with 5 shots seated at 2.85, I wanted to mess with the depth a little and see if I could tighten it up. Loaded loads at that depth from 41-42.8gr of H4350 and 42.2 did the best at .5-.6.. I just loaded 20 more rounds today and pulled the bullets, dumped the powder, Ill try again when the comparator comes in. Might as well do it right if Im going to do it at all.
 
With VLD you want to run long not short.

I do it the old fasion way.

I seat a bullet long as hell, on a empty case, close the bolt and jam the bullet in the lans.

Insert a cleaning rod down the barrel and lightly add add pressure while pulling the bolt back .

Once i get the new round out i max out the seating die and then ram the round up in it. Adjust the seater down until contact, then remove the round.

Adjust the seater a bit, kiss the bullet into the case, chamber, repeat until the round comes out freely.

Now my perfect oal is set from the ogive and lans.

If mag fed, i set to the tip of the bullet to the inside mesurement of the mag, then kis it back a touch.
 
Last edited:
With VLD you want to run long not short.

I do it the old fasion way.

I seat a bullet long as hell, on a empty case, close the bolt and jam the bullet in the lans.

Insert a cleaning rod down the barrel and lightly add add pressure while pulling the bolt back .

Once i get the new round out i max out the seating die and then ram the round up in it. Adjust the seater down until contact, then remove the round.

Adjust the seater a bit, kiss the bullet into the case, chamber, repeat until the round comes out freely.

Now my perfect oal is set from the ogive and lans.

If mag fed, i set to the tip of the bullet to the inside mesurement of the mag, then kis it back a touch.

Yep!


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@JBoyette ...do you use a freshly sized case for that? Or a fire formed and unsized? And, any belling on the case mouth before trying to seat the bullet?
 
Here are some good links for all of this equipment.

This one is funny and informative:



And Johnny is good too:

 
Well that would have been nice to know about. My dies have a 2nd stem in the box, is that it or no?


I just ordered the $26 kit from amazon, and had to get the .264 bushing on ebay, should have it all by thursday or friday.

I found a load that got me about .6" with 5 shots seated at 2.85, I wanted to mess with the depth a little and see if I could tighten it up. Loaded loads at that depth from 41-42.8gr of H4350 and 42.2 did the best at .5-.6.. I just loaded 20 more rounds today and pulled the bullets,

Once you get your kit, ignore the overall length measurements as long as they fit in your magazine (if that is what you want them to do). Figure out an overall length that you want and then use your kit to measure from the ogive. I think you will be pleasantly surprised that the length measurement from the ogive to the end of the case will all measure very accurately to nearly the same length.
 

FWIW I rigged one of these up. Took a piece of brass and drilled it to accept a cleaning rod and slotted the case neck so that I could pinch it closed to create neck tension. Push a bullet in the case so that the ogive is below the case mouth and stick it on the cleaning rod and insert in chamber. Push the bullet out of the case till it contacts the lands then used the cleaning rod down the muzzle to slide it back out of the chamber.
 
I got the seating stem for the 140gr, didnt realize they made a seperate one for 147's... Good thing Im stick with 140's.

I also got my hornady comparator and headspace gauge.. I still notice differences once I got my seating die set, and seat a few rounds, I measured at the ogive with the comp and its still not exactly consistent. A lot closer together than before, but I was under the impression, they should all be VERY very close, almost exactly the same this way?
 
I got the seating stem for the 140gr, didnt realize they made a seperate one for 147's... Good thing Im stick with 140's.

I also got my hornady comparator and headspace gauge.. I still notice differences once I got my seating die set, and seat a few rounds, I measured at the ogive with the comp and its still not exactly consistent. A lot closer together than before, but I was under the impression, they should all be VERY very close, almost exactly the same this way?


New dies? Did you clean them? They could have a protective film of oil on there from the factory. If that gets squished around you could see a variance.
 
How's your bench? Solid as a rock or bouncy?
 
So instead of creating another thread... Having the same issue. Loaded 29 rounds to 2.264" to ogive and 6 came out at 2.282". I can't understand what's causing this. Hornady custom dies, Forster co-ax. Everything is consistent. The shorter ones are within .001 of each other and when I get a long one it's always either 2.281" or 2.282". I just set them to the side and bump them down at the end. Just a pain because it would mean some are jumping .020" and the long ones are on the lands.
 
I would look at case neck thickness around the neck to see how it varies. I have found Lapua varying by 0.001", which can result in a 50% variance in neck tension if not using a properly sized mandrel for the inside of the case neck during resizing). Next I would look at case trimmed length AND case length to the datum on the shoulder (to verify shoulder bump before and after seating the bullet. You can also confirm your case neck tension by measuring the case neck before and after seating, but be sure to measure at 120 degree intervals and see what the change is after seating.

Also do not discount the variability in using calipers. I find that if I am not very careful, I can easily cause a couple of "thou" of variation all by my lonesome.
 
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