Seating Cast Bullets?

[JohnDY]

I am using a die to bell the mouth of the case before I load the bullet but I’m getting a ring shaped impression on the nose of my bullet from seating it. I am getting the ring with two different cast bullets. One is a flat point and other has a rounded nose.  I have run both bullets through a .309 sizer before loading. Is there any way to avoid getting a ring around the nose of cast bullet from seating the bullet?

[Nobade]

Your dies may be sizing the neck too small, so neck tension is too high. Try using a Lyman M die with the proper expander in it, or a larger expander ball in your sizing die. Also you can make a fitted seating stem for the particular bullet you are using, but proper cast bullet neck tension is pretty light so you shouldn't be deforming the noses anyway.

[haroldclark]

Hello, JohnDY

The ring on the nose of your bullet from seating is most likely from the nose punch in your seating die.  I get that frequently and it doesn't hurt accuracy at all as long as the bullet was seated straight.

Most dies come with a nose punch that is made for spire pointed bullets with much smaller noses than your cast bullet.  The sharp edges on your nose punch will not go around the much larger cast bullet and it stops at a point of no fit and pushes with just the edges of the top punch.

I wouldn't worry about it.  

Harold Clark

[Robert]

I had the same problem with 280 Lyman's in my Whelen. Not only does it effect accuracy...but the bullets would get stuck in the seating die, and I would have to dissasemble the die to get them out.  MORE IMPORTANT though.  IT expands the nose of the sized bullet  and they get jambed in the throat of the rifle. Not good at all.
  I called Redding and inquired about another seating plug that would work better for cast and blunt bullets.  They sent me another one, but it dosen't look much different, so I modified it. I filled the cavity  with lead, then I heated the entire plug with a torch and formed the seating surface with a steel ball bearing that is appx to the front surface of the bullets I am loading.  Works a lot better.  They don't get stuck in either the die or the rifle.

[Castaway]

If your bullets are soft, a seating die that doesn't exactly fit your bullet is going to do what you mentioned.  If you don't have another seating plug in you die set it's an easy matter to make a custom seating plug.  Coat your bullet with a releasing agent (oil) and place some JB Weld in the seating die.  Run the bullet up the die in the normal fashion and wedge the press handle in the full forward position until the JB Weld sets.  Afterwards your problems should be over.

[John Traveler]

Something qucik to make a bullet seating punch fit your cast bullet noses:

Use sealing wax! It's easy to remove, and used carefully, will seat hundreds of bullets before needing replacement.

[howdy doody]

There are some good tips  here. I myself have used  JB Weld,  a 2 part epoxy kind of stuff and fill the cavity and with a piece of wax paper in between, I have been  able to duplicate the shape of my bullets onto the seating die. No more rings, distortion or anything. I had to do the same thing to the top punch of my Saeco lubersizer, due to them not making any kind of top punch that would work for my shaped bullet . I always wish I had gotten a RCBS or Lyman when that happens, they have a better selection. :grin:

[GR]

RCBS will custom cut a seating plug for your particular bullet for under $15.

[JohnDY]

I finally got around to trying some of the suggesting in the post.  I took apart my seating die and noticed the nose punch had a pretty sharp edge around the inside diameter. I was going to try and round off the edge. Then I had a brain storm, since I was going to load up some cast flat point bullets I just reversed the nose punch and reassemebled the die. It now has a completely flat nose punch. I then loaded up a few test rounds and no more ring.  The rounds cambered in the rifle and bullets miked out the same diameter before and after being seated. So I am not compressing the bullet and expanded its diameter.

It this a sound work around?

[sgtt]

sounds like your boat is floating.  good thinkin'!