.40 seating die for hollowpoints?

[Religious Shooter]

My search fu is weak.

I need a .40 S&W seating die that's available from Midway that I can use to seat hollowpoints properly.

The Lee seating die that I have deforms and closes up the hollowpoint.

Which seating dies do not close up the hollowpoint?

Thanks.

[HairlessOtter]

The Hornady die has a seperate insert for hollow points. It's worked well for me. Go ahead and order the micrometer adjustment for it. Love it.

[MILDOTS]

I use dillon dies in a 650 no problem seating MG 180 gr. Hollow point.

[kevin c]

Are you loading soft tipped bullets, like a half jacket with exposed lead at the HP?

Just guessing, but it may be that the seating stem on the die you have is contacting the bullet right on the tip (is it still called a meplat if it's a hollowpoint?), and if the tip is a soft metal, deforming it.

Maybe a seating stem that contacts the ogive of the bullet down from the tip, on the ogive, might help. The seating pressure would be on the larger surface, perhaps on the jecket, and less likely to deform.

I actually set up my SDB dies this way, since I noticed that the moly flat points I often use have slight irregularities at the meplat, making OAL of both the bullet, and therefore the internal case volume of the loaded round, variable. I figure the ogive/shoulder of the bullet might be more uniform.

YMMV

[Joe4d]

does the lee seater flip over ? I think it does each side is a different shape for different bullets.

[Religious Shooter]

Bullets are Hornady XTP's.

The seater for the Lee .40 die that I have is concave. The Lee die I have is one sided --- only one side is designed to touch the bullet.

The edges of the hollow point are relatively weak and soft and is collapsing to conform to the dies convex shape.

[noylj]

1) If you are not expanding the case (not belling, but actually expanding the case to 0.001-0.002" less than bullet diameter), then you are stressing the bullet and case. I have no problems seating with any of my Lee seating dies, even sharp nosed SWCs using the RN seating stem. Be sure to use the Lee PTE die to expand the case (or use a hornady or Lee or a Hornady or Dillon powder-through expander). Also, check the diameter of the expander, the ID of case after sizing and the ID of the case (not right at the case mouth as that section has been belled/flared) after expansion. This will tell you if you case ID is correct for bullet seating. In general, after seating a bullet, if you pull the bullet you will find that the case ID is 0.001" less than the diameter of the pulled bullet.

2) Lee will make a custom seating stem for you for something like $12 plus S&H and 2 or 3 bullets. They can also make a custom expander for you.

[Religious Shooter]

Have you tried seating real hollowpoints like the XTP?

[Gabe Athouse]

I've used the RCBS carbide die sets to seat XTPs in several different calibers and never had a problem.

[Joe4d]

You wanna try a Dillon .40 seating die ? that is the one that has the flip over seating stem, I have a nearly new one, I didnt like it, Its urs for whatever shipping is, I think there is a $4.95 flat rate box, PM me ur address and I'll mail it out monday.