.38 spl bullet seating on Square Deal?

[jerryg22]

I have a SDB on the way and I'll be reloading .38 spl exclusively. I'm wondering how the seater/crimper will be set from the factory? I intend to load HBWC primarily, but will also do loading SWC and some round nose as well. Do I need to reset the die for each type of bullet? Thanks.

[jfrey]

The crimp die should be set pretty close for all your loads. You will need to check overall cartridge length (OAL) in a good loading manual for each brand and style of bullet and adjust that die accordingly, using a caliper to measure several rounds. One thing to watch for: if the bolt in the shell plate is loose or you don't have 4 rounds in the shell plate when you crimp, your OAL may vary some. A few thousnadths either way won't really hurt but it is something you need to keep an eye on for a while. Recheck every time you change bullet configuration. You will also get 2 different bullet seating dies and you might want to use the one that best suits the particular configuration of the bullets you are loading.

Hopes this helps.

[rodell]

You will only need to adjust the crimp if your bullet configuration changes. The adjustments will probably be small. If your bullets have a cannelure, you'll need to adjust your seating depth so the crimp is in the right place. If you have no cannelure, it will probably be just a light crimp anyway and an adjustment isn't likely needed.

[jerryg22]

Thanks for your replies. As I understand it now, the press will come with different seating stems to vary the depth based on the bullet shape be it HBWC, SWC, or RN, and that I also can adjust the depth as well.

[dillon]

The SDB will include the seat stem for WC bullets. T=You will need to swap this out and adjust it. Unlikely any other die adjustments will be needed.

[pierre]

Buy a Square Deal key, it will make your life a lot easier with the adjustments.