Will getting a Redding comp. die help with concentricity and actually make my bullets case guage?

[nikdanja]

I shoot a .401 Polly bullet and for years the bullets have always been giving me problems,  Redding factory crimp die sucks so please don’t suggest this. I’ve tried it and it blows. I’m looking at a legit competition die that will seat the bullet perfectly straight more consistently. 

 

I have dillon dies now and they are doing the job but I’m tired of whistling money by having bullets be off center and therefor not case gusting properly. 

[RAP]

I had a concentricity issue with my 40 using RCBS seating die. I was having issues passing the plunk test using my barrel. I switched to the Redding competition seating die and it reduced my failure rate significantly. I don’t remember the % reduction in failures. I don’t regret buying the die. The RCBS die had an issue with concentricity itself with the seating stem off center enough to cause problems.


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[Guy Neill]

If the problem has persisted with different dies, could it be a problem with the press?

 

Guy

[MikeyScuba]

I went with a Uniquetek floating tool head in my 650.  Took the no pass rate from 8% to 1%.  Even those 1% practice rounds still shoot fine.

Edited July 18, 2018 by MikeyScuba

[rooster]

Try this.  At the flair station, flair a piece of brass to a greater size opening than your bullet seating die.  Run that brass in your seating station and let the die size the flair.  Measure that flair and set up your powder drop flair to a little over that.  Now when you reload the bullet seating die holds that case in perfect alignment to the bullet.  Example,  powder drop flair .385, bullet seatiing die walls close it up to .383 to accept bullet, crimp sizes to .379.  Do not use the same piece of brass to get your measurements, use a new piece each time because the brass get wonky if you try to use same piece over and over.

[zzt]

You can easily solve your problem the same way I did.  Replace the expander in your powder funnel with a Mr. Bulletfeeder expander.  It is a two step expander.  The shorter upper section expands the case mouth to about .401.  The bullet sits in this short section and is held straight up.  Seat the bullet, but don't crimp in the same step.  Use a Lee factory Carbide Crimp die to crimp.  This die resizes the case while it crimps.  My chamber checker failure rate went from 16-20% to under 1%.  The rounds that don't drop easily into and out of my Hondo case gauge all still chamber and fire, but I'll only use them for practice.  You could also try the Hornady seating die.  It has a collar that straightens the bullet before seating.  Since you are using .401 bullets, and occasional one will not sit straight.

[nikdanja]

23 hours ago, MikeyScuba said:

I went with a Uniquetek floating tool head in my 650.  Took the no pass rate from 8% to 1%.  Even those 1% practice rounds still shoot fine.

Where did you buy that from? I’m not similar with that product. 

[nikdanja]

23 hours ago, rooster said:

Try this.  At the flair station, flair a piece of brass to a greater size opening than your bullet seating die.  Run that brass in your seating station and let the die size the flair.  Measure that flair and set up your powder drop flair to a little over that.  Now when you reload the bullet seating die holds that case in perfect alignment to the bullet.  Example,  powder drop flair .385, bullet seatiing die walls close it up to .383 to accept bullet, crimp sizes to .379.  Do not use the same piece of brass to get your measurements, use a new piece each time because the brass get wonky if you try to use same piece over and over.

This sounds like a good idea! I’ll triy this out. 

[nikdanja]

22 hours ago, zzt said:

You can easily solve your problem the same way I did.  Replace the expander in your powder funnel with a Mr. Bulletfeeder expander.  It is a two step expander.  The shorter upper section expands the case mouth to about .401.  The bullet sits in this short section and is held straight up.  Seat the bullet, but don't crimp in the same step.  Use a Lee factory Carbide Crimp die to crimp.  This die resizes the case while it crimps.  My chamber checker failure rate went from 16-20% to under 1%.  The rounds that don't drop easily into and out of my Hondo case gauge all still chamber and fire, but I'll only use them for practice.  You could also try the Hornady seating die.  It has a collar that straightens the bullet before seating.  Since you are using .401 bullets, and occasional one will not sit straight.

Are you taking that inner sleeve out of the Lee fc die?  I got a s#!tty single stage press and using the Lee fc die and it told me to take the sleeve out to size the loaded round. I guess the sleeve is only for loading brass that doesn’t have a bullet in it?

 

i already have a mr bullet feeder and use that funnel. 

Edited July 19, 2018 by nikdanja

[rooster]

I got that tip on a you tube channel the guy goes thru setting up a Redding competition micrometer seating die.  The channel is “ knowledge to you”. The guys demonstration is excellent.

[rooster]

I really don’t know as I don’t think I have ever had that problem, and wouldn’t know how to test for it as all my ammo gauges correctly.  The Redding micrometer die is also expensive and I would feel guilty if I lead you to believe it would help and didn’t.  I bought it because I try different bullets and the micrometer function lets you change oal easy.  My rounds still vary about + or - .002 but that’s because I don’t separate for headstamp.  I don’t use a u die,  all of my dies are Redding, I even have the micrometer crimp die, which I don’t think is necessary.  Hope this helps, and watch the you tube video.  Oh I also have the mr. Bullet feeder funnel, but all my ammo still worked with out it.

Edited July 19, 2018 by rooster

[nikdanja]

8 minutes ago, rooster said:

I got that tip on a you tube channel the guy goes thru setting up a Redding competition micrometer seating die.  The channel is “ knowledge to you”. The guys demonstration is excellent.

I just watched that video and it’s freaking genius. I wonder if this will solve my problem with Dillon dies. I really don’t want to spend $100 on a die, but will do so if I have to cause it will save me money in the long run. 

[rooster]

I think you can set up any die that way.  The die walls are keeping the case straight to accept the bullet.  Just remember that when setting the flair if you under size it or oversized it and want to try again use a new piece of brass.  Once you flair and try to resize the same piece again your measurements will never be the same.

[zzt]

1 hour ago, nikdanja said:

Are you taking that inner sleeve out of the Lee fc die?  I got a s#!tty single stage press and using the Lee fc die and it told me to take the sleeve out to size the loaded round. I guess the sleeve is only for loading brass that doesn’t have a bullet in it?

 

No.  I use the FCD just like it came from the factory.

[rustybayonet]

Have you tried different bullets? If so do you get the same results?

[CZGeoege]

Any update on old boys ammo issue?