Seating Hornady FTX

Papaclaude

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Ottawa
I`ve been having a bit of a problem seating the 325 gr. FTX bullets. I`m using the Hornady dies and Hornady brass, but my seating stem is putting a ring in the bullet. Hornady tells me they have a special stem for the FTX (Item397120, FTX® Seating Stem 45 Cal .458 325 gr), but I can`t find one anywhere here in Canada. I can get one from Optics Planet, but the shipping is like $25 for a $5 part. My name is Tucker, not Sucker. Can anyone help me find one?
 
You could always remove the seating stem and reshape the stem so it doesn't mark your bullets. Shouldn't take much sanding to fix the issue.
 
You could always remove the seating stem and reshape the stem so it doesn't mark your bullets. Shouldn't take much sanding to fix the issue.

That's a heck of an idea. If I can't find the proper stem in a few days, I think I'll give it a try. As you say, sanding (or maybe even filling the cavity with expoxy to fit the bullet's contour) should work.
 
This happens to me with several different bullets in different calibers, I just don't worry about it, I'm not shooting Benchrest and I have found it makes no difference to the accuracy of those calibers that it happens to. I did a lot of testing about different types of bullet damage prior to shooting them, many years ago, and you'd be surprised how badly deformed a bullet can be and still shoot MOA out of a rifle that will do it in the first place. My testing showed that nose damage has almost no effect within 200 mtrs and possibly much farther, to the hunting accuracy of a projectile.
 
I haven't used the 325gr .458" FTX but the same happens with the 225gr .430" FTX in .44 magnum for me. I just ignore the ring and they shoot just fine.
 
That's a heck of an idea. If I can't find the proper stem in a few days, I think I'll give it a try. As you say, sanding (or maybe even filling the cavity with expoxy to fit the bullet's contour) should work.

If you're going to epoxy it, just use a piece of saran wrap with a light film of vegetable oil and use a bullet to press into it.
 
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