I've been trying to use this forstner seating die I got from a vendor on here recently, to no avail. It is frustrating me to the point that I have gone back to using the Lee seater for now.... that bad....
What is happening is, I cannot maintain a fixed seating depth with it. Doesn't matter what I try. The charge I am using is 24.4 grains of H4895 in an IVI 5.56 case (resized then fire formed, body die sized and neck sized). The press is the Redding t7 turret press (I understand that some people say that a turret isn't as accurate or precise, this thing is built like a tank and seems to seat consistently with my Lee die). I am seating Berger 70 grain vld with it still, as I'd like to shoot through them before I move on to the Sierra 69gr bullets.
I am finding that the cartridge base to ogive measurement can vary from about 1.887 to 1.897 inches, measured with the Hornady attachment to my caliper. This variation is confirmed with my rcbs precision Mic, though of course it doesn't give the measurement in real numbers, the readout varies by the same amount.
I have tried everything from pulling the spring out, to screwing down the die slightly so that theshell holder barely contacts the die, I have tried polishing the seating stem with 5 and 1 micron sandpaper (this was a good idea anyways as it was leaving rings on my bullets), I just can't get this. On top of this, the seating depth seems to also vary with the amount of pressure I put down, #even though the press is over centre at the end of the stroke anyways and doesn't push farther.
The Lee die holds about 1.91 to 1.94 which is better but still not great. But to me that says it likely isn't the bullets (again haven't tried the smk yet, though the vmax seat fine enough on the Lee, within less than a thou either way generally.
I know guys swear by these dies but I'm about to throw mine out the window
What is happening is, I cannot maintain a fixed seating depth with it. Doesn't matter what I try. The charge I am using is 24.4 grains of H4895 in an IVI 5.56 case (resized then fire formed, body die sized and neck sized). The press is the Redding t7 turret press (I understand that some people say that a turret isn't as accurate or precise, this thing is built like a tank and seems to seat consistently with my Lee die). I am seating Berger 70 grain vld with it still, as I'd like to shoot through them before I move on to the Sierra 69gr bullets.
I am finding that the cartridge base to ogive measurement can vary from about 1.887 to 1.897 inches, measured with the Hornady attachment to my caliper. This variation is confirmed with my rcbs precision Mic, though of course it doesn't give the measurement in real numbers, the readout varies by the same amount.
I have tried everything from pulling the spring out, to screwing down the die slightly so that theshell holder barely contacts the die, I have tried polishing the seating stem with 5 and 1 micron sandpaper (this was a good idea anyways as it was leaving rings on my bullets), I just can't get this. On top of this, the seating depth seems to also vary with the amount of pressure I put down, #even though the press is over centre at the end of the stroke anyways and doesn't push farther.
The Lee die holds about 1.91 to 1.94 which is better but still not great. But to me that says it likely isn't the bullets (again haven't tried the smk yet, though the vmax seat fine enough on the Lee, within less than a thou either way generally.
I know guys swear by these dies but I'm about to throw mine out the window
And your cup your runneth over.
