hornady seating die consistancy?

dastt

dastt

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have a set of brand new hornady dies, the first 80 the seating die was bang on, all 80 rounds were exactly 2.260 being +/- 0.001. now that i'm about 300 deep on the die, I find its wandering ALOT between presses.

I will load one, set to 2.260 then the very next one will be 2.245, so i'll set it back to 2.260 then the next few will be ok then i'll get a 2.230 one.

should I expect this type of consistency from these? I just started to reload, if this is the case maybe i'll invest in a more expensive die set for the consistency.
 
The inconsistency you see is not the seating die but the bullets you are loading, Some brands/ogive type will have variation that you can't control(distance from the ogive to the tip). Each lot number of projectiles will be different, if you find a lot that is consistent and shoots well in you gun, buy as much of the same lot number as you think you will need/afford.
 
I am guessing that you are loading for 223 Remington as 2.260" Is the generic OAL. I am guessing that you are measuring to the bullet tip. Even on premium match bullets, the seating die will seat to the ogive of the bullet which it likely is to 0.001" every time. The discrepancy that you are seeing is the result of poorer bullets or lack thereof measuring from the ogive yourself. You should get yourself a Hornady bullet comparator kit and use it in conjunction with your caliper and you will likely see that you are seating the bullets to the same length every time. If you are unsure of the "ogive", there are lots of great youtube videos that explain it with pictures better than I can. Happy reloading!

Evan
 
Take a few minutes and go through the box of bullets with your calipers.
I had a box of Hornady bullets with three very distinct different lengths.
They were all the same length +/- 0.001" when measured from the bullet base to the top of a seater plug placed on top.
All of the difference was in the tip, and they all shot the same as far as I could tell.
 
That all makes sense, I'm new to reloading, these are the first 300 rounds I've ever pressed in my life.

Come to think f it, the first 80 were 53gr smk's and the real inconstant ones are these 60gr sv's I'm working on. The 60s shoot damn good though.
 
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