Seater stem vs lead tips

[Leatherstocking]

Always loaded bullets with hard tips, TTSX and TSX. Now trying Hornady Interlock.
Seating stem is mushing the lead tips, resulting in variations in seating depth.
Lee die.
Any suggestions?

 

[hunter5425]

The bullet seater shouldn't be touching the tip, it should contact the ogive could some gunk be trapped in the bullet seater. If the seater is not plugged you can take it out and drill a small relief hole for the tip to prevent deformation.

 

[legi0n]

Always loaded bullets with hard tips, TTSX and TSX. Now trying Hornady Interlock.
Seating stem is mushing the lead tips, resulting in variations in seating depth.
Lee die.
Any suggestions?

I second the relief hole... although the seating stem should already have said hole
my experience is quite the opposite, on highly compressed loads the seating stem extrudes the exposed lead

 

[yomomma]

Saving grace of owning a hobby lathe. I custom make mine now

 

[Leatherstocking]

Thanks problem solved, I think.
Drilled it out, working my way up to 13/64 on a 7mm die. Careful not to touch the outer part. Hope that will do it.
Notice the Lee Loader has the same problem.

There was some relief, but not eneough.

 

[brewmech]

Drilled mine out a little and put a dab of hot melt glue in the plug and stuck the bullet in. Left a perfect impression. Rub a little lube on the bullet first. Works like a charm.

 

[Leatherstocking]

Thanks Brewmech. I’m experimenting with a few different bullets, so not sure how this would work for me.