Seating lead rifle bullets

[green]

Insert needle nose pliers in case mouth spin once or twice, flares case.

 

[bertn]

Insert needle nose pliers in case mouth spin once or twice, flares case.

That will give you great consistency

 

[Bubba Yugga]

I used to use a 50BMG round as a general purpose expander. Just give each case a tap with it.

Oh, that's such a Bugs Bunny scene right there!

 

[MattE93]

I’ll be the first to admit a D’oh moment. Forgot a crucial step, especially for lead rounds. I forgot to chamfer the inside of the cases. Chamfering added a 45 degree or so slope instead of the straight edge of the case and the round start and seat much better now. Dumb mistake to make, thanks for all the suggestions though

 

[jethunter]

I’ll be the first to admit a D’oh moment. Forgot a crucial step, especially for lead rounds. I forgot to chamfer the inside of the cases. Chamfering added a 45 degree or so slope instead of the straight edge of the case and the round start and seat much better now. Dumb mistake to make, thanks for all the suggestions though

Chamfer it, then spin 0000 steel wool around the mouth to smooth out the burrs left by the chamfer tool.

 

[Janeau]

Chamfer it, then spin 0000 steel wool around the mouth to smooth out the burrs left by the chamfer tool.

Chamfer tools don’t leave burrs if used properly. Nice - smooth - shiny cut. I use Lyman and Wilson cutter VLD and standard and NEVER had to put steel wool on a brass case.

 

[jethunter]

Chamfer tools don’t leave burrs if used properly. Nice - smooth - shiny cut. I use Lyman and Wilson cutter VLD and standard and NEVER had to put steel wool on a brass case.

Chamfer tools leave tool marks and hand held chamfer tool are not 100% consistent. Look at it with a magnifying glass.
A 3 second swish with the steel wool will guarantee no shavings on the cast bullet. It's not a big investment in time or $ but I can only say for myself.

 

[slug]

NOE makes replacable plugs for the Lee expander die.
They have a wide range of two step diameter plugs and several for each calibre.

 

[Tex Critter]

2nd for the Lee expander die. Fully adjustable for all my cast bullet loads.

 

[CzyHorse]

I use the Lee expander for the lead bullets. It's also good for fixing case mouth dings from shipping damage. Very important to use as the first step when sizing 32-20 brass down to 25-20 brass, just touch the case mouth to ensure the case mouth is round.

 

[cooey43]

I always use the Lyman "M" ( expander ) die for lead rifle bullets. Works great.

 

[MRP]

First thing I thought of was making sure you have a good chamfer on the inside. I load 44 without an expander die. But a thousand difference in .269 is a lot compared with .43

 

[MattE93]

I ended up ordering a Lee universal expander to help with seating