IT. IS. ALIVE!(In my best Dr. Frankenstein voice)

[hodgepodge]

Is that a problem? Should I not shoot it? I followed the instructions for the press and that's how it came out. I guess I should back the die out?

You're good to go on these. For the next batch, back it off 1/8 turn at a time and see how it looks.

Good job!

 

[tony b]

Ra66it where is the dena?

 

[hodgepodge]

Ra66it where is the dena?

From Glen Burnie, it's out Mountain Road.

(Pasadena)

 

[tony b]

Thank you not originally from Md

 

[Ra66it]

From Glen Burnie, it's out Mountain Road.

(Pasadena)

What he said...
Northeast AA County

 

[Ra66it]

You're good to go on these. For the next batch, back it off 1/8 turn at a time and see how it looks.

Good job!

Thanks, I've only done two so far. The first one seated way to far so I have to pull it. (Again following the instructions)
I'll back the crimping die out a bit for the next trial.

 

[Pinecone]

Actually I prefer to start with the die backed out, then turn it it bit by bit.

To set seating/crimping.

If a single Seat/Crimp die:

Unscrew the seating stem a good bit.
Start the die into the press.
Using a sized and trimmed (if you trim) case, run the ram up to the top of the stroke.
Screw the die in until you fell it touch the case, then unscrew it 1/2 - 1 turn.
Tighten the lock nut.
Using a factory or dummy round, run the ram up.
Screw the seating stem in until you feel it touch the round.
Back off 1/4 turn.
Seat a bullet, it will not be seated enough.
Turn the seating stem in bit by bit, reseating the bullet until you have the depth where you want it.
Now, unscrew the seating stem again and screw the die down on the round until you feel it touch.
Then screw it in a bit more, and run the case up. Check the crimp.
Repeat until the crimp is correct.
Tighten the lock ring.
With the ram up and the round in place, screw the seating stem in until you feel it touch.
Seat another one to double check.

Once you have a perfect round, using the bullet you are using, you can skip some of the bit by bit steps to get things adjusted faster.

 

[Ra66it]

Actually I prefer to start with the die backed out, then turn it it bit by bit.

To set seating/crimping.

If a single Seat/Crimp die:

Unscrew the seating stem a good bit.
Start the die into the press.
Using a sized and trimmed (if you trim) case, run the ram up to the top of the stroke.
Screw the die in until you fell it touch the case, then unscrew it 1/2 - 1 turn.
Tighten the lock nut.
Using a factory or dummy round, run the ram up.
Screw the seating stem in until you feel it touch the round.
Back off 1/4 turn.
Seat a bullet, it will not be seated enough.
Turn the seating stem in bit by bit, reseating the bullet until you have the depth where you want it.
Now, unscrew the seating stem again and screw the die down on the round until you feel it touch.
Then screw it in a bit more, and run the case up. Check the crimp.
Repeat until the crimp is correct.
Tighten the lock ring.
With the ram up and the round in place, screw the seating stem in until you feel it touch.
Seat another one to double check.

Once you have a perfect round, using the bullet you are using, you can skip some of the bit by bit steps to get things adjusted faster.

Thanks for this info. I will definitely have to play with it more to get it perfect before I start running batches through.
Hopefully the wife will have something to do tonight so I can go into the mancave for a while and get a dose of my new addiction!

 

[IndispensableDestiny]

No. Not yet. I'll be too tempted to crank off a round in the basement, which will really piss the wife off haha.

Make a round without a primer and no powder. Run that through your rifle's action. Keep it as a reference for bullet seating depth.

Yeah, the crimp appears to be a bit aggressive. Back off the seating die a bit and try again. There should be no detectable bulge where the crimp is. Compare to a factory round to get the idea.

 

[Ra66it]

Well Pinecone I messed with the dies and got them all dialed in tonight. Thanks for the advice

 

[TexasBob]

Nice but did you remember to add the powder? lol Not fair you having all the fun.
.
.
.

 

[trickg]

Very cool! Great job dude!

 

[Pinecone]

Well Pinecone I messed with the dies and got them all dialed in tonight. Thanks for the advice

Glad it helped

 

[mxrider]

as others have said, work them up without primer and powders to get all of your dies set first. Makes dissassembly a breeze

 

[byf43]

Actually I prefer to start with the die backed out, then turn it it bit by bit.

To set seating/crimping.

If a single Seat/Crimp die:

Unscrew the seating stem a good bit.
Start the die into the press.
Using a sized and trimmed (if you trim) case, run the ram up to the top of the stroke.
Screw the die in until you fell it touch the case, then unscrew it 1/2 - 1 turn.
Tighten the lock nut.
Using a factory or dummy round, run the ram up.
Screw the seating stem in until you feel it touch the round.
Back off 1/4 turn.
Seat a bullet, it will not be seated enough.
Turn the seating stem in bit by bit, reseating the bullet until you have the depth where you want it.
Now, unscrew the seating stem again and screw the die down on the round until you feel it touch.
Then screw it in a bit more, and run the case up. Check the crimp.
Repeat until the crimp is correct.
Tighten the lock ring.
With the ram up and the round in place, screw the seating stem in until you feel it touch.
Seat another one to double check.

Once you have a perfect round, using the bullet you are using, you can skip some of the bit by bit steps to get things adjusted faster.

GREAT post!!

 

[Winterborn]

GREAT post!!

This works if you are dead set on using the seating die to crimp. Personally I seat only with that die and use a Lee factory crimp die to crimp the round. Yes its an extra step but much easier and less reliant on fiddling with the seating die.

 

[Caeb75]

I kinda skimmed te other osts, but over cimping simply works the brass too much. It CAN lead to over pressure issues if you are loading close to max, but this is fairly rare. Whether you seat and crimp in one step, or seat and crimp separately is up to you. I only crimp as much as necessary. I will load several each of dummy rounds. I crimp just enough to eliminate setback. No more. Keep in mind that the more that mouth has to move to releas the bullet, the more the brass work hardens, and if you are not annealing, you will get fewer loadings from a particular piece of brass.

It does look good for your first round.

 

[Slowhand]

Ra66it, how did you get it to stick to the wall like that?

I wondered as well. Notice that funky sideways electrical outlet as well. Not sure that's up to code.

 

[Pinecone]

See.

If you use separate seat and crimp dies, follow my instructors to up setting the seating stem. Then STOP. Do not screw the die body down to crimp.

If you use a standard crimp die, set it according to my instructions to set the crimp.

If you use a Lee Factory Crimp die, follow the instructions that came with the die.

Separate seat and crimp dies:

Unscrew the seating stem a good bit.
Start the die into the press.
Using a sized and trimmed (if you trim) case, run the ram up to the top of the stroke.
Screw the die in until you fell it touch the case, then unscrew it 1/2 - 1 turn.
Tighten the lock nut.
Using a factory or dummy round, run the ram up.
Screw the seating stem in until you feel it touch the round.
Back off 1/4 turn.
Seat a bullet, it will not be seated enough.
Turn the seating stem in bit by bit, reseating the bullet until you have the depth where you want it.

You are done setting the seating die.

Crimp Die

Unscrew the seating stem (if there is one) and screw the die down on the round until you feel it touch.
Then screw it in a bit more, and run the case up (with a bullet seated). Check the crimp.
Repeat until the crimp is correct.
Tighten the lock ring.


Seat and crimp another one to double check.

Done

 

[Ra66it]

Thanks for the advice of the posters in this thread.
To date I have only loaded 20 rounds until I could check the them.
I didn't have a lot of time to shoot today so I took 4 random rounds from the 20 I loaded and all of them chambered and fired perfectly.
Thanks again to all. Now I can get rolling with the rest!