Bullet OAL problem?
Quote from Reloader on August 27, 2011, 10:14 pmHi Guys,
I am new to reloading, so please be patient if this question is silly. I have setup my RL-550B system, I have adjusted everything per the instructions and the video I had bought. My problem is I setup station 3 that press's the bullet into the case. I slowly adjust the die until I get the seatinf that I need. ( EX-1.060). I will run two bullets thru and it looks good. I then start to run a batch thru and when I am done, I measure the OAL of the bullets that I just made and they are any where from 1.060 to 1.070. I ahve done the following;
1- made sure I do a full stroke with the arm.
2- made sure the locking ring is tightafter finishing adjustment.
3- tried to make sure my flare from station 2 is ok and not too much or too little. Hard to know as I never seen it done before. But read all I could before setting the flare.
It does not make a difference wether I amd using FMJ or JHP, I am using the following;
New winchester cases 9mm
Remington and Hornady bullets
Any help you can give me would be greatly appreciated. I can not understand that if I can make the first 2 at 1.060, why wonn't the rest be the same also. Thanks
Chuck
Hi Guys,
I am new to reloading, so please be patient if this question is silly. I have setup my RL-550B system, I have adjusted everything per the instructions and the video I had bought. My problem is I setup station 3 that press's the bullet into the case. I slowly adjust the die until I get the seatinf that I need. ( EX-1.060). I will run two bullets thru and it looks good. I then start to run a batch thru and when I am done, I measure the OAL of the bullets that I just made and they are any where from 1.060 to 1.070. I ahve done the following;
1- made sure I do a full stroke with the arm.
2- made sure the locking ring is tightafter finishing adjustment.
3- tried to make sure my flare from station 2 is ok and not too much or too little. Hard to know as I never seen it done before. But read all I could before setting the flare.
It does not make a difference wether I amd using FMJ or JHP, I am using the following;
New winchester cases 9mm
Remington and Hornady bullets
Any help you can give me would be greatly appreciated. I can not understand that if I can make the first 2 at 1.060, why wonn't the rest be the same also. Thanks
Chuck
Quote from Reloader on August 29, 2011, 5:16 pmIf you do a search you'll find this topic has been covered before. When adjusting the seat die, have a fired case in station one to ensure the toolhead is lifted up the same amount as it will be when you are progressively loading ammunition.
The other significant factor in OAL variation is manufacturing tolerances of the bullets themselves. The ogive dimension normally varies, sometimes as much as .025". This is where the seat stem actually contacts the bullet and pushes it into the case. The round nose seat stem does not push on the tip of the bullet, but on the side of the bullet. .010" variation is well within normal tolerances, and nothing to worry about.
If you do a search you'll find this topic has been covered before. When adjusting the seat die, have a fired case in station one to ensure the toolhead is lifted up the same amount as it will be when you are progressively loading ammunition.
The other significant factor in OAL variation is manufacturing tolerances of the bullets themselves. The ogive dimension normally varies, sometimes as much as .025". This is where the seat stem actually contacts the bullet and pushes it into the case. The round nose seat stem does not push on the tip of the bullet, but on the side of the bullet. .010" variation is well within normal tolerances, and nothing to worry about.
Quote from Reloader on August 31, 2011, 9:47 pmThanks for the reply. I carefully fired off 100 rounds that I had reloaded, over the past weekend. Glad to say there was not a single failure and am glad that you confirmed what I had come to a conclusion on, that there is a tolorance in seatting the bullet. Thanks again for the help.
Chuck
Thanks for the reply. I carefully fired off 100 rounds that I had reloaded, over the past weekend. Glad to say there was not a single failure and am glad that you confirmed what I had come to a conclusion on, that there is a tolorance in seatting the bullet. Thanks again for the help.
Chuck
Quote from Reloader on October 31, 2011, 2:43 pmWelcome to reloading and the world of Blue. 🙂 You'll never stop learning!!
Even superbly accurate bullets like Sierra MatchKings will vary in length, sometimes by suprising amounts. Just something to keep in mind when reloading for magazine feed rifles.
Welcome to reloading and the world of Blue. 🙂 You'll never stop learning!!
Even superbly accurate bullets like Sierra MatchKings will vary in length, sometimes by suprising amounts. Just something to keep in mind when reloading for magazine feed rifles.