Forster Micrometer Seating Die Leaving Ring Around Bullet

[FNG1001]

Has anyone experienced their seating die, or particularly the Forster Micrometer Seating Die, leaving a ring around their bullets? I've been loading Hornady 147gr 6.5CM and noticed a faint line where the stem makes contact.

I havent shot them yet to test, but for those have had this or a similar situation, what has your experience been?

 

[nn8734]

ive seen it on mine, i think its just grime. Hasn’t impacted anything. i just clean my dies periodically to try and stay on top of any build up.

 

[straightshooter1]

Has anyone experienced their seating die, or particularly the Forster Micrometer Seating Die, leaving a ring around their bullets? I've been loading Hornady 147gr 6.5CM and noticed a faint line where the stem makes contact.

I havent shot them yet to test, but for those have had this or a similar situation, what has your experience been?

It's not unusual for the seating stem in a seating die to leave such a mark when the shape of a bullet's ogive doesn't match that of that within the seating stem. If you take one of those bullets with a dab of rubbing compound on it and spin it, like with an electric drill, in the seating stem to make a better fit, then it won't leave such a mark. I've done this and it works quite well.

 

[KnowNothing256]

I’ve seen it, and at least for me it’s not grime, it’s marring the jacket.

Ahh, looks like @straightshooter1 beat me to it. This is the way, or you can pay Forster to do it for you. You send them bullets, the stem, and money. I’ve not really gotten a stem to not leave a mark, I usually stop when I can’t feel the mark with a fingernail.

 

[StaveyIL]

I’ve had the same issue. Forester will make you a custom stem but they want your die a few bullets and a few fired cases. I told them I didn’t want to be without my seating die. They recommended coating a bullet with lapping compound chucking it in a drill and lapping the stem myself . Which I did and it definitely helped.

 

[918v]

Or he can simply reduce seating pressure which is causing the seater stem to markup the bullet.

 

[StaveyIL]

That’s not always the case.

 

[JAS-SH]

Has anyone experienced their seating die, or particularly the Forster Micrometer Seating Die, leaving a ring around their bullets? I've been loading Hornady 147gr 6.5CM and noticed a faint line where the stem makes contact.

I havent shot them yet to test, but for those have had this or a similar situation, what has your experience been?

Could it be an alignment issue? Are you using their coax press?

 

[FNG1001]

Could it be an alignment issue? Are you using their coax press?

Yes. Forster coax press and also using the Forster FL sizing die.

 

[FNG1001]

I’ve seen it, and at least for me it’s not grime, it’s marring the jacket.

Ahh, looks like @straightshooter1 beat me to it. This is the way, or you can pay Forster to do it for you. You send them bullets, the stem, and money. I’ve not really gotten a stem to not leave a mark, I usually stop when I can’t feel the mark with a fingernail.

I just seated another one now, and passing my fingers and fingernail over the ring it left. I can't feel a press mark on it. It's a strange thing, but i guess i wont really know until i try them out.

 

[918v]

That’s not always the case.

It is most of the time

 

[StaveyIL]

It is most of the time

True.

 

[FNG1001]

Or he can simply reduce seating pressure which is causing the seater stem to markup the bullet.

Anything is possible. Do you have advice on how to determine if it's the case?

 

[StaveyIL]

I would take it apart make sure everything is gtg . Clean it and while it’s apart you could lap the stem if you feel like it.

 

[FNG1001]

I would take it apart make sure everything is gtg . Clean it and while it’s apart you could lap the stem if you feel like it.

I took it apart and gave it a good bath in acetone to remove the packaging grease (new die). Assembled it back up, zero'd the scale, and put a light coat of oil on the exterior.


Here's what im seeing on a freshly pressed Hornady 147gr 6.5 CM.

 

[KnowNothing256]

Lol bro, that's way, WAY less than I thought we were talking about. No striations, and I guarantee no edge/lip/deformation you can feel; that's a fine round. Send it and rest easy

 

[37L1]

It's not going to have an effect on your target one little bit.

 

[StaveyIL]

That looks gtg.

 

[918v]

Anything is possible. Do you have advice on how to determine if it's the case?

View attachment 8037678

Size the neck correctly. Don’t use a traditional FL die because those size the neck diameter down too much. Use something that takes the neck down .003-.004” below what it needs to be.

Lube the neck with imperial graphite. Mandrel the neck with a mandrel .001” under bullet diameter. Lube the neck with graphite again. That should do it.

 

[MarkyMark007]

hornady bullets are kind a soft. but when you will be grinding a seater, spin the seater, not sand paper.

 

[iceng]

The "lapping paste and drill" routine works great. Have to sacrifice 2 or 3 pills, but works good.

Also neck tension. Some people try to use a waaay to tight bushing and don't mandrel expand.

As others said, your round looks perfect. Full send it.

 

[FNG1001]

thanks guys! never seated these before, and being a new die was concerned with that mark. will be sending these down range in the next couple days.

 

[jay dee]

My Forster 223 die definitely leaves a ring on 69 SMK and 77 OTM bullets. Forster recommended using a mandrel on the case mouth and graphite on the bullet base to reduce the seating pressure. Good to hear the lapping trick with a bullet.

 

[TrevK]

I experienced the same thing on my 143eldx’s. I did the sandpaper on a bullet trick to the stem and it worked great!

 

[MarkyMark007]

if you have hornady, redding, whidden, wilson... seating die you can buy VLD seater stem. but not for forster...

 

[FNG1001]

My Forster 223 die definitely leaves a ring on 69 SMK and 77 OTM bullets. Forster recommended using a mandrel on the case mouth and graphite on the bullet base to reduce the seating pressure. Good to hear the lapping trick with a bullet.

I experienced the same thing on my 143eldx’s. I did the sandpaper on a bullet trick to the stem and it worked great!

Did you notice any change in ballistics ?

 

[TrevK]

Did you notice any change in ballistics ?

Those were just pressure testing loads and I just kinda ran out quickly to shoot them. So I have no idea honestly.

 

[jay dee]

I did not notice any changes to velocity or group size with this load after mandrel and graphite.