Handloading Question

[Wilsun]

I'm working on the following load:

155 Lapua Scenar
45.7 gr. of RL-15
OAL...can't recall at the moment.

2 things: 1) I noticed that the powder was being crushed a little when I seated the bullet. How serious is this?

2) My bullets are now regularly getting stuck in the die when I seat them. What could be causing this?

Thanks.

 

[john_1182]

Re: Handloading Question

iam no orical on this but

1) a bit of a compressed load is no issue as long as there are no bad pressure signs when shooting

2) i dont realy know, but i had this issue when i was first loading, for me i found i had the seating die screwed to far into the press and it was slightly crushing the brass and it was all getting stuck, and when i backed it off half a turn all worked out well for me, but i also dont crimp in any way, just aim to seat the projectile

 

[Grumulkin]

Re: Handloading Question

Number 1 has been answered.

For number 2 there could be a couple of reasons. One could be that, as john 1182 noted, your die is screwed in to far. To adjust your die properly, put a case in the shell holder with the ram up as far as it goes. Screw the die in until you feel resistance and then back it out a turn or two. If bullets are still getting stuck (i.e., bullets being pulled out of the case when you bring the ram down), then the problem is the wrong contour of the seater stem. The solution to the latter problem would be to use a different seater stem or to have a custom one made.

 

[Victor N TN]

Re: Handloading Question

Or the last point could be the bullets are sticking in the seating "cup" that pushes against the nose area of the bullet. You may need to polish the inside edges to smooth them out.

 

[Wilsun]

Re: Handloading Question

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Grumulkin</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> To adjust your die properly, put a case in the shell holder with the ram up as far as it goes. Screw the die in until you feel resistance and then back it out a turn or two. </div></div>

Thanks, Grumulkin. I did this and it works like a charm now.