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Old December 16, 2013, 12:47 PM   #26
Bart B.
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Join Date: February 15, 2009
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Precision alignment of bullets to case mouths is an interesting connumdrum.

I measured my eight 30 caliber bullet seaters for .308 Win., .30-06, .30-.338 Win Mag and .300 Win Mag to get the bullet chamber diameters where the bullets are held just before they start into the case neck:

Wilson BenchRest chamber type .308, circa 1966;. . . . .3105"
RCBS standard .308, circa 1966; . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3100"
RCBS standard .308, circa 1979; . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3115"
RCBS competition .308, circa 1980's; . . . . . . . . . . . . .3107"
RCBS standard .300 Win Mag, circa 1999, . . . . . . . . . .3104"
RCBS standard .30-.338, circa 1967,. . . . . . . . . . . . . .3102"
Bonanza BenchRest Competition .30-.338, circa 1980. . .3093"
Hornady .30-06, circa 1985,. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..3013"

The neck diameter in these dies that positions the case neck are from .3430" to almost .3450" and my sized round's neck diameters range from .3330" to .3365". SAAMI specs for most 30 caliber bullets are .3090" down to .3060". 30 caliber bullets I've mic'd are from .3065" to .3091".

So, "precision alignment" of the bullet to the case mouth with such tolerances in bullets and tools coupled with how thick the neck walls are on the cases to have bullets seated in them is not all that precision. There's a few to several thousanths inch misalignment issues that are not corrected. That, to me, is not precision alignment. A "perfect fit" to me means the critical diameters for precision alignment of the seating die's critical parts are almost exactly the same as the bullet and case neck and the neck wall thickness is uniform to within .0005"; close enough.

The following from Redding is interesting:

http://www.redding-reloading.com/tec...icity-problems

What's your seater's bullet chamber and neck diameter compared to your bullets and case necks? If precision alignment of bullet to case mouth when seating bullets in them is your objective, the seater's bullet chamber and neck diameters better not be more than .0005" larger than bullet or loaded round neck diameters. Then hope a slightly bent case neck on the case doesn't spring back to almost its original angle after the bullet's seated.

Last edited by Bart B.; December 17, 2013 at 09:31 AM.
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Old December 19, 2013, 09:20 AM   #27
F. Guffey
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Join Date: July 18, 2008
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Bart, there is a whole world of reloading you are missing. I looked through your collection of dies, I can not help but notice there are gaps, one gap is in your methods/techniques, the other is very noticeable in your dies.

A thankless job, posting pictures, anyhow, if I was allowed the luxury of an opinion I would say you are reloading with a Champagne appetite on a beer budget.

F. Guffey
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Old December 19, 2013, 10:59 AM   #28
pre64win
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Join Date: July 29, 2010
Location: Texas
Posts: 11
Here is an article about precision reloading. These shooters shot groups that most of us can only dream about.
Secrets of the Houston Warehouse

http://www.angelfire.com/ma3/max357/houston.html
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Old December 19, 2013, 11:43 AM   #29
Bart B.
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Guffey, be specific, please, in listing all of my gaps from your perspective so I'll know what you're referring to. Please don't make any assumptions; base them of facts and observations regarding my tools and techniques.

Then I'll see if they're the same as mine. Which don't seem to make any difference in accuracy attainable. I'm not aware of any difference in my accuracy than what the best ever attained with such cartridges has been.
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