Advice needed: RCBS full length die trouble

Lupo · April 23, 2009, 09:32 PM

Hi all,

I am having trouble with my RCBS seater die leaving rings on 308 Win SMK 168grain bullets. These rings are near the bullets tip and can be felt with a finger nail. RCBS's website FAQs indicates that the seating plug may not fit this style of bullet.

This is the first time using these dies and reloading for the 308 Win and I am wondering if the regular RCBS FL dies are not sufficent for the SMK bullets. (I am assuming that these bullets are quite commonly used for this caliber).

Has any one else had this sort of problem? Is my seating plug defective? Do I need a differnt type of die for 168 grain SMKs?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I may not be able to reply to any posts for a couple of hours.

Lupo

dahermit · April 23, 2009, 10:02 PM

The ogive on bullets from manufacturer to manufacturer will never be the same. A slight ring around the bullet will likely not hurt anything accuracy wise. You might try unscrewing the seater plug and polish with emory cloth the offending inside contact surface. Myself, I ignore such rings.

Alleykat · April 23, 2009, 10:20 PM

What does "full length" have to do with a seating die?

Lupo · April 24, 2009, 12:33 AM

dahermit:
Thank you for your reply. I assume that any scratches on a match bullet will be detrimental to accuracy. Unfortunetly these are my first reloads for this caliber so I can't compare them to anything just yet. Depending on the range performance I might use your emery cloth suggestion.

Alleykat:
Full length has nothing to do with the seating die. I am just using the full length resizing two die set from RCBS (as opposed to the neck sizing die set).

Does any one else reload the Sierra match king bullets using the standard FL die set? If so have you found any problems with ringed bullets?

Lupo

wncchester · April 24, 2009, 01:08 PM

Okay, one thing at a time.

First, the slight cut rings you see can happen with any bullet that doesn't quite match the seater stem. Especially if the bullet is significantly larger than the expanded neck. That large "interferece fit" takes more seating pressure and thus the ring mark is impressed.

The ring you see is not "normal" but it's not truly uncommon. Nor is it detremental to bullet flight. If you wish, you can take a Dremel rotary tool rubber polishing cone bit and smooth the inner edges of the seating plug to prevent the slight cutting on the bullet ogive.

You have "regular" dies and they are fine for seating your bullets. The seater with a neck die set would be indentical.

The terms "FL die" (full length) and "neck" ONLY apply to case sizers, not bullet seaters.

Slamfire · April 24, 2009, 09:02 PM

Damage to the front end of the bullet does not make any difference on target. The tinest scratch to the base of the bullet will steer the thing to the next county.

I was shooting in a highpower match and we had a break at 300 yards which gave us an additional sighter. My first two sighting shots were ten and X, conditions had not changed, so I decided to try a science experiment. I took out my Leatherman, cut the bullet tip off at an angle on the 168 SMK and then used the pliers to crunch up the bullet tip.

The sighting shot was a pin wheel "X".

I don't worry about small stuff on the front end any more.

Lupo · April 24, 2009, 10:15 PM

Thank you for all your posts, they have put my mind to rest on this issue.

Best regards,

Lupo

April 23, 2009, 09:32 PM	#1
Lupo Junior Member Join Date: March 8, 2006 Location: Spokane, Washington Posts: 6	Advice needed: RCBS full length die trouble Hi all, I am having trouble with my RCBS seater die leaving rings on 308 Win SMK 168grain bullets. These rings are near the bullets tip and can be felt with a finger nail. RCBS's website FAQs indicates that the seating plug may not fit this style of bullet. This is the first time using these dies and reloading for the 308 Win and I am wondering if the regular RCBS FL dies are not sufficent for the SMK bullets. (I am assuming that these bullets are quite commonly used for this caliber). Has any one else had this sort of problem? Is my seating plug defective? Do I need a differnt type of die for 168 grain SMKs? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I may not be able to reply to any posts for a couple of hours. Lupo

April 23, 2009, 10:02 PM	#2
dahermit Senior Member Join Date: October 28, 2006 Location: South Central Michigan...near Posts: 6,501	The ogive on bullets from manufacturer to manufacturer will never be the same. A slight ring around the bullet will likely not hurt anything accuracy wise. You might try unscrewing the seater plug and polish with emory cloth the offending inside contact surface. Myself, I ignore such rings.

April 23, 2009, 10:20 PM	#3
Alleykat Junior member Join Date: July 26, 2007 Posts: 3,668	What does "full length" have to do with a seating die?

April 24, 2009, 12:33 AM	#4
Lupo Junior Member Join Date: March 8, 2006 Location: Spokane, Washington Posts: 6	dahermit: Thank you for your reply. I assume that any scratches on a match bullet will be detrimental to accuracy. Unfortunetly these are my first reloads for this caliber so I can't compare them to anything just yet. Depending on the range performance I might use your emery cloth suggestion. Alleykat: Full length has nothing to do with the seating die. I am just using the full length resizing two die set from RCBS (as opposed to the neck sizing die set). Does any one else reload the Sierra match king bullets using the standard FL die set? If so have you found any problems with ringed bullets? Lupo

April 24, 2009, 01:08 PM	#5
wncchester Senior Member Join Date: December 1, 2002 Posts: 2,832	Okay, one thing at a time. First, the slight cut rings you see can happen with any bullet that doesn't quite match the seater stem. Especially if the bullet is significantly larger than the expanded neck. That large "interferece fit" takes more seating pressure and thus the ring mark is impressed. The ring you see is not "normal" but it's not truly uncommon. Nor is it detremental to bullet flight. If you wish, you can take a Dremel rotary tool rubber polishing cone bit and smooth the inner edges of the seating plug to prevent the slight cutting on the bullet ogive. You have "regular" dies and they are fine for seating your bullets. The seater with a neck die set would be indentical. The terms "FL die" (full length) and "neck" ONLY apply to case sizers, not bullet seaters.

April 24, 2009, 09:02 PM	#6
Slamfire Senior Member Join Date: May 27, 2007 Posts: 5,261	Damage to the front end of the bullet does not make any difference on target. The tinest scratch to the base of the bullet will steer the thing to the next county. I was shooting in a highpower match and we had a break at 300 yards which gave us an additional sighter. My first two sighting shots were ten and X, conditions had not changed, so I decided to try a science experiment. I took out my Leatherman, cut the bullet tip off at an angle on the 168 SMK and then used the pliers to crunch up the bullet tip. The sighting shot was a pin wheel "X". I don't worry about small stuff on the front end any more.

April 24, 2009, 10:15 PM	#7
Lupo Junior Member Join Date: March 8, 2006 Location: Spokane, Washington Posts: 6	Thank you for all your posts, they have put my mind to rest on this issue. Best regards, Lupo