Help! seating Hornady .223 v-max

[LAlineman]

Can anyone help ? I,m still relatively new to reloading and cannot figure out ,why my Lee .223 Seating Die will not seat the bullet deep enough! Brass is trimmed to 1.750 (spec.). Hornady say,s seat it to 2.250. With the die bottomed out and adj. knob down completely, I can only get 2.258. Am I Ok with this ?Or is it something to do with the teflon tip that is causing this ?
Thanks for the help!

[Jim243]

Very strange, what press are you using? Sounds like something is wrong.


Jim

[steve4102]

Hornady say,s seat it to 2.250.

Actually Hornady says this. Or something like this.
The handloader has complete control as far as seating depth, The physical limitations of the action, magazine and barrel are the determining factor. Experimenting with COAL (seating depth) can help achieve the best accuracy.

What does it mean, seat them to wherever you like as long as they safely function in your rifle. There is a rule of thumb that you should seat the bullet at least one bullet diameter deep.

[Qtiphky]

I use only Lee products and I have loaded a lot of 223 rounds and never had this problem. Something sounds like it might be "hanging up" in your die. Try taking it out and looking in it. My guns like the rounds to be 2.20. I accidentally sat some bullets shorter than that, around 2.16, which my guns didn't like, accuracy was horrible.

If not, I would contact Lee as they have always given me great customer service when needed.

[PA-Joe]

Sounds like the crimp may be set to low and is stoppnig the bullet before it has reached the correct depth.

[Brian Pfleuger]

Is there actually a seating stem in there?

I can seat bullets flush to the mouth if I screw everything all the way down. Even uses the lightest bullets I can find for 22-250, which means they're short, I can easily seat them MUCH shorter than normal specs.

[Jim243]

Actually if you have the deluxe die set, it sounds like you are using the neck sizing die to try to set your bullets!! That's not the correct die to use.


Jim

[LAlineman]

Thanks for helping me out guys !
First, yes I have the Lee Deluxe Dies.
No, I,m not useing the neck sizing die, I am useing the Proper seating Die.
Yes, there is a plug in the die,( I took the die apart).
So, again, with the plug bottomed out and the die set to just touching the shell holder, I can only seat the V-max to 2.255-2.258. I need 2.220 for spec.

Note: after applying a bit of pressure to try to seat this bullet, it appears the die is leaving marks(maybe crimp marks ?) on the bullet!

I tried unscrewing the Die a bit, but same problem.
Could this just be a problem with the Die ? Unfortunately I don,t have another to compare.

I have been Reloading Pistol calibers for approx. 2 years with no problems, but now I,m stumped !

[LAlineman]

After disassembling the die, I campared how much of the bullet the seating plug covered. And it appears that the plug covers much more of the V-Max bullet than the standard FMJ type. ( A bit more of a tappered bullet).Therefore, the plug bottoms out before reaching the desired O.A.L. ? I Think !

Remember, these are V-max teflon tipped bullets I am experimenting with.

Does any one know of other seating plugs that have to maybe be installed for this type of bullet ?

I have reloaded FMJ bullets with this die and I am able to reach the desired O.A.L.

[Qtiphky]

I have loaded V-max for my 204 with Lee dies and haven't had any of these problems. The more that I read, the more I think something is wrong with the die. That can happen, I have been lucky so far that all of my stuff has worked, but I would contact Lee and they will probably ship you another die to try. It just doesn't sound right.

[Sevens]

Please take no offense, but we have to start with the basics to make sure we are on the same page.

First, run the press ram all the way to the top and screw down the die. Does the shell holder touch the base of the seating die?

We need to know that your handle is set to a place where the ram can go fully to the top. Some press handles are adjustable and if adjusted for more leverage, you lose the range. If you can run the ram all the way to touch the die, we know the press isn't the problem.

Next, unscrew that seating die and get it off the shellholder by at least one full turn, maybe 1.5 turns. This ensures that you aren't putting a roll crimp on the case which will prevent you from seating a bullet.

With the seating die WELL off the shellholder when the ram is at the top of it's range, screw the bullet seater down and you should be able to seat that slug so far that it will be too far.

If you can't, maybe it's time to look at your powder charge. Is there any chance that you are using a compressed charge? I think it's unlikely that you've picked a powder that fills the case, but if it's a dense powder, you could be running out of room for the bullet.

[McClintock]

LALineman,

I've run into the exact same problem. Using the Lee Deluxe die set for .223, I can't seat the Hornady 40 gr. V-Max bullets deep enough. I can get them down to about 2.280", and then the seating stem bottoms out. This is the only bullet that I've tried that does this; I can seat Sierra BlitzKings and Barnes Varmint Grenades to the proper OAL.

Fortunately for me, the Hornadys are the most accurate that I have tried, even at the 2.280 length, even though this is very long.

Short of calling Lee, or perhaps milling a few thousandths of an inch off the bottom of the seating die, I don't know what to suggest, either.

Just curious, what press are you using with the Lee dies? Also, as Sevens suggested, what powder charge are you using? I'm running 27.0 gr. of H335 (it's a warm load, but not at max), so it's not a compressed charge.

Cheers!
McClintock

[Sevens]

I use the 40gr V-Max in .223 with Lee dies also, but my dies were bought like 15 years ago. I wonder if they've changed the .223 seating die?

I'm using H4198 powder and I really like the results. (I should note that I've used H4198 with 55 and 60 grain bullets but haven't tried it with the little 40's yet)

[McClintock]

Sevens,

It does make me wonder, too, if Lee has changed the seating die or at least the seating plug. My dies are only a year and a half old.

I have a buddy with a lathe who I might ask to get him to mill a few thousandths off the bottom of the die.

Cheers!
McClintock

[Brian Pfleuger]

The seating die that comes with the deluxe set doesn't crimp, does it? I thought that was always a seperate die for rifles with Lee dies.

[Kawabuggy]

Let me throw something out there that no one has mentioned yet---HOW MUCH POWDER IN THE CASE! He mentions that his seater is leaving marks in the bullet where it contacts the ogive of the bullet, and yet he is not getting the COAL that he is after. Could it be he is compressing the powder, pushing the bullet all the way down, but when the releases the pressure from the press, the bullet is popping back up????

Just a thought.

At this point, I would try and seat a bullet on a case with no powder just for grins.

[Unclenick]

Originally Posted by LAlineman

Therefore, the plug bottoms out before reaching the desired O.A.L. ? I Think !

I think you are correct. There was a thread in another forum on this problem. Can't recall if it was the same bullet or another shortie? Anyway, the owner called Lee and they had him send them the die and a case and a bullet, and they made him a custom seating punch, I believe at no charge. They had been unaware a bullet was out there that their current dimensions didn't handle. They probably changed them afterward, but your die could have been in stock longer than that? Give them a buzz: 262-673-3075. They may now know what punch to make and send out without you having to send the dies in?

[Sevens]

posted by Kawabuggy
Let me throw something out there that no one has mentioned yet---

I did, five posts before yours!

[LAlineman]

Sorry it took so long to get back guys, I had a business trip to attend. Arizona Gun Show ! Ha! Anyway, PROBLEM SOLVED! !. I recieved an E-mail back from Lee Precision. And they said their seating stem was a Generic Stem and if I wan,t I could send in the Die and a sample bullet and they would Customise one for me at. I think 8.00 charge! Just As one of you mentioned in the prior Post! Knowing this, I will probably do it myself! Also, while I was waiting for the E-Mail reply I picked up an RCBS .223 Die and tried it on the V-Max bullets. They seated perfectly, even deeper than needed with room to spare! So there it is, we all learned something, thank you all for your input and idea,s. What a GREAT forum. Good Shooting to all! P.s- looking to re-locate to Arizona in the near future, Anyone , have suggestions for a family? Any Bad areas to stay away from? Thanks again guys! Fantastic Help! Steve .( LALineman).

[DANNY-L]

RCBS, good move.