I'm considering purchasing a Hornady MicroJust Seating Stem

Pongo · January 13, 2010, 05:07 PM

My main concern is that repeatability is consistant after the Microjust stem has been moved from one die to another and back again.

Any feedback concerning this component is greatly appreciated. Thanks.

dfe2240 · January 13, 2010, 05:53 PM

I go back and forth between 9mm and .40 cal and haven't had any problems with repeatability. Obviously you have to re-establish the desired position in each die after you switch, but should do that even if you were to remove the adjuster and reinstall it in the same die. I don't rely on the adjuster readings as absolute indicators of seating position, I start with a "too high" position and adjust until I get the desired overall length (seating depth). I have found it to be reliable in that regard-- when you turn the stem an indicated amount, the cartridge length changes by that amount.

Dannyl · January 14, 2010, 01:04 AM

Hi,
I reload for several calibers, and for some calibers I use different bullets (rifle and handguns).
What I do is: once I am happy with a certain load I make a few dummies (case and bullet, no primer nor powder) and keep them in a labbleled tray.
when I am about to load a batch of each bullet, I use a dummy to adjust the seating die so that it goes back to precisely the setting that I want.

Brgds,

Danny

Pongo · January 14, 2010, 10:15 AM

Thanks for the responses.

Anyone have any bad experiences with these?

Yes the dummy rounds were the way I used to do this, but after 30+ years I find I have too many. As I have a few Hornady die sets this microjust stem looks like it may be the answer.

I do have a Lyman Bench rest die set for .222 rem and that has worked very well for me for a number of years. I like the ability to adjust the seating of bullets in very small increments and then be able to duplicate what works best with comparative ease. The Hornady system, hopefully, would take care of the other rifles I load for.

flashhole · January 14, 2010, 04:57 PM

I'm in the Danny dummy camp too, that sounds kind of funny. I have the micrometer stem on 4 different sets of dies. I don't use the scribe marks or indicators for absolute measurements, just ease of use.

Dannyl · January 14, 2010, 11:58 PM

Quote:

I'm in the Danny dummy camp too

Sounds funny indeed, had me laughing nicely (No, I did not take offense)

Cheers,

Danny

wncchester · January 15, 2010, 07:09 PM

"My main concern is that repeatability is consistant after the Microjust stem has been moved from one die to another"

There is no such repeatable/swapping consistancy with that seating stem.

January 13, 2010, 05:07 PM	#1
Pongo Member Join Date: October 26, 2009 Posts: 74	I'm considering purchasing a Hornady MicroJust Seating Stem My main concern is that repeatability is consistant after the Microjust stem has been moved from one die to another and back again. Any feedback concerning this component is greatly appreciated. Thanks.

January 14, 2010, 01:04 AM	#3
Dannyl Senior Member Join Date: April 20, 2009 Location: Cape Town - South Africa Posts: 627	Keep a few "dummies " Hi, I reload for several calibers, and for some calibers I use different bullets (rifle and handguns). What I do is: once I am happy with a certain load I make a few dummies (case and bullet, no primer nor powder) and keep them in a labbleled tray. when I am about to load a batch of each bullet, I use a dummy to adjust the seating die so that it goes back to precisely the setting that I want. Brgds, Danny

January 14, 2010, 04:57 PM	#5
flashhole Senior Member Join Date: February 9, 2005 Location: Owego, NY Posts: 2,000	I'm in the Danny dummy camp too, that sounds kind of funny. I have the micrometer stem on 4 different sets of dies. I don't use the scribe marks or indicators for absolute measurements, just ease of use. __________________ ,,, stupidity comes to some people very easily. 8/22/2017 my wife in a discussion about Liberals. Are you ready for civil war?

January 13, 2010, 05:53 PM	#2
dfe2240 Member Join Date: January 7, 2010 Posts: 56	I go back and forth between 9mm and .40 cal and haven't had any problems with repeatability. Obviously you have to re-establish the desired position in each die after you switch, but should do that even if you were to remove the adjuster and reinstall it in the same die. I don't rely on the adjuster readings as absolute indicators of seating position, I start with a "too high" position and adjust until I get the desired overall length (seating depth). I have found it to be reliable in that regard-- when you turn the stem an indicated amount, the cartridge length changes by that amount.

January 14, 2010, 10:15 AM	#4
Pongo Member Join Date: October 26, 2009 Posts: 74	Thanks for the responses. Anyone have any bad experiences with these? Yes the dummy rounds were the way I used to do this, but after 30+ years I find I have too many. As I have a few Hornady die sets this microjust stem looks like it may be the answer. I do have a Lyman Bench rest die set for .222 rem and that has worked very well for me for a number of years. I like the ability to adjust the seating of bullets in very small increments and then be able to duplicate what works best with comparative ease. The Hornady system, hopefully, would take care of the other rifles I load for.

January 15, 2010, 07:09 PM	#7
wncchester Senior Member Join Date: December 1, 2002 Posts: 2,832	"My main concern is that repeatability is consistant after the Microjust stem has been moved from one die to another" There is no such repeatable/swapping consistancy with that seating stem.