FLAT BASE JACKETED BULLET LOADING?

[Vettepilot555]

I have quite a number of 30 caliber, and some .223 and .243 flat base jacketed bullets to load up. As you know, flat base bullets can be hard, (a PITA), to get started in the seating operation. NOE sells two step expander mandrels for seating bullets cast in their molds. How would it be to use those for seating flat base jacketed bullets??

Let's take 30 cal for example. Get an expander mandrel sized .306/.308. Then set it up so that the top say, .020" of the neck is sized to .308, allowing for an easy start when seating flat base jacketed bullets? Any problems with this idea?

Thanks!
Vettepilot

 

[edwardware]

An M-die, or NOE's copy, will work, but I've never found it necessary for jacketed. I use it all the time for cast.

In my experience, once it's in the seating sleeve, it'll seat, flat base or not.

 

[AJC1]

In line seating dies like Wilson are wonderful for those. A die with a sleeve would also be helpful

 

[Toprudder]

When I am seating flat base bullets, I use a Lee universal expander to put a slight flare on the case mouth.

 

[Walkalong]

I have never had any issues seating flat base bullets, but I do lightly chamfer the inside of the case mouth. I've shot a metric butt load of them.

 

[Vettepilot555]

Problem is, I've got rather large hands and fingers for holding the little guys in place until they get a start. Plus, 50 plus years of physical abuse of my fingers in my various work activities has made my fingers quite insensitive, and that makes holding small items precisely difficult. (Example: I can pick up hot coals that pop out of a fire and toss them back in without a thought...)

Vettepilot

 

[Demi-human]

RCBS has a match grade seating die that has a window cut into the side. This allows the bullet to be set right on the case while inside the die.
They are a bit pricey, but may save your fingers some frustration.

I don’t see anything wrong with expanding the mouth some. Just close it back down with the crimp in the seating dies after, just like pistol cartridges.

There’s always one more way to do it.

 

[AJC1]

RCBS has a match grade seating die that has a window cut into the side. This allows the bullet to be set right on the case while inside the die.
They are a bit pricey, but may save your fingers some frustration.

I don’t see anything wrong with expanding the mouth some. Just close it back down with the crimp in the seating dies after, just like pistol cartridges.

There’s always one more way to do it.

I have one of those dies in 308. I ended up using my in.line seater but the die was a hundred dollars. If you own an arbor press of any kind or one will fit in your press it would be cheaper. The rcbs die comes in a gold box if your searching.

 

[Charlie98]

Be careful using an M-die with jacketed bullets... part of the function of an M-die is to expand the case neck so the tight case doesn't swage the cast bullet down in size. Doing that for jacketed bullets will lose some of the neck tension a jacketed bullet needs.

Like Toprudder, I just flare it a tad with a pistol expander die if I have problems starting a bullet... that maintains the neck tension. I also use Hornady dies that have a bullet 'alignment' sleeve to start the bullet straight into the case. Like you, I have fat fingers that don't work so well anymore, and really fumble with small bullets.

 

[Ifishsum]

Hornady seating dies can be purchased singly for non-Hornady die sets. Their alignment sleeve helps a lot for those, I don't have much trouble with .30 cals but for flat based .20-24 calibers I think the sleeve helps a lot. Since I rarely crimp anything I don't want to do any extra expansion/flaring that could reduce neck tension or require me to add anything like a crimping step to remove flare.

 

[Random 8]

Owning a .300 Savage and a .280 Rem rifle with a K-98 magazine well, I'm well versed in flat based bullets. I also shoot a lot of them in .308 and .30-06 as my ranges do not require any extra margin of performance that I might gain by BTs and I find FB more accurate and easier to work loads for (and often cheaper). I've never had an issue seating them. I use a light inside chamfer on all cases. There is a slight trick that helps with stubborn ones as I've encountered with heavy military brass in the '06. Start the bullet into the die. When you feel contact, give a light tap, then rotate case 180 degrees, tap, then seat in one fluid motion.

 

[FROGO207]

My first thought was to chamfer the neck inside as mentioned above. This will help seat a flat based bullet. I also rotage mine 180* as I seat them. The other remedy would to be getting a VLD expander to open up the mouth a bit for easier seating.

 

[jmorris]

Put me in the, chamfer the mouth and use a seater that fits the bullet profile group.

Inside 200 yards and even out to 300 FB bullets are hard to beat.

 

[35 Whelen]

I have never had any issues seating flat base bullets, but I do lightly chamfer the inside of the case mouth. I've shot a metric butt load of them.

I'm definitely a member of the loaded-a-Metric Fecal Matter Ton of flat base bullets over the last 40+ years. It never occurred to me they were any more difficult to seat than boat tail bullets. Set them on the mouth of the case, guide them just into the opening of the die, remove hand, seat bullet.

35W

 

[old heeler]

For flat base bullets I use Wilson in line seater. I chamfer the inside of the case. I remove seater stem and drop bullet in hole then replace seater stem and seat bullet using arbor press. All I have to is pick up bullet and drop it hole. It's great for 22 cal and 6mm.
Boattails I load different and I have extra stems and tops so all I have to do is change top for different bullets. Wilson also sells VLD stems.

This is old picture from another site on my seater. Had more rifles back then.
https://forum.nosler.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=11614