Yes, I've used a Lee sizer in 223 and 7mm. And no I've never used a Saeco.
Re: Saeko:
From your description of how it works, it sounds like it seats the check pretty good. But when you push the bullet through the sizer, backwards, there's no guarantee it'll stay straight while the check gets squeezed down, now is there? Maybe it stays straight every time. I wouldn't know, which is why I said theoretical.
Or if the check gets sized/crimped when it's seated, then it should stay on there pretty straight, indeed, even while sizing the bullet, afterward. But then you just may have an issue with concentricity, if the gas check shank isn't perfectly filled out or otherwise asymmetrical. The check would be on there straight/flat, but it might not be perfectly concentric with the rest of the bullet. When it goes through the sizer, it would then center, but might squish a little on one side, just a hair, or even tilt. Not by enough to worry about, but it's still a theoretical issue that is addressed by nose-first sizing, since nose-first centers and sizes the bullet and check at the same time, while keeping the gas check flat against the pusher/seater stem while it's being crimped on.
From your description of how a Lee sizer seats checks, with the check held on "only by friction," it just doesn't sound right. I can't figure out how you were getting "blowouts." Were you pushing the bullets through backwards?
Sorry if I'm sounding argumentative, again. But your description of the benefits of your bullet sizer for seating gas checks still leaves something to be desired. Is it faster? How much faster does $200 get you? Do you use a hard lube? That's a good enough reason in itself. Does it actually seat the checks straighter, and how have you verified this?
I've got 750 223 bullets in front of me, all sized/checked with the Lee sizer. I've yet to have a single mishap of any sort, so I for sure haven't had any blowouts. Curiosity getting the better of me, I have randomly pulled out 30 of them and stood them on end on a sheet of glass. I can't visually detect any degree of tilt to any of them. Not a one. And small diameter bullets like 223 are the ones I hear people complaining about how hard it is to get the gas check on straight. As I have explained, it doesn't matter how crooked you put the check on of how uneven the base of your boolit. If you can fit the check over the shank, the Lee sizer should put the oversize crimp-on type of GC on straight, every time. I don't understand how it could fail. Except maybe with short, stubby pistol rounds, the check might start to get squeezed down before the bullet straightens?
Maybe you can share with us which specific bullets and which brand of gas checks you have these blowouts with? I'm not calling BS, I'm just trying to learn something.
Re: Saeko:
From your description of how it works, it sounds like it seats the check pretty good. But when you push the bullet through the sizer, backwards, there's no guarantee it'll stay straight while the check gets squeezed down, now is there? Maybe it stays straight every time. I wouldn't know, which is why I said theoretical.
Or if the check gets sized/crimped when it's seated, then it should stay on there pretty straight, indeed, even while sizing the bullet, afterward. But then you just may have an issue with concentricity, if the gas check shank isn't perfectly filled out or otherwise asymmetrical. The check would be on there straight/flat, but it might not be perfectly concentric with the rest of the bullet. When it goes through the sizer, it would then center, but might squish a little on one side, just a hair, or even tilt. Not by enough to worry about, but it's still a theoretical issue that is addressed by nose-first sizing, since nose-first centers and sizes the bullet and check at the same time, while keeping the gas check flat against the pusher/seater stem while it's being crimped on.
From your description of how a Lee sizer seats checks, with the check held on "only by friction," it just doesn't sound right. I can't figure out how you were getting "blowouts." Were you pushing the bullets through backwards?
Sorry if I'm sounding argumentative, again. But your description of the benefits of your bullet sizer for seating gas checks still leaves something to be desired. Is it faster? How much faster does $200 get you? Do you use a hard lube? That's a good enough reason in itself. Does it actually seat the checks straighter, and how have you verified this?
I've got 750 223 bullets in front of me, all sized/checked with the Lee sizer. I've yet to have a single mishap of any sort, so I for sure haven't had any blowouts. Curiosity getting the better of me, I have randomly pulled out 30 of them and stood them on end on a sheet of glass. I can't visually detect any degree of tilt to any of them. Not a one. And small diameter bullets like 223 are the ones I hear people complaining about how hard it is to get the gas check on straight. As I have explained, it doesn't matter how crooked you put the check on of how uneven the base of your boolit. If you can fit the check over the shank, the Lee sizer should put the oversize crimp-on type of GC on straight, every time. I don't understand how it could fail. Except maybe with short, stubby pistol rounds, the check might start to get squeezed down before the bullet straightens?
Maybe you can share with us which specific bullets and which brand of gas checks you have these blowouts with? I'm not calling BS, I'm just trying to learn something.
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