Cutting bullet heels

Southpaw · Member Joined: Sep 12, 2005 Posts: 51 Location: Saskatoon

I need HELP! When seating bullets for my -06 I can feel the heels catching on the case mouth. I try to keep the bullet square to the case, but you do have to let it free it the die some where. I have noticed copper fillings in the die, so to me this is not normal. My case neck are turned outside then inside. Never had this happen whith my Lee Loader. Could the exspander be worn to small? My RCBS dies were bought used. Shocked

DallanC · Site Admin Joined: Jan 18, 2005 Posts: 3572 Location: Utah

Are you champhering the inside of the case mouth? That should take care of it.

-DallanC

Southpaw · Member Joined: Sep 12, 2005 Posts: 51 Location: Saskatoon

Yes, I use horndays hand tool. I see RCBS has one, is it better? I've only tried to load Nos. bt's and Partions.

popgun · Posted: Fri Sep 16, 2005 6:54 pm Post subject: Re: Cutting bullet heels

If you are shaving brass from the bullet when seating you have not chamfered the case enough on the inside of the case mouth. That's my best guess not being able to see the cases and bullets and trying it on your die.

Coyote_Hunter_ · Posted: Sat Sep 17, 2005 3:35 pm Post subject: Re: Cutting bullet heels

The only time I have had this happen was when I forgot to chamfer the inside of the necks on some new brass. Chamfered the necks and no more problem. Been using the same RCBS tool for over 20 years.

Blaine · Member Joined: Feb 24, 2005 Posts: 260 Location: Maine

One thing you might want to check......Be sure your case is sitting all the way into the shell holder. If it is not and you run the case into the die, it will go in cocked and could cause the scraping action you describe. What I do when seating bullets is to partially seat the bullet and then bring the case back down a bit and turn it about 180 degrees and finish seating. I think this will eliminate run-out to some degree and it doesn't take that much extra time. You mentioned you hold the bullet as long as you can before releasing it into the die. After you release the bullet, try taking the tip of your thumb and holding the case tight into the shell holder and see if this helps. If your press isn't mounted exactly level, the case has a tendency to "wander" a bit in the holder. If you have beveled the inside of the neck annd do the above, you should have no more problems.

Blaine

Southpaw · Member Joined: Sep 12, 2005 Posts: 51 Location: Saskatoon

Thanks guys! Loaded some Acubonds toady, work much beter. I didn't get that scrapeing feeling. Loads shoot good, still to early to call them keepers. Your tips hepled, thanks again.
Toilet Claw

sorry had to use it once I saw it.

DallanC · Site Admin Joined: Jan 18, 2005 Posts: 3572 Location: Utah

I chamfer my cases nice and good then when I get to the bullet seating step I place a case in the shell holder, place a bullet into the chamfered neck then ease it up into the seating die. I do it slow enough the bullet shouldnt fall out and I get a nice seating feeling. If I felt too much resistance I would back the case out and check the bullet / neck alignment.

Granted when I was reloading XLCs I always had some blue gunk scrape off that I was continually cleaning out of my dies. Rarely ever did I get copper shavings.

-DallanC

tomme-boy · Rookie Member Joined: Apr 02, 2005 Posts: 1

This is something that a friend showed me a few years back. After shamfering the inside of the case, take a old .22cal brush and wrap it with steel wool. You want it to be able to fit into the neck so it polishes the inside of the neck. You also want to have some of the wool balled up outside of the mouth of the case so it polishes the shamfered area also. Just chuck up the brush in a cordless drill. You only have to spin it in the case for a few seconds.

This not only got rid of the shaved bullets, but it seems to help cut down on some of the flyers I have from time to time.

DallanC · Site Admin Joined: Jan 18, 2005 Posts: 3572 Location: Utah

Welcome to the site tomme-boy. Polishing necks is a good idea, just be careful you dont thin the neck Smile

-DallanC

Southpaw · Member Joined: Sep 12, 2005 Posts: 51 Location: Saskatoon

I just shot a 1.8" group with 180gr. Acubonds in my -06. Thats not as bad as it sounds. I have a Parker-Hale 1200 Super. I just read in the last issue of Handloader, There is a story on a Parker-Hale in 300 Win Mag. It shot even larger goups with the same bullet. Tests whit the 200gr. bullets horad, 5-6". This has nothing to do with the bullets, it's the barrel's twist rate. The bullets are very long for wieght and that means slow twist barrels will not shoot them well. So that is a good group for that combo. I suspect this my be why some guns don't like Barnes bullets. Any way that group is 1"+ beter than those first ones with cut heels, Thanks for the help.

calsibley · Super Member Joined: Jan 28, 2005 Posts: 317

I'm trying to recall who makes it but can't at the moment, but it's in the Sinclair catalog. It's a tool that cuts a different angle in the case neck so the bullets go in the case smoothly. You can check it out on the Sinclair website at www.siclairintlcom
Best wishes.

Cal - Montreal

Flint54 · Posted: Tue Oct 25, 2005 10:00 pm Post subject: Re: Cutting bullet heels

Here is a little hint. After using a standard champher tool use one for a VLD style bullet lightly, it will ease the angle cut by the standard tool inside the neck and you won't even scrape the coatings of the various makes, ie Barnes, Combined Tech etc. Just don't use a VLD tool with a heavy hand if you crimp your rounds as it will thin the neck edge and cause splits, just knock off the inner angle edge. Cool