Ring Around the Bullet

[ColColt]

I have a Saeco mould for the 45-70 (645) and a set of Lyman dies that comes with two seating punches. One looked more appropriate for the 645 bullet but leaves a ring around the nose of the rather soft 1:20 alloyed bullet. Is there a better seating stem for this bullet? I don't know if Lyman makes anymore than the two they send in the dies for sure and couldn't find any. I'm not using the bullet to seat the charge but rather a compression die. The bullet "may" seat an extra .005" or so but nothing that should cause a ring. Cases are expanded to .457" to give a .002" neck tension for the .459" bullets.

[Lefty Dude]

You can make a Custom seating plug profile by using JB Weld on an existing plug, using your bullet nose as the templet.

[ColColt]

I've done that trying to make a plug for a 44 wadcutter and that worked fine. I don't know about a more pointed bullet.

[Tycer]

I've done that trying to make a plug for a 44 wadcutter and that worked fine. I don't know about a more pointed bullet.

Works great.

[yooper2]

I've made several using West epoxy with microballons. Tough enough for the job and sands easily for modification.



Eric

[ColColt]

What do you do-just fill up a cavity that's close to almost working with JB and put a bullet in it till it dries? Can you then pull the bullet free? Nope, haven't tried this before in this fashion.

[FatJackDurham]

I sometimes push a veggie wad up there on the first bullet to wedge into the seating stem for the rounder bullets to avoid that problem. I like the JB weld idea, but I use the same stem for different shape bullets.

I also just bought the wider neck expander from Track of the Wolf, so that the bullets would seat easier and not need as much pressure. The normal neck expander for 45-70 is .457+- My bullets are .459-.460. I use the .459 neck expander and this time around the bullets all seated smoothly.

[ColColt]

I use a .457 Lyman expander for the .459" bullets I use but still get that ring and you can not only see it, you can feel it where it cut in with your fingernail. Just .002" case neck tension shouldn't groove a bullet nose. An alloy of 1:20 is rather soft.

[Lefty Dude]

To modify the profile of the seating plug. put a dab of JB's in the nose plug, take a bullet of choice and put a releasing agent on the nose of the sample. Johnson's paste wax works well for this application. I use a rubber band to hold the sample on the plug for proper holding alignment.

This works for me.

[ColColt]

I'll have to give that a try.

[Don McDowell]

You may have to much neck tension, and you might need to compress the powder just a smidge more.

[ColColt]

I may have to go to a .458" expander with the .459" bullet. I'm using a .457" now to get .002" tension. Doesn't look like that would cause the problem, however.

[Don McDowell]

You'll likely get better accuracy with the larger expander. Neck tension does make a difference.

[ColColt]

I decided on .002" as that's what most seemed to be using I read about in Mike Venturino's book on Buffalo Rifles. I have a host of expanders from .456" to .461". I'll try the .458" next reload. BTW-That Saeco 645 mould you recommended earlier is a super bullet and seems to have the better potential for accuracy than my 510 gr Brooks mould...at least in the Browning BPCR.

[Don McDowell]

That saeco bullet is a great one. It shoots quite well to 1023 yds, and maybe further, just haven't tried it further than that.
In the Shiloh and the Winchester BPCR , I don't resize the cases except for about every 4th reload, just deprime, clean, load and shoot.