Bullet Seating, the Two Step Dance

[Petrol & Powder]

I certainly know how to use a combination seating/crimping die and have obtained good results from that process. However, I avoid seating and crimping in one step like I avoid the plague.

In my little corner of the world, I strongly prefer to separate those processes. For handgun cartridges on a progressive press, it’s a no-brainer. Those machines make seating and crimping separate stages anyway. But even on a single stage press, I prefer to seat and crimp in separate operations, even when that adds to the overall loading sequence.

For rifle cartridges, I spend the money and time to acquire seating only dies and separate crimping dies. This increases the complexity of the loading process but I’m happier with the results. I believe that using a dedicated seating only die produces more consistent bullet alignment. And I also believe that crimping in a separate operation makes tuning that process far easier. I know HOW to set up a seating/crimping die to get the desired result, but I just find it EASIER to split those operations. It is not a lack of knowledge thing, it is an end result thing.

The drawbacks of separating the seating and crimping are the added expense of more dies (often including very expensive seating only dies) and the longer reloading process generated by adding another stage to the process.

I know that I’m not going to change my technique, but I do wonder just how alone am I in this mindset?

 

[CWLONGSHOT]

Nope your not alone...

Always done in two steps here.

I was just helping a new reloader earlier this week with problems associated with doing both in one step.

CW

 

[Rick]

Nope, you're not alone . . .

 

[MW65]

Been doing the same thing for decades... takes a little longer but it's worth it

 

[Intel6]

I have been doing the same thing for a long time. I load most of my rifle loads semi progressively on a Dillon 550 so I seat and crimp separately but with less handle pulls than on my single stage press.

 

[obssd1958]

Add one more to the separate seat and crimp posse.
Been doing it that way for a long time.

 

[Winelover]

Another separate seater/crimper. The hell with expense. Even have separate seaters for most often cast bullets.

 

[JonB]

When I started reloading ammo, I did the seat and crimp in separate steps for everything.
.
Later on, I tried to seat/crimp same step when I was loading pistol ammo on a old Lee 3 hole turret press. I got good results sometimes, other times, not so much. It seemed I would have better luck with jacketed bullets doing it that way.
.
Ever since I sold all my Lee 3 holers, I seat and crimp in separate steps.
.
Seating rifle bullets:
After a bad experience with a Lee Seater die (22 Hornet) and a cast bullet with a large meplat, I tried a Forster BR seater die in that caliber, and I liked the Forster (or Bonanza) BR seater die so much, I've bought one in every rifle caliber I load for...I even modified a Forster 7mm STW die to seat my 6.5x257R ammo.

 

[Petrol & Powder]

I have several Forster seating dies (with the floating chamber) and a few other high end seating dies for rifle cartridges. I like the results and think the extra money is worth it.

 

[JonB]

At the time I tried the first Forster BR seater, I also learned the Bonanza was identical (Forster bought Bonanza or the design or whatever?) and you could find vintage Bonanza BR sets at any gunshow for cheap...basically the price of any other die set...most I found were $20 or less.

 

[dannyd]

Always two steps just works out better in the end.

 

[Creeker]

I'm a two step kind of guy.

 

[smokeywolf]

Always crimp separately.

I'm never in a hurry to produce a cartridge and can't stand the thought that I might have taken a shortcut or overlooked something. My wife and kids have shot hundreds of my reloads. That all by itself motivates me to take every measure, every precaution to produce the safest, most reliable ammo that I possibly can.

Can't tell you how many times I've pulled a bullet on just a feeling or a hunch. One time found an undercharge of 4895 in a 30-06 cartridge due to bridging. Tore down the rest of that batch. Started weighing all charges of stick powders after that.

In the last 15 years I've had to use a broken shell extractor one time and that was one of Dad's old reloads in the 218 Bee.

 

[Gary]

I have stopped the two step procedure since I got wilson seater dies for all my bottleneck stuff. The rest I use taper crimp dies.

 

[glassparman]

Same here. I only use a single stage. I seat all of them, then I readjust my seating die to do a roll crimp and go back through. I reload to relax so the extra time doesn't bother me.

 

[Petrol & Powder]

I tend to use two separate dies; one seating die and another dedicated crimping die.
Not that it can't be done by backing the combination die out, it just saves me the trouble of re-adjusting the crimp die every time.

 

[CWLONGSHOT]

If I load the caliber allot, I buy a dedicated crimp die. If I dont, Ill re adjust seater and crimp.
This got quicker, when I started using a turret. But as mentioned its not about speed its about quality.

Most my bottle neck loading dosent get a crimp at all.

CW

 

[Cadillac Jeff]

I also 2 step.
Usually have a separate die for crimp tho. I have 3 RCBS presses in a row so yeah I have to fumble around with that but I got time .

 

[Rick H]

I crimp handgun and straight wall rifle cartridges. Mostly with the two step process. (I have been known to run off a batch of 38 special plinking ammo one step.) The only bottle neck cartridge I crimp is .223/5.56 destined for an AR or Mini-14.

 

[Fiddler]

I use a "U" shaped washer under the lock nut to seat then remove it and back off on the seater stem to crimp. Too many threads to turn!