Noob to Jacketed Rifle Bullet Reloading: Special Seating Die?

[jkpq45]

Hello All,

I've always reloaded reasonably rounded- or flat-point pistol bullets and will try my hand soon at reloading jacketed rifle bullets for a cartridge similar to .243 Winchester. Are the punches/inserts for rifle bullets typically conical or cushioned to protect the nose of a spire-pointed (or polymer-tipped hollow-point) bullet during the seating operation?

Thanks,
jkpq45

 

[ranger335v]

Rifle seating stems are machined to fit spitzer bullets.

 

[flashhole]

What Ranger said ... the seating stem will have a recess to accomodate a long profile bullet. If, on the outside chance, the bullet bottoms out on the seating stem you might have to change it or modify it.

 

[FROGO207]

Yeah you can take the die apart and find out what the stem is. You can modify it yourself or the maker can usually provide a custom seating stem for your bullet for a price. This is not really costly at least for the Lee products IIRC.

 

[rcmodel]

It would be highly unusual to need a custom seating stem made for any brand of rifle die in order to seat Spier-Point, HP, or Ballistic-Tip bullets.

That is what they are all made to do.

Custom stems are sometimes necessary with handgun bullets, because of the very wide range of shapes available.

But Pointy rifle bullets is Pointy rifle bullets, most of the time anyway.

rc

 

[IndispensableDestiny]

Redding makes seating stems for VLD bullets. I don't load those, so I don't know if that is necessary.