RCBS Matchmaster bullet seater issue

I changed the die out for the Hornady Custom Grade seating die I already own. Looks like that cured the issue. I'll load some more tomorrow to be sure.

RCBS never did call me back. I know they are pretty good on warranty stuff. I own an older RCBS press. So hoping to get it repaired/replaced.
 
Tagging in out of curiosity. Hopefully you hear something back from RCBS. They’re really good, although, one time I had to send in a lock out die, with a video that showed the problem, and they insisted there wasn’t one. I did have to push to get a new die.
 
I've never seen the guts in one, even though my shooting buddy has a set of those, but it can't be too much wrong, RCBS will take care of you.

I bet everyone is extra busy this time of year.
 
JEBruns said:
I changed the die out for the Hornady Custom Grade seating die I already own. Looks like that cured the issue. I'll load some more tomorrow to be sure.

RCBS never did call me back. I know they are pretty good on warranty stuff. I own an older RCBS press. So hoping to get it repaired/replaced.
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Walkalong said:
I've never seen the guts in one, even though my shooting buddy has a set of those, but it can't be too much wrong, RCBS will take care of you.

I bet everyone is extra busy this time of year.
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I have a couple of them and a few of the previous version. I love the windows on them. They're pretty simple. I'm very curious what could be wrong(broken) with it. Please post a follow up when you find out. Thanks
 
JEBruns said:
I've had this die for a year or so. Use it on my Dillon 550, which is setup strictly for 6.5CM. It works well for months, but very recently I've noticed more and more of my reloads don't seat all the way in my Hornady case cage (I check every reload). To the point were some won't chamber in my Tikka T3X Tact A1.

I narrowed it down to the RCBS MM die. So I messed with that a bit. Raised it in the press so the bushing was just touching the plate. Lowered it so that the die body was hard against the plate. And tried it in between. Same results. Not every case gets flared at the bottom, but more and more of them do. Tried different brass (Hornady and Aquila), tried brand new Hornady brass, same-same.

Normal brass routine is anneal, lube, size/deprime, check/adjust case length, tumble with pins, dry, hand prime. And they pass the case gauge before going into the 550.

Really has me baffled. I haven't changed the sizing die nor adjusted it. I have a call into RCBS. Been waiting a few hours for their "die tech" to call me back, but figured I'd post about here also. I really like the die. So nice to be able to drop the bullet into the window and be able to quickly and accurately adjust the COL for different loads. I do have a couple of other 6.5CM seating dies (Hornady and Lee), so I guess I'll try one of those if I don't hear back from RCBS soon.
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Any feedback yet?
 
irishlad said:
Any feedback yet?
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Looks like they are just going to send me a new one. Not sure I'll ever find out what was wrong with it.

I do want to say though, I believe this is a flat out fluke. I did a lot of web searching and can't find anyone having issues with this Match Master die. I will switch back to the new one as soon as it arrives. I really like the window cutout for dropping the bullet into the die.
 
JEBruns said:
I narrowed it down to the RCBS MM die. So I messed with that a bit. Raised it in the press so the bushing was just touching the plate. Lowered it so that the die body was hard against the plate. And tried it in between. Same results. Not every case gets flared at the bottom, but more and more of them do. Tried different brass (Hornady and Aquila), tried brand new Hornady brass, same-same.

Normal brass routine is anneal, lube, size/deprime, check/adjust case length, tumble with pins, dry, hand prime. And they pass the case gauge before going into the 550.

Really has me baffled. I haven't changed the sizing die nor adjusted it. I have a call into RCBS. Been waiting a few hours for their "die tech" to call me back, but figured I'd post about here also. I really like the die. So nice to be able to drop the bullet into the window and be able to quickly and accurately adjust the COL for different loads. I do have a couple of other 6.5CM seating dies (Hornady and Lee), so I guess I'll try one of those if I don't hear back from RCBS soon.
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So we're speaking the same language, this is a rcbs match master seating die.... so I'm assuming the bushing your talking about is the collar at the bottom that holds the neck and shoulder. A bushing is something in a sizing die.
What do you mean by the case being flaired at the bottom. No case dimension should be changed by a seating die except the neck witch expands to hold the bullet...
Step one of any suspect die not operating correctly is to break it down for inspection and cleaning. If it's clean and no obvious damage, reassemble and break out the manufacturers directions.
The only issue I had was the bullet holder wasn't letting go and I had some uneven oals. This happened when my 223 die was new last year. I was double pumping the handle, seat a tiny bit and come out to let the retainer release. It stopped having that issue after 50 or so rounds.
If you are still having issues I will dig up and pm you the rcbs die makers direct number...
 
AJC1 said:
So we're speaking the same language, this is a rcbs match master seating die....
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I think if you read the whole thread, you'll find most of this has been covered. But, yes, that's correct.
AJC1 said:
What do you mean by the case being flaired at the bottom.
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As I said, it would not pass my case gauge. And it was the bottom of the case that had the interference.
AJC1 said:
No case dimension should be changed by a seating die except the neck witch expands to hold the bullet...
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I know.
AJC1 said:
Step one of any suspect die not operating correctly is to break it down for inspection and cleaning. If it's clean and no obvious damage, reassemble and break out the manufacturers directions.
Click to expand...
Done all of that. More than once.
AJC1 said:
The only issue I had was the bullet holder wasn't letting go and I had some uneven oals. This happened when my 223 die was new last year. I was double pumping the handle, seat a tiny bit and come out to let the retainer release. It stopped having that issue after 50 or so rounds.
If you are still having issues I will dig up and pm you the rcbs die makers direct number...
Click to expand...
Thanks, but I've gotten in touch with RCBS. As I said, they are replacing the die.
 
I've used the RCBS Gold Medal seaters for both .223 and .308 for years, and never had one do anything but push a bullet in (Gold Medal Seaters are Matchmaster seaters before they renamed them) So excuse me for being shocked that it could do anything to the other end of a case........unless I suppose that it needs extreme force to seat....if the necks are sized too small or without a beveled tip. But even that sounds extreme.......So this is interesting reading. Would be very interested to hear if the new die makes a difference. Would be even more interested if you find out the insides of the old and new differ! Mayble there's a saboteur at the factory.....:) Glad I haven't run it to this....I got enough to think about when everything works right.
 
JEBruns said:
It worked from new for around 800 or so reloads before it started giving me issues, so not likely a factory saboteur (yes, I know you said that in jest).
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These days.......only half jest. Not the same America we grew up in.......all it takes is a disgruntled employee with a screw coming loose....seems fewer people are taught "normal behavior" any more.

Would still like to know what part of the seater could do that......compare the new and old for us, if you get time.....might prevent others from having such a fun experience. Merry Christmas!
 
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