Lee Micrometer seating plug

[Fjold]

Guys this is one of the handiest reloading tools that I've found for the price. Lee offers a micrometer seating plug for their reloading dies for less than $20. Just unscrew the regular seating plug and screw this one in it's place. If the scale doesn't line up correctly just screw the seating die or in or out to get it to align correctly. I bought three rifle ones for my 270, 6mm ARC and 350 Legend because those are what I have Lee dies for. I'm going to look at some pistol dies next.

Hornady offers replacement micrometer plugs also but it is almost $100 by itself. A Forster micrometer seating die alone is over $120

[FLIGHT762]

Lee did a good job with that. I use the Hornady mic stems on several Rifle seating dies. Works great. You can make notes for every bullet you have and can go right back to a setting.

For Pistols, I only load for about 5 cartridges. So, what I do is take my 6" dial calipers and measure the full length of the seating die after finding a particular bullet seating length. I make notes with the seating depths on each bullet. Notes go onto a card in the die box. I can come back to a precise seating depth using the notes and the calipers.

I reload over a dozen rifle cartridges, so I get more horsepower using the seating mics on those dies.

[newbie1234]

I don't think these Lee Seating Micro Meter can do better the the existing Lee Seating dies, but they "look COOL" , 20 buck a pop, I will get couple
Thanks OP.

[Fjold]

I don't think these Lee Seating Micro Meter can do better the the existing Lee Seating dies, but they "look COOL" , 20 buck a pop, I will get couple
Thanks OP.

I load three different bullets for Wifezilla's and my 6mm ARC rifles. The micrometer is great when changing loads.

[ar15barrels]

Every seating die with a threaded seating stem is micrometer adjustable if you know the thread pitch and can do simple math.

[OLD-skool454#3]

I just use my pre made dummy round, crank the seating die down for that particular load/caliber, lock my die, remove the dummy round, and get to loading.

[Fjold]

I just use my pre made dummy round, crank the seating die down for that particular load/caliber, lock my die, remove the dummy round, and get to loading.

That's OK until the seating plug starts to wear an indent in the bullet of the dummy round and as long as you never change bullets.

Every seating die with a threaded seating stem is micrometer adjustable if you know the thread pitch and can do simple math.

Yep, let's say the plug is threaded 14 TPI. Then one full revolution is worth 0.0714" of seating length. To change the seating depth 0.010" you need to turn the die 0.142 of a revolution, (7.04% or 51.1 degrees). With the micrometer scale in front of you, you don't have to guestimate how much 7% of a turn is to get that 0,.010" change in OAL.

[Grendel Guy]

Maybe use a caliper?

[Fjold]

Maybe use a caliper?

That's an extra step to try to set it for every different bullet. Load a round and then adjust the seating plug, seat the round again, measure again, maybe adjust the plug again and then remeasure.

Why not just set the micrometer on the seating die.