Couple odd problems

[Dark Mod]

Sorry in advance for the long read:

Loading .300 Winmag, when seating the bullet i cant seem to get the depth i want. I wanted to try a factory crimp die so im not crimping at all during the seating process. The bullet will seat to depth, but it will stick to the top of the die on the downstroke and pull the bullet back out.

I also realized that neck tension isnt holding the bullet well, it moves quite when i try to manipulate it with my fingers. I thought it was a sizing problem so i ran them through the sizer again. Same deal: the bullet "sticks" to the bullet seater so when i downstroke it out of the die the bullet gets pulled back up.

I decided i would use a light roll crimp to give the neck enough tension to hold the bullet in place. Light crimp wasnt doing the trick so i went heavier and heavier. Finally found a crimp that would hold the bullet, but at this point it crumples and deforms the brass at the shoulder.....

Im kinda baffled here, im using lee dies, and soft point bullets. Im going to try a different seating die today (Borrowed from a friend), if that doesnt work im going to try some spire point bullets and hope the seater fits the ogive better (I really need soft points for my application though).

Anything obvious you guys can think of? I probably have 9 or 10 Lee dies and this is the first problem ive ever encountered with them

[kurac]

if you are sizing the necks, there should be enough tension to hold them. So either the bullets are under sized, the expander ball is oversized our you are not sizing the necks.

[Rotting]

Sorry in advance for the long read:

Loading .300 Winmag, when seating the bullet i cant seem to get the depth i want. I wanted to try a factory crimp die so im not crimping at all during the seating process. The bullet will seat to depth, but it will stick to the top of the die on the downstroke and pull the bullet back out.

I also realized that neck tension isnt holding the bullet well, it moves quite when i try to manipulate it with my fingers. I thought it was a sizing problem so i ran them through the sizer again. Same deal: the bullet "sticks" to the bullet seater so when i downstroke it out of the die the bullet gets pulled back up.

I decided i would use a light roll crimp to give the neck enough tension to hold the bullet in place. Light crimp wasnt doing the trick so i went heavier and heavier. Finally found a crimp that would hold the bullet, but at this point it crumples and deforms the brass at the shoulder.....

Im kinda baffled here, im using lee dies, and soft point bullets. Im going to try a different seating die today (Borrowed from a friend), if that doesnt work im going to try some spire point bullets and hope the seater fits the ogive better (I really need soft points for my application though).

Anything obvious you guys can think of? I probably have 9 or 10 Lee dies and this is the first problem ive ever encountered with them

Which bullets are you using, and which Lee dies are you using?

Kurac's post looks to be on point.

Also, never try to use crimping as a remedy (disguise) for neck tension issues. That's all it does--disguise a PROBLEM with your loads.

[bubbapug1]

Or the bullets he is using have the wrong profile for the OAL he is trying to meet and the bearing surface is too far into the case.

If you bring them down to me I can figure it out.

[Dark Mod]

if you are sizing the necks, there should be enough tension to hold them. So either the bullets are under sized, the expander ball is oversized our you are not sizing the necks.

Im full length resizing and i suppose its possible the necks arent getting sized. Im ramming those suckers all the way in... Ill try again after work with a different sizing die

[Dark Mod]

Or the bullets he is using have the wrong profile for the OAL he is trying to meet and the bearing surface is too far into the case.

If you bring them down to me I can figure it out.

I thought about something like that too, since i didnt start having neck tension issues until i was seating the bullet past the cannelure

[Wrangler John]

Is the bullet showing a ring or other damage from the seating stem? If it's marked then the seating stem may not be fitting the bullet profile properly. I can not fathom a bullet/stem being so mismatched that it would pull the bullet, but strange things happen.

Remove the seating stem from the die, then try dropping the bullet through the die. It should pass through, although a gentle shake may be necessary if the bullet is dropped from the case end. In my Lee die a bullet passes through dropped from either end. If it doesn't pass, then the die bore may be undersized. I had a die with a burr inside that ruined bullets as they were seated. While the seating stem is out, see how it fits the bullet, does it look to be the correct size?

Next, if you don't have a dial caliper, try smoking an unsized case neck with a candle flame or blacken it with a Sharpy. When sized, the neck should show that its being sized. Do the bullets push into the mouth with finger pressure after sizing? If yes, then try removing the expander ball and resize again. Now is the neck tight enough to prevent the bullet from being seated by finger pressure? If yes, then the expander ball is too large.

Although it's a PITA, call Lee and discuss the problem with customer service, they will help.

[Rotting]

Or the bullets he is using have the wrong profile for the OAL he is trying to meet and the bearing surface is too far into the case.

If you bring them down to me I can figure it out.

That wouldn't explain why his seating die is "pulling the bullets back out" after seating--which sounds like the lead on his soft points is sticking to his seater plug. That is almost definitely indicative of using undersized bullets (less likely) or an oversized/unsized neck (most likely).

Mark, what bullets are you using? What specific Lee die set?

[Bhobbs]

The same thing happened to me. Try backing the die out a 1/4 to 1/2 turn and adjust down the seating stem.

[Dark Mod]

That wouldn't explain why his seating die is "pulling the bullets back out" after seating--which sounds like the lead on his soft points is sticking to his seater plug. That is almost definitely indicative of using undersized bullets (less likely) or an oversized/unsized neck (most likely).

Mark, what bullets are you using? What specific Lee die set?

Your right, the more i think about this the more i think i need to triple check my sizing. The soft tips are definatley sticking to the seater plug. Although im fairly sure they stick to the seater plug in just about every die ive ever used, the neck tension has always been enough to unstick the bullet.

Im using Hornady 150 grn .308 soft points, and the lee 3 die set for .300 winmag, not sure exactly which die set

[Rotting]

Your right, the more i think about this the more i think i need to triple check my sizing. The soft tips are definatley sticking to the seater plug. Although im fairly sure they stick to the seater plug in just about every die ive ever used, the neck tension has always been enough to unstick the bullet.

Im using Hornady 150 grn .308 soft points, and the lee 3 die set for .300 winmag, not sure exactly which die set

Have you successfully used this die set (in particular, your FL sizing die) loading different bullets before?

Two things to check with your calipers when you get home. The diameter of the neck sizing button in your FL sizing die, then compare that to the diameter of the bullets you are using. Let us know what the difference of the two is.

It would be very rare for those Hornady 150s to be so out of spec (too small of a diameter) as to create the neck tension problems you're experiencing, but it's not outside the realm of possibility.

If this is the first time that you have used this die set, my guess would be that Lee erroneously gave you a .312 sizing button with your FL sizing die. Just a guess, but it would explain your issues.