Thread: Precision projectile seating

Been using an arbor press for well over thirty years. Originally a fine Jones Custom Products arbor press and in the last few years a 21st Century arbor press, both with Wilson hand dies. Also use a Forster Co-Ax press for conventional dies which are all bushing type dies.

It's much easier to feel seating pressure with an arbor press even without a force gauge and that is probably it's best attribute apart from being portable.

As far as concentricity goes it depends on the dies you're currently using and the particular rifle you're loading for and the chamber dimensions thereof. I wouldn't say that hand dies will be guaranteed to give you more concentric ammo. As an example, in my .308 I achieve equally as concentric ammunition as what I get with the Redding bushing and competition seater dies. In my 6.5 Creedmoor I get straighter ammo with the Wilson hand dies. Those are the only two rifles I use currently and can attest to as it's been a long time since I loaded 6 PPC and 7mm/08 ammunition.

If you want the straightest ammo possible I think the best route to take is a custom die, both hand or threaded, made from either the reamer your rifle was chambered with or one made from several unsized cases that have been fired in that rifle. Even so, the most concentric ammo with say .0005/.001 runout doesn't necessarily mean it's going shoot smaller groups than ammunition that has .002/.003 runout, at least in a factory chambered hunting rifle.

"At the end of the day", as the old cliché goes, it's all good fun experimenting and that's without getting other stuff like neck turning.