Thread: Seating depth headache

Are you using a powder charge that is crushing your powder??

Im doing so in my 223 - ok, different calibre, though IM also seeing variances in seating depth and thats using a micrometer seating depth addon - i will keep that odd ones aside then adjust my seating depth - however many thou -as needed to get the end result that it sits where I need it to be for the node... PITA at times!

Compressed loads can cause seating depth inconsistency as well, gave me headaches when I started loading for my rem mag.

Does the seating stem match the projectiles? Unannealed brass, different neck tensions and projectiles slip in stem. Will normally see a ring on projectiles tho

Cheers for the input guys. I annealed a bunch of brass over the weekend and have seen a massive difference, they even feel more consistent as the projectile is seating. Length variance down to about 2thou. I can live with that. Still haven’t secured the quick change bushing so that’s next.
For those asking, it is technically a compressed load but only ever so slightly.

I am currently using a Lee seating die and manage to achieve about a 2 thou tolerance. I absolutely agree that varying neck tension gives varying seating depths. New brass or annealing your existing cases will help. Having said that, 5 thou is far from the end of the world for most applications.

Another thing I found if not annealing every time was to brush the necks with a nylon brush after sizing. Seems to reduce inconsistencies in seating pressure you can feel when seating the projectile. Worked for me anyway.