Seating lug marks on reloads

[AZbowhntr]

I have a question for some of you more experienced reloaders out there. I am reloading for a 270WSM that I recently bought and noticed that when I seat the bullet it is leaving a mark on the bullet from the lug. I can physically feel the ridge it is leaving on the bullet. I tried a friend of mines die set that is also a RCBS and it left the same exact marks. I am wondering if anyone else has seen this and what can be done to get rid of it? I have reloaded for 3 other rifles withough ever seeing this before. I will try posting a picture tomorrow of what I am talking about.

[PRDATR]

I have never seen that before so a picture would help along with contacting RCBS.

[DesertBull]

I had something like that with my Forster seating die. Took it apart, cleaned really well and it went away. Forster said that if the stem does not fit the bullet well that it can cause that too. Also, Some MFG's have a stem for VLD type a bullets and another for conventional type.

[AzHuntingAddict]

I have the Lee dies and they also leave the ring on the bullet. I am interested in what any others say as well.

[ultramag]

I have noticed the same thing also loading the .270WSM.with RCBS dies.

[coues7]

Depending on what type of bullet you are shooting you may have the wrong stem. This is nothing that you have done wrong. Obviously, die manufacturers cannot send out a variety of stems with each die set, it would simply be too expensive. If you are shooting a VLD style bullet I'd recommend calling the die manufacturer and purchase a different stem. I've seen this happen with Bergers.

[AZbowhntr]

That makes sense. I went to Sportsmans yesterday to buy a new stem and they don't carry anything like that at all. I tried calling RCBS today and missed them by 5 minutes. They close at 3:30 and I called at 3:35. Thanks for the replies.

[mmlj]

Usually this problem is caused by an expander ball that is the incorrect size, or the need to polish the inside of the seating die stem.

 

It is difficult for die manufacturers to make a seating stem that will be a perfect for all bullet weights and brands since the ogive can vary greatly. However, this problem can be fixed. Measure the expander ball on the decapping rod with a dial caliper and check with the manufacturer for the correct size. This alone could be or contribute to the problem by causing the necks to be undersized after sizing and thereby making it more difficult to seat the bullet

 

If you find that this is not the problem, then remove the seating stem from the die. A lathe would be very helpful, but you can use a drill press or hand drill. Insert the seating stem in the drill and using 320 grit sandpaper, spin the seating stem while using the sandpaper to polish the inside of the stem. You can fold over a small piece to allow inserting it into the stem. Hold the paper to also allow putting a small bevel on the end of the stem, (from the inside out) as it often appears sharp. You can polish it down further with finer grits of sand paper.

 

Lastly, chamfer the inside of the neck of the brass as you would normally do after trimming. I have found that Winchester case necks are often thinner than other brands. I hope this helps. In the end, it might be best to consider sending the dies back to the manufacturer.

[AZbowhntr]

There were a couple of you that have had the same problem so I thought I would post and let you know what ended up correcting the problem. I called RCBS and they send me a new seating lug and they polished it before sending it at no charge. It worked with no problems. So it sounds like a good cleaning and polishing would work. Otherwise I couldn't tell any difference from the original one and the new one. Hope this helps.

[KYLES96]

You have the die body set up correctly right? Pull your reloader handle all he way down so the shell holder is up against the die. Then turn your die counter clockwise just enough so you can see a very slight amount of light between the holder and the die, make sure he handle is all the way down.

Now make adjustment with he macro on the top of the die. When I first started reloading, I was getting this mark until a buddy showed me how to set up the die. I had too much of a gap between the die and the shell holder.

 

 

[rcdinaz]

For the most part now I only use redding bushing dies so that you can control neck tension, if needed. Redding also makes standard and vld seating stems which I also use. There are other great brands but this seems to have simplified all the little learning curve issues I had using hornady, lee, dillon, rcbs, etc. Oh I still use dillon for all the handgun rounds, the carbide dies are fantastic for loading lots of rounds on the 550.

[ShutYourLib]

Lug marks? From your rifle? If that's what you are talking about I would think that you have a problem with your bolt, the face may not be square. I would think that it would have to be a pretty big die problem, one that you could see with your eyes, to cause that issue.

[Chef]

Gentlemen,

This issue has been corrected and the original poster followed up with...

 

"...thought I would post and let you know what ended up correcting the problem. I called RCBS and they send me a new seating lug and they polished it before sending it at no charge. It worked with no problems."