Lapping a Seating Stem

[@brucegillespie654]

I use the same process but us the lapping compound that comes with the Wheeler scope kit works great

[@flitz]

Thanks for the Flitz love guys!! 👍👍👀 Much appreciated!

[@Strelnikov10]

Very cool that the company is jumping on these little youtube videos. Seems like solid market research. Cool company.

[@perdidocamaronero5400]

Something you might want to add to your tools is a set of cratex rubberized polishing points. They come in lots of shapes and sizes I used them in the machine shop I worked in. I understand the final lapping using a projectile but getting there first the cratex points might be a more efficient than a q tip and compound. They are useful for all around polishing in tight places.

[@KenaiDon]

Clover makes course and fine valve lapping compound that comes in a small double ended can, had mine for 40 years but i believe Loctite corporation sells it now.

[@tommydee1437]

Just wondering do you have multiple stems per caliber for bullets with different ogive?

[@gusdoesthis9273]

Wilson makes VLD seating stems for use with the longer, pointy bullets

[@brettinnj]

I bought one of them. It's the same stem that came in my 6BR and 6PPC seating die.

[@aaronsmith7854]

I bed my seating stems with JB weld man does it work well.

[@rosswitte]

Do you use the proper size seating stem meaning 6.5 for a 6.5 or do you go bigger like a 7mm seating stem to make a 6.5 seating stem? Great idea. Asking for a friend...

[@tonydevich7937]

How do you keep it concetric to axis doing it with a drill, i would do this in a lathe or mill

[@supertruckertom]

How about a slightly oversized stem, say a 243 and "bedding" the bullet. Assuming that the OD of the stem is the same. Release compound on the bullet and a tiny dab of epoxy that is molded to shape. Will likely need a tiny bleed hole for escaping epoxy. Brain flash, even better, use the preferred bullet as the EDM tool to machine the stem. Nah, your way is best $/time/results.

[@scubaman2288]

Any issues with concentricity after doing this?

[@primalrights]

No. Not on any I’ve done it with to date.

[@AnselGaddy]

I guess you could put the stem in a drill press, and put the bullet in a collet?

[@toddprickett6376]

That was my concern too. Why wouldn't hand lapping lead to one side being slightly thicker, or out of round, resulting in higher runout seating?

[@Strelnikov10]

@@toddprickett6376 the stem is floating in most seating dies with stems like this. The stem doesn’t need to be perfectly concentric. It depends on a concentric case neck to align the bullet and stem during the searing process. Additionally, Forster, Redding, and hornady have alignment sleeves that help with this as well.

[@mattsonrj1]

If you’re anal about concentricity, the seating stem should be rotated & the bullet stationary while lapping.

[@brettinnj]

Being that the copper is so much softer than the steel, aren't you just lapping the bullet to the stem instead of the stem to the bullet?

[@erich9111]

The abrasive cuts both ways, so it works well enough. I was able to accomplish the same thing in much less time with a scrap of fine sandpaper and a bullet turned by hand. I even got to use the bullet afterward.