Bullet Seating Die

This application claims priority to and is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 18/338,773, filed Jun. 21, 2023, which claims priority to and is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/444,256, filed Aug. 2, 2021, now U.S. Pat. No. 11,719,521, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/059,398, filed Jul. 31, 2020, the entireties of which are hereby incorporated by reference.

The present disclosure generally relates to ammunition loading equipment, and more particularly to a bullet seating die.

Referring to, a bulletcan be seated into a charged case or cartridgeusing an ammunition press, such as the ammunition press. A charged caseis a case that has been resized and primed, has powered placed into it and is ready to accept a bullet. The ammunition pressincludes a threaded receiver at the top into which a conventional seating dieis threadably attached. Typically, conventional seating dies are caliber and case specific, meaning each seating die can only be used with one caliber size and one type/size of case. To seat the bulletin the case, the case is placed on the ammunition press and then the bullet is placed on the top of the case. The ammunition pressis then operated to move the caseand bulletupward into the seating die. As the bulletis raised into the seating die, the bullet engages the seating die, preventing further upward movement and thereby pressing the bullet into the caseas the case continues to be moved upward by the ammunition press. After the bulletis seated in the case, the user resets the ammunition press and can repeat the process for another bullet and case.

In one aspect, a bullet seating die for use with an ammunition press to seat a bullet in a case comprises a die housing having an ammunition press mount configured to mount the bullet seating die on the ammunition press. The die housing defines a bullet receiving space having an open end. The die housing defines a side window in communication with the bullet receiving space and sized and shaped to permit the bullet to be inserted therethrough to position the bullet in the bullet receiving space. A seating stem is supported by the die housing within the bullet receiving space. The seating stem is arranged to engage the bullet to press the bullet into the case when the ammunition press is operated. A spring biases the seating stem away from the open end of the bullet receiving space so that the seating stem is positioned relative to the side window to permit the bullet to be inserted through the side window and into the bullet receiving space.

In another aspect, a method of seating a bullet in a case using an ammunition press comprises placing the bullet in a bullet receiving space of a bullet seating die mounted to the ammunition press and operating the ammunition press to seat the bullet in the case. The placing includes inserting the bullet through a side window of the bullet seating die under a seating stem biased away from a lower end of the side window. The seating stem does not need to be moved to place the bullet into the bullet receiving space.

Other objects and features of the present disclosure will be in part apparent and in part pointed out herein.

Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the drawings.

Referring to, one embodiment of a bullet seating die of the present disclosure is generally indicated by reference numeral. The bullet seating dieis used with an ammunition press, such as the ammunition pressof, to seat a bulletin a case. The bullet seating dieincludes a die housing. The die housingincludes an ammunition press mountconfigured to mount the bullet seating dieto the ammunition press. In the illustrated embodiment, the ammunition press mountcomprises external threadsfor threadably coupling the die housingto the ammunition press. The bullet seating diealso includes a lock nut or ringthreadably mountable on the threads. After the die housingis threadably mounted on the ammunition press, the lock nutcan be used to secure the bullet seating dieto the ammunition press by engaging the lock nut against the ammunition press. Other ways of mounting the bullet seating dieon the ammunition pressare within the scope of the present disclosure.

The die housingis generally elongate and has opposite first and second ends. The die housingdefines an elongate or longitudinal borehaving open ends at each end of the die housing. As will become apparent, the longitudinal borereceives various different components of the bullet seating dieand the bullet. In particular, the die housingdefines (broadly, at least partially defines) a bullet receiving space. The bullet receiving spaceis a portion of the longitudinal bore. The bullet receiving spacehas an open end (e.g., an open lower end). The casemoves through the open end and into the bullet receiving spacewhen the bulletis seated in the case. The open end of the bullet receiving spaceis generally coextensive with one of the open ends (e.g., the lower end) of the bore. In the illustrated embodiment, the die housingincludes a generally cylindrical side walldefining the bore. The die housingalso defines a side window. The side windowis in communication with the bullet receiving space(broadly, the longitudinal bore). The side windowis sized and shaped to permit the bulletto be inserted therethrough to position the bullet in the bullet receiving space. This allows the bulletto be inserted laterally into die housing, making it easier to position the bulletfor seating with the caseover conventional bullet seating dies. For example, the conventional seating dieshown inrequires an operator to balance the bulleton top of the caseto position the bullet for seating, which can be difficult.

The bullet seating dieincludes a seating stemsupported by the die housing. The seating stemis generally elongate and cylindrical. The seating stem(e.g., an end thereof) is arranged to engage the bulletto press the bullet into the casewhen the ammunition pressis operated. The seating stemresists the upward movement of the bulletto force the bullet into the casewhen the ammunition press is operated. The end (e.g., lower end) of the seating stemthat engages the bulletcan define a recess sized and shaped to receive the tip of the bullet. The seating stemis disposed in the bullet receiving space(broadly, the bore). The seating stemis positioned relative to the side windowin the die housingsuch that the seating stem does not block or otherwise inhibit the bulletfrom being inserted into the bullet receiving space. In the illustrated embodiment, the bullet seating dieincludes a springthat positions the seating stem. The springbiases the seating stemaway from the open end of the bullet receiving space(e.g., away from a lower end of the side window) so that the seating stem is positioned relative to the side window to permit the bullet to be inserted through the side window and into the bullet receiving space. The springholds the seating stemup to keep the seating stem out of the way of the bullet. The springalso allows the position of the seating stemto be adjusted, as described in more detail below.

The seating stemis positioned, via the spring, to prevent the seating stem from blocking the side windowand inhibiting the bulletfrom being inserted into the bullet receiving space. Specifically, the seating stemis positioned within the die housingsuch that the lower end of the seating stem is spaced apart by a sufficient distance from the lower end of the side windowto permit the bulletto be inserted therebetween to position the bullet in the bullet receiving space.show the seating stempositioned to create sufficient clearance to permit the bulletto be inserted through the side windowand into the bullet receiving space.shows a version of the bullet seating diewhere the die lacks a springor other element positioning the seating stemrelative to the side window such that an insufficient amount of clearance exists for inserting the bulletinto the bullet receiving space. The seating stem positioning shown inis similar to conventional bullet seating dies having a seating stem that is free floating (e.g., is free to move downward under the influence of gravity) such that a user has to manually raise the seating stem in order to be able to place the bulletin the bullet receiving space through the side window. Accordingly, it is easier to place a bulletinto the bullet receiving spaceof the bullet seating dieof the present disclosure over corresponding conventional seating dies because the user does not need to move (e.g., lift) the seating stemout of the way to create enough clearance to insert the bullet into the bullet receiving space.

Referring to, the springis operatively disposed between the seating stemand the die housing. The bullet seating dieincludes a first spring retainerand a second spring retainer. The springis disposed between and engages the first and second spring retainers,. While the springis shown in an uncompressed state in, it is understood that the spring would be compressed between the first and second spring retainers,in this figure. The first spring retaineris supported by the die housing. The first spring retainerhas a generally disk shaped bodysized and shaped to be inserted into the boreof the die housing. The die housingincludes a shoulderwithin the bore. The first spring retainer(e.g., the disk shaped body) is disposed in the boreand engages (e.g., rests on) the shoulder. The illustrated shoulderis very narrow, such as about 0.5 mm. The first spring retainer(e.g., a lower surface thereof) defines a closed end (e.g., closed upper end) of the bullet receiving space. The disk shaped bodyof the first spring retainerdefines an opening(e.g., a seating stem opening). The seating stemextends through the openingof the first spring retainer. The seating stemis slideable within the openingrelative to the first spring retainerto permit the position of the seating stem to be adjusted, as described in more detail below. One end (e.g., a first end) of the springengages the first spring retainer. In the illustrated embodiment, the disk shaped bodydefines a spring recess. The spring recessis aligned with the openingand is sized and shaped to receive the end of the spring. The second spring retaineris supported by the seating stem. In the illustrated embodiment, the second spring retainercomprises an E-clip or a C-clipmounted on the seating stem. The seating stemincludes a circumferential channel() that receives the E or C-clip. Another end (e.g., a second end) of the springengages the second spring retainer. In the illustrated embodiment, the springcomprises a coil spring. The seating stemextends through the coil spring.

Referring to, the bullet seating dieincludes a capsupported by the die housing. In particular, the capis mounted on an end of the die housing. The capincludes a seat(). The seatis arranged to engage the seating stem(e.g., an end thereof) to set the position of the seating stem relative to the die housing. The springbiases the seating stemagainst the seat. In the illustrated embodiment, the seatdefines a recesssized and shaped to receive the end the of the seating stem. The capincludes an adjuster. The adjuster is configured to move the seatrelative to the die housingto set the position of the seating stemrelative to the die housing. This allows the overall depth the bulletis seated in the caseto be adjusted. Moving the seattoward the open end of the bullet receiving space(e.g. in one direction) compresses the springand moves the seating stemtoward the open end of the bullet receiving space. This increases the depth the bulletis seated into the case. Moving the seataway from the open end of the bullet receiving space(e.g., in the opposite direction) permits the springto expand and moves the seating stemaway from the open end of the bullet receiving space. This decreases the depth the bulletis seated into the case. In the illustrated embodiment, the adjustercomprises a micrometer. The micrometeris threadably connected to the die housing. The die housingincludes external threads that engage internal threads of the micrometer. The micrometeris operatively coupled to the seatwith a fastenersuch that the seatmoves longitudinal with the micrometer as the micrometer moves longitudinally along the die housingwhen the micrometer is rotated. Rotating the micrometerin one direction (e.g., a clockwise direction) moves the seatand seating stemtoward the open end of the bullet receiving spaceand rotating the micrometer in the opposite direction (e.g., a counter-clockwise direction) moves the seat and seating stem away from the open end of the bullet receiving space. Desirably, micrometerenables precise (e.g., about 0.001 inch (about 0.025 mm)) adjustment to the seating depth of the bullet.

Referring to, the bullet seating dieincludes an alignment sleeve. The alignment sleeveis configured to guide the bulletinto the casewhen the ammunition pressis operated. The alignment sleeveis sized and shaped to be disposed within the bullet receiving spaceand to slide within the bullet receiving space. The alignment sleeveis generally cylindrical. The alignment sleeveincludes an exterior shoulderthat engages an interior shoulderof the die housingin the boreto hold the alignment sleeve within the bullet receiving spaceand prevent the alignment sleeve from sliding out of the open end of the bullet receiving space. The alignment sleevedefines an alignment lumentherethrough. The alignment lumenincludes a bullet guide sectionA, a bullet alignment sectionB, a case alignment sectionC and a case guide sectionD. The bullet guide sectionA, the bullet alignment sectionB, the case alignment sectionC and the case guide sectionD are arranged end to end from one end of the alignment sleeveto the other. The bullet guide sectionA has an inverted conical shape and guides the bulletinto the bullet alignment sectionB when the bullet is inserted into the bullet receiving space. The case guide sectionD has a conical shape and guides the caseinto the case alignment sectionC when the case is raised up into the bullet receiving die. The bullet alignment sectionB is arranged relative to the case alignment sectionC such that the bullet alignment section aligns and guides the bulletinto the casewhen the bullet is seated in the case. The alignment lumenis sized and shaped to seat a specific caliber bulletinto its corresponding specific caliber case. The bullet alignment sectionB has a diameter to match a specific caliber bullet, such as a .223 caliber bullet. Likewise, the case alignment sectionC has a diameter to match a specific caliber case(same caliber as the bullet alignment sectionB), such as a .223 caliber case. The case alignment sectionC is sized and shaped (e.g., has a height) that allows the case alignment section to receive any caseof the caliber corresponding to the caliber of the case alignment sectionC. The case alignment sectionC is also sized to receive any wall thickness of a case, as a neck of the case (the portion that accepts the bullet) can vary between cases (even the same caliber cases). This allows the bullet seating die(specifically, the alignment sleeve) to be used with any caseof a specific caliber (e.g., any .223 caliber case). It is understood, the alignment lumencan be sized and shaped for generally any caliber such as .223, .243, .257, .264, .277, .284, .308, .325, .338, etc.

The alignment sleeveincludes a bullet retainer. The bullet retaineris arranged to engage the bullet(e.g., a lower end thereof) to hold the bullet within the bullet receiving spacewhen the bullet is placed in the bullet receiving space. Without the bullet retainer, the bulletmay fall out of the bullet seating die(e.g., fall through the alignment lumen). By holding the bulletin the bullet receiving spacewith the bullet retainer, the user does not have to balance the bullet on top of a casewhen operating the ammunition press. In the illustrated embodiment, the bullet retainercomprises a cylindrical rod. In another embodiment, the bullet retainer may comprise a spring clip. The bullet retaineris resiliently biased by a bullet retainer spring. The bullet retainer springbiases the bullet retainerinto a retaining position (), where at least of portion of the bullet is disposed in the bullet alignment sectionB to engage the lower end of the bulletto hold the bullet and prevent the bullet from falling through the bullet alignment section. In the illustrated embodiment, the rodis slidably disposed within a channel. In operation, the bullet retaineris moved out of the bullet alignment sectionB by the bullet, away from the retaining position, when the bullet is pressed by the seating stem. Specifically, the bulletmoves the rodoutward along the channeland away from the retaining position when the bullet is pressed by the seating stemto move the lower end of the bullet pass the bullet retainerwhen the ammunition pressis operated. In the illustrated embodiment, the bullet retainer springcomprises an O-ring. The O-ringengages the opposite ends of the rodto bias the rod toward the retaining position.

Referring to, the bullet seating diemay be part of a bullet seating die kit. The bullet seating die kitincludes the bullet seating die, a plurality of different alignment sleeves, and a plurality of different seating stems. The plurality of alignment sleevesare all interchangeable with one another in the bullet seating die. Likewise, the plurality of seating stemsare also all interchangeable with one another in the bullet seating die. In the illustrated embodiment, the bullet seating die kitincludes a .224 caliber alignment sleeveA, a .243 caliber alignment sleeveB, a .257 caliber alignment sleeveC, a .264 caliber alignment sleeveD, a .277 caliber alignment sleeveE, a .284 caliber alignment sleeveF, a .308 caliber alignment sleeveG (shown in the bullet receiving spaceof the die housing), a .325 caliber alignment sleeveH, and a .338 caliber alignment sleeve. More or fewer alignment sleeves and/or other caliber alignment sleeves are within the scope of the present disclosure. By selecting (e.g., interchanging) a desired caliber alignment sleeveA-I, the bullet seating diecan be configured for a specific caliber of bullet. In addition, in the illustrated embodiment, the bullet seating die kitincludes a short-length seating stemA (shown mounted in the die housing), a medium-length seating stemB, and a long-length seating stemC. More or fewer seating stems and/or other lengths of seating stems are within the scope of the present disclosure. Bulletsand casescome in different lengths (even for the same caliber). The different length seating stemsA-C enable the bullet seating dieto be configured to match the length of bulletand/or casebeing seated together in order to properly set the depth the bullet is seated in the case. For example, a 2.2 inch long case requires a different configuration then a 3.3 inch long case. By selecting a seating stemA-C of a specific length, the desired seating depth can be achieved. It is understood that the adjusteris used for more fine tune adjustments than interchanging seating stemsA-C of different lengths allows (e.g., selecting a seating stem of a specific length allows for large scale adjustments). The seating stemsA-C are configured to be used with multiple caliber bullets (e.g., the seating stems are not caliber specific). For example, the taper at the end of the medium-length and long-length seating stemsB-C enables these seating stems to be used with different (e.g., smaller) caliber alignment sleevesA-I and their corresponding bullets. The bullet seating die kitmay include a box or casefor housing the components (e.g., bullet seating die, alignment sleevesA-I, seating stemsA-C) of the kit.

To change out the seating stemand/or alignment sleeveof the bullet seating die, a user removes the capfrom the end of the die housing. The user unscrews the adjusterfrom the end of the die housing. This opens up the end of the boreand allows the seating stem, the spring, the first spring retainer, and the alignment sleeveto be removed from the bore. The seating stem, the spring, the first spring retainer, and the alignment sleevecan all slide out of the borethrough the end previous closed by the cap(e.g., the end opposite the open end of the bullet receiving space). After the seating stemand the alignment sleeveare removed from the die housing, the user can interchange the existing seating stem and/or alignment sleeve with another (e.g., different size) seating stem and/or alignment sleeve, respectively, as desired to configure the bullet seating dieto the desired caliber and size of the bulletand the casethat are being seated together. To reassemble the bullet seating die, the user inserts the desired alignment sleeve(e.g., one of alignment sleevesA-I), case guide sectionD first, into the boreof the die housing. The alignment sleeveslides down the boreand engages the shoulderof the die housing, positioning the alignment sleeve in the bullet receiving space. After, the user inserts the first spring retainerand then the springinto to the boreof the die housing. Then, the user inserts the desired seating stem(e.g., one of seating stemsA-C) into the boreof the die housing, making sure the seating stem is aligned with the openingin the first spring retainer so that the seating stem slides therein. Lastly, the user reattaches the capto the end of the die housing. The user screws the adjusteronto the end of the die housing. The bullet seating diecan then be mounted onto the ammunition press (if not already).

A method of seating a bulletin a caseusing the bullet seating diewill now be described. The user configures the bullet seating dieby selecting the appropriate alignment sleeveand/or seating stemfor the bulletand caseto be seated or loaded. The user installs the selected alignment sleeveand/or seating steminto the die housingas described herein. After the bullet seating dieis assembled, the user mounts the bullet seating dieon the ammunition press, as described herein. The bullet seating diecan then be adjusted to set the desired depth of the bulletin the case. The user actuates the adjuster(e.g., rotates the micrometer) to adjust the position of (e.g., move) the seating stemrelative to the die housingto set the seating depth of the bulletin the case. Now the ammunition pressis ready to seat a bulletin a case. The user puts the casein the ammunition press. The user also places the bulletin the bullet receiving space. The bulletis inserted through the side windowand into the bullet receiving space. The user inserts the bulletunder the seating stem, which is biased away from the lower end of the side window. Because the seating stemis held up or biased by the spring, the user does not need to move the seating stem in order to place the bulletinto the bullet receiving space. This makes placing the bulletin the bullet receiving spaceeasier over conventional seating dies. When the bulletis in the bullet receiving space, the bullet retainerengages the bullet to hold the bullet in the bullet receiving space. With the bulletpositioned in the bullet seating die, the user then operates the ammunition press. The ammunition pressmay include a lever the user turns to operate the ammunition press. When the ammunition pressis operated, the caseis raised by the press toward the bulletin the bullet seating die. As the caseis raised, the upper end of the case moves into the alignment sleeve(e.g., the case alignment sectionC). The caseengages the alignment sleeveand pushes the alignment sleeve and bulletupward within the bullet receiving spacetoward the seating stem. Eventually, the nose of bulletengages the end (e.g., lower end) of the seating stem, thereby preventing any further upward movement of the bullet. Continued upward movement of the caseand the alignment sleeveby the ammunition pressseats the bulletin the case. The engagement of the bulletwith the seating stemprevents further upward movement of the bullet so that as the press continues to move the caseand alignment sleeveupward, the bullet deflects the bullet retainerand is pushed into the case. The ammunition pressis continued to be operated until the caseis raised to its upper most point, which seats the bulletin the case at the seating depth. The ammunition pressis then operated to lower the case. As the caseis lowered, the case brings the now seated bulletwith the case and the case and bullet withdraw from the alignment sleeve. The alignment sleeverests at the bottom of the die housing, ready to receive the next bullet from the side window. The user removes the seated bulletand casefrom the ammunition pressand then repeats the process with the next bullet and case.

When introducing elements of the present disclosure or the preferred embodiments(s) thereof, the articles “a”, “an”, “the” and “said” are intended to mean that there are one or more of the elements. The terms “comprising”, “including” and “having” are intended to be inclusive and mean that there may be additional elements other than the listed elements.

It will be apparent that modifications and variations are possible without departing from the scope defined in the appended claims.

As various changes could be made in the above constructions and methods without departing from the scope of the disclosure, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description and shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.