17 Hornet - Redding Seating Die Issue

[MickMiller]

Well, here's hoping some of you guys can get to the bottom of this for me.

Way back in January I ordered all my dies for 17HH, I got a form & trim die, a neck sizing die, decapping die and a two-die set of FL sizing and seating dies.

Now, all the dies are labelled '17 Hornet' and, I'm guessing, 17AH would be a custom and expensive special order. So, I assume I have the right dies in everything. In a break with my better judgement and after reading the threads on here (not blaming anyone!) I didn't buy my usual choice of Hornady (due to the 'vent hole' issue) and opted for Redding, in everything 17H related.

Now, after seating my FF loads long at 1.450" I thought everything was good.

Fast forward 8 months and here I am trying seat a 20gn vmax to book spec. Which, in 17HH, is given as 1.710" COL. here's the problem, my Redding seating die bottoms out at 1.740" - 0.030 short of book max length in 17HH with a 20gn vmax pill.

I've tried a Lee shell holder, I've tried a Redding shell holder, I've read and re-read those instructions a dozen times but, nope, it's a non-starter. That's the deepest I can seat a bullet!

Question is: anyone else noticed this? Is there a fix without resorting to chucking the component parts of the die on a lathe? And, finally, why would Redding make a die that does this? Surely they's should have made it to seat a little too deep, you know, so the user had a range they could seat a bullet at.

Given that Hornady designed around a case which is trimmed to 1.340" and shoots a 20gn pill seated at 1.710" isn't it a given that a die set should at the very least be able to achieve that?

Also, one last thing of note. My die set has a yellow label that states 17 HORNET. Yet, the images I see online state 17 H HORNET. Have I got the right dies here?

[l h jenkins]

call redding customer service.

[MickMiller]

Not back till the 15th! So, I wondered whether anyone else had had a problem.

[csterner]

I see you got on! Welcome Mick!

I can't remember if my 17AH dies are RCBS or Redding. I'll check when I get home.

In the meantime, check to see if your part numbers match any of these. If not, you likely have 17 Ackley Hornet dies.

"Part numbers for these new die sets are: 80279 for the Standard two die set, 84279 for the Deluxe set and 11014 for the Shellholder."

[MickMiller]

I did indeed get on! (thanks to yourself and Alex - it's been a long wait, but worth it).

[csterner]

Mine are RCBS...no help here.

[stubblejumper]

My 17 Hornet dies are Redding, and I am having no issues at all seating bullets to the COL that I desire.

[trotterlg]

What function does not let you seat the bullet deeper?

[x32030]

I H Jenkins has the correct answer, they have the solution. I had the same trouble. Dave

[MickMiller]

Trotterig - the seating stem bottoms out in the die body with the base of the die touching the case holder. No further adjustment is possible.

x32030 - Okay, is the solution not for public consumption or can you enlighten me without an expensive UK to USA call to Redding customer service? The store I bought them from is making sympathetic noises but I did buy these 8 months ago!