Lyman LVD Chamfer reamer

During home loading boattailed bullets are simple to seat, as their shape allows them to sit squarely in the mouth of the case, prior to being pushed into place by the seating die. However, loading rounds with flat-based bullets can be very challenging at times! 22 Hornet, for instance, has a neck made from very thin brass and can easily distort when seating bullets, and flat based bullets, such as 40-grain Nosler Varmageddon, can be very difficult to position in the mouth. Bullets can tip to the side and end up being forced into the case incorrectly, ruining the brass and bullet. Chamfering the case mouth with a conventional chamfer tool can help, but the abrupt 45-degree taper isn’t ideal. Luckily, there are better tools available.

The simplest is Lyman’s ‘VLD Chamfer Reamer’, designed to help seat ‘Very Low Drag’ bullets. It cuts a 22-degree chamfer in the case mouth, via six hardened cutting edges and is fitted with a soft grip plastic handle. A few twists produce a taper in the brass, but trial and error are required to obtain the correct depth of cut.

More advanced (but also more expensive) is K&M’s ‘Controlled Depth Taper Reamer’, which has ‘depth control fingers’ that can be adjusted to provide just the right amount of taper every time. A steel rod passes through the primer flash hole, to centralise the cutter, for more uniform results. It cuts a shallower, 8-degree chamfer. Two versions are available: .17-inch- 6mm and 6mm-.338-inch.