Blacki,

  Basically breech seating is inserting the bullet into the rifling ahead of the case. This distance is usually from 1/32" to 1/16", altho it's not engraved in stone. Depending on the throat and barrel wear I've heard of seating depths of up to 1/2".

  The idea is to put it far enuf forward that the base band is engraved about 1/2 it's length.

  There are several ways of accomplishing this depending on how the throat of your rifle is set up.

  If your rifle is throated especially for breech seating then there are two ways of doing this. The easiest is to use what is called a "plugged case". All this is is a cartridge case with a brass or wooden insert that extends the required distance in front of the case to properly seat the bullet into the rifling. If a different seating depth is wanted then a different plug is used. It is used by putting the bullet into the chamber, then the plugged case, and closing the action behind it. Of course this method would require a gun that has some amount of camming action. The other method calls for what's known as a hand seater. This is a tool that you can insert the bullet into and then insert into the chamber. With a push of the hand it will seat the bullet. It usually is set up so that different seating depths can be used.

  If you have a rifle with a "standard" throat, or one not espcially set up for breech seating then a mechanical seater is needed. As the name implies it is a tool that will mechanically seat the bullet. It has the advantage that the leverage of it will push the bullet into the throat where the other methods can't. It is made up similar to the hand seater except that it will have a protrusion on the side that can be rotated into the breech block well and a pivoting handle moved forward to push the bullet into the throat.

  This is probably not a very good explanation and if you're still confused I can set up a web page with a picture of all three which would "explain" things a lot easier.

PETE

Blacki,

  Ok! Here's a web page to show what each looks like.

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  The top seater is the hand seater. As you can see behind the case are a coupla lock nuts so the seating depth can be adjusted to whatever depth you like. The reason for the offset of the main rod is so that it can be used with a scope. This is a home made seater I made many years ago. Kind of a knock-off of an Ideal seater they used to sell in the early 1900's.
 
  The middle seater is the plug seater. It might be hard to see but just in front of the case you should be able to see a wooden plug. This of course will shove the bullet into the throat ahead of the case. This is a seater that came with the Schoyen/Ballard mentioned in my other posts.

  The bottom seater is the mechanical seater. You can't see it but the rod just behind the case has a hole thru it that can be turned to adjust the seating depth. This is a seater made by Willis Gregory...... Singleshot on here. This is also used for the Schoyen/Ballard.

  As to whether a breech seater can be used with all single shots?....... It can be with all lever types like the Win. High/Low Wall, Ballards, and Stevens 44's & 44 1/2's. I'm not familiar with ALL types of SS's so would hesitate to say a breech seater can be used for all of them. Probably so but it might take some pretty creative work to be able to use a mechanical. If you'd care to throat a barrel out for the hand or plug seater I'd imagine you could. But this is just a guess on my part so don't take it as gospel.

PETE

Chuck,

  I'll defer to someone who does use a breech seater on a RB, but offhand I can't see why not. I have seen guns with studs in the side of the frame and a "tuning fork" sort of looking arrangement used as the leverage point. Also the rear scope base can be extended back over the receiver as a hook up point. With a little imagination probably a few other ways could be thought up.

PETE

Blacki;
In Charlie Dell's book, "The Modern Schuetzen Rifle" a picture (or drawing) of a breech seater for a Remington Rolling Block is in the breech seating section.

I can recommend Dell's book to anyone who has even a slight interest in Schuetzen shooting.

If you would like, send me an e-mail message at:

rmcgee6@cinci.rr.com

and I will try to scan a picture and send it to you.

Dale53

FWIW I have just completed the final draft of part II of the breech seating article, and I believe Editor DWS is waiting on it as part of the next issue of the journal after the currently printing one.  I will try to keep everyone informed.

GF~Charlie

Blacki.

While you always hear you should not leave any air space between the black powder and the bullet in fact B/S loads often do have air space.   What is a potential problem for a 58 cal musket or old round ball gun is not an issue with a modern steel heavy barrel rifle in one of the small Schuetzen calibers. 

The bullet depth is up to you and most methods of seating have some adjustablity.  The old push seaters generaly screw in and out of the handle allowing for adjustment.  A plugged case can be filed down and most toggle seaters are screw adjustable.

You can seat the bullet so the case just touches it and the black load with wad on top comes into contact with the bullets base. This is certainly how you should start.  But seating the bullet further into the rifleing and leaving some slight airspace between the wad and bullet is an option and could improve accucary

Friend of mine who shoots long range with a 45/70 and needs more powder than the case will hold rolls a combustable tube and puts it in the case so it extends above the case mouth about 3/16 inch.  Then hand crimps it like a shotgun shell and puts it under his previously breech seated bullet. It gives him the powder capacity of a 45/90 and still allows for breach seating.

The thing about breech seating is it's all up to you

Boats

Blacki,

     The good news is that the May/Jun issue is imminent.  The bad news is that Pt II is scheduled for the Jul/Aug issue.  The only good part about that is that it will come as quickly as the editor can get it turned around.  Look for, hopefully, 4 issues before the first of the year.  Meanwhile, be aware that even in the height of the BP cartridge schuetzen days, shooters like Pope and others used the breech seating or breech muzzle loading WITH the gap AND in soft steel barrels with no ill effects.  As to the seating depth, you will want to go deep enough to fully seal in the throat and to clear the case mouth so it does not damage the bullet base.

HTH, the Frog