redding competition dies, "bushings".

[longshotjimmy]

I'm looking to get the redding competion 3 die set in 7mm RUM, can anyone tell me what bushings I need to get for this, they say to measure the outside of a loaded round and subtract .002 or something, I dont have any loaded rounds tho so how do I figure that one? also they have nitrade and steel bushings, what is the advantage/disadvantage of these?
Are these fancy dies worth the money?

[MagMan]

also they have nitrade and steel bushings, what is the advantage/disadvantage of these?

You don't have to lube case necks when sizing with the nitrate bushings.

[Petersen]

You do need to have one loaded first to be exact. Unless someone has any tricks they would like to share.

[Winchester 69]

1. Get the average thickness of the brass in the neck (~0.015"?).
2. Double it.
3. Add the bullet diameter.
4. Subtract the neck tension (0.002" to 0.005").

The final number is the bushing size.

The TiN bushings don't wear and make the sizing operation easier. Lube is still recommended, but is not absolutely necessary.

The bushing dies are a simple way to minimize the extent to which the necks are worked while providing a means to control neck tension. They also eliminate the negative effects of the expander ball, if you remove the expander ball from the bushing die (recommended). If your brass must be sized more than 0.005" in a single operation, which will contribute to neck run-out, you have the option to size in two steps.
.

[longshotjimmy]

sounds fidly, do they sell the bushings as a complete set with all the sizes, or should I get 3 or so, can anyone tell me what size I should get or will redding be able to tell me?

[LRHWAL]

Originally Posted by Winchester 69

If your brass must be sized more than 0.005" in a single operation, which will contribute to neck run-out, you have the option to size in two steps.
.

Agreed, but in fact you may have to size in 2 or more steps. I'm not sure if other dies can size more without causing the runout. I've mailed Redding's Techline and will post once I have a reply and their suggestions and I also intend to try a few other ideas that I have.

I'm getting very high runouts with bushing dies, but am sizing 10 thou (0.010") as my Winnie brass is very thin for my factory spec chamber. I tried sizing down in 2 steps 0.340 fired case outside dimension, sized with a 0.334 and then a 0.330 and still had runout unacceptably high.

I'm not knocking the dies to be clear, just sharing my experience.

[Williamb]

Best way to get your answer is to call Redding and ask for tech support. Excellent people to talk to. Jay usually answers the phone - very knowledgeable. They are all very patient and will walk you through the whole process.

I have had excellent results with the die.

Good luck -