Splitting Redding Dies ??

[Kiwi Greg]

I have split three Redding 338 Lapua Magnum dies.
Two normal FL dies & one body die.
The last one split with the FIRST case I tried to size.
It was lubed & require little force & when it was just about to push the primer out it went "Click" & that was that.
I don't know when I split the others which was why I was being careful with this one.
It was sizing Norma brass.
I need to put them through a body die as they are hard to chamber just using my bushing neck die.
The Lapua brass hasn't been a problem & only needs neck sizing.
The Norma load is probably a little strong but the primer pockets are fine ?

Does anybody have any ideas why this has happened ?

 

[Trickymissfit]

I have split three Redding 338 Lapua Magnum dies.
Two normal FL dies & one body die.
The last one split with the FIRST case I tried to size.
It was lubed & require little force & when it was just about to push the primer out it went "Click" & that was that.
I don't know when I split the others which was why I was being careful with this one.
It was sizing Norma brass.
I need to put them through a body die as they are hard to chamber just using my bushing neck die.
The Lapua brass hasn't been a problem & only needs neck sizing.
The Norma load is probably a little strong but the primer pockets are fine ?

Does anybody have any ideas why this has happened ?

two things to think about:

* sounds like the dies have a bad heat treat from the factory. I'd like to examine the splits with a manifying glass and a Rockwell tester. Sounds like the steel went thru a bad quench, or was never drawn back (could also have subbed a piece of 1045 bar stock)

* I don't see this as the problem, but thought I run it thru the thread. For the last five or six years there's been a lot of back door talk about the typical 7/8-14 die being too small in diameter, and there have been some test done to prove this out. All the testing I've seen done was with large diameter strait walled cases (like 50-110 and .300 Weatherby). It seems that the die body was moving under pressure (must have had a good heat treat), and even stretching a little bit (elastic in that it comes back when pressure is relieved). With a piece of die stock (A-2, O-6 , or S-5 you getting a very fine granular structure that will be anywhere from 57 to 64RC unless it's drawn back. Any of these steels at above 55RC will not give much! Tobe exact without a proper heat treat, I doubt you could do .003" elasticity in the metal.

I would return the dies directly to Redding. The dealer probably will not have anything but an elementry education when it comes to metalurgy. But alas I also feel for your pain in having to argue with Redding cause these clowns don't make mistakes (just ask them). When you return the dies also send of few once fired and unsized cases with them so they can bust some more of their dies on their own pocket book
gary