7mm RM Hornady die setup

[Bran743]

Howdy folks. I was setting up a set of Hornady FL reloading dies for my 7mm RM and I screwed the sizing die down so it touched the shell holder just before the handle on my press breaks over. I set the decapping pin and tried to size the first case (once fired Hornady) but to my surprise the case won't go all the way into the die. It stops with about 1/2" or so of the case sticking left sticking out of the die.

I setup a set of 204 dies and did not have this issue. I'm fairly new to reloading so I'm not sure if I'm doing something wrong or if it is a problem with the die.

Any feedback would be appreciated.

Thanks

-Brandon

 

[Bran743]

I tried some brand new WIN Brass and it went all the way up. I'm guessing the problem lies within the chamber of my rifle. Unless I'm wrong there isn't really any way to fix it other than to just put a new barrel on it and have it re-chambered?

-Brandon

 

[dok7mm]

If your rifle is a shooter, the Larry Willis Collet Die will solve your problem and a lot cheaper than a rebarrel. It is made to reduce the lower 1/3 or so of belted magnum cases. I have used them on 7RM and 7STW for years and it never fails. One die does most all belted magnums and it has a case gauge on one end to check if your cases need resized at all. A super product and Larry is more than helpful.

 

[Bran743]

Oh that's great. I wasn't looking forward to doing a rebarrel since the rifle shoots so well anyway. Thanks!

-Brandon

 

[dok7mm]

Brandon, you are most welcome. I'm sure one of the other shooters would have got around to telling you about Larry's die. It is a very common problem with belted magnums and thousands of shooters owe Larry a big thank-you for his inventive mind. Good Luck, David

 

[jjmp]

Read read read about reloading, or have a friend teach you ,reading costs nothing makes everything easier,way to many things to even guess what you did right or not , Sierra has a 1-800 help line ,but reading is still your best fix! Good luck jjmp

 

[AZShooter]

Some questions:

Have you lubed the case?
Did you try some force to make the brass enter the FL die?

You should start with some space between the bottom of the die and the shell holder. The idea is to size the brass as little as possible to fit the rifle's chamber.

Start with a gap, size brass, wipe off and try in the rifle's chamber. It most likely won't fit. Lower the die a 1/4 turn and try again. This may take several tries but eventually the die will size the brass enough so you can close the bolt with a tiny bit of resistance or with no resistance, your choice.

Never size past the point of easy bolt closure as you will be over working the brass. This will cause more brass to flow towards the case mouth which will require more frequent trimming. Continued over sizing will eventually early case failure with head separation a dangerous situation with hot high pressure gasses venting inside the chamber possibly exiting towards the shooter.