I am enjoying this thread, its great to review these principles from time to time and great help for the new reloader. In our part of the country one of the gurus is German Salazar, publishes a web based magazine on Shooting and here is a link to his article on this exact question. His approach is covered in this thread, but might help a new reloader get it all organized in the cabeza. ( head for you non arizonans)The Rifleman's Journal: Reloading: Headspace
Adjusting Die to Chamber?
- Thread starter Autorotate19
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4xforfun
Well-Known Member
I have some of the most expensive measuring tools avaliable from the best mfgrs. I quit using them for headspace purposes.
Here is my method.......no measuring. (I used to check my results against the reading off of the measuring tools, but don't even bother any more.
Take some once fired casees.
Take your bolt apart.....down to the bare bolt. Set you gun in your cleaning cradle.
Turn your FL die OUT a bunch of turns so in isn't close to the shell holder and size a case. Try and chamber the case.....it should not fit, or be very tight. Keep adjusting the die down untill you can just close the bolt with a little effort. Adjust the die in just a touch and try chamber it.
I keep adjusting untill I can push the bolt forward and it will close (fall) about 1/2 way down on the case by gravity alone. Just fall to the 1/2 way point. Just a very light touch with a finger will close the bolt the rest of the way. I will do 2 or 3 this way just to be sure.
Now set your lock ring on the die so it will never move.
YOU ARE DONE.....FOREVER!!!!
This has translated into about .0015 to .002 sholder bump, as measured by the "standard" method.
Now, to be honest, I actualy prefer to neck size most of the time on my hunting rigs. But when it comes time to FL this is the method. I do FL all of my brass for my 1K BR rifles.
Good luck.
Here is my method.......no measuring. (I used to check my results against the reading off of the measuring tools, but don't even bother any more.
Take some once fired casees.
Take your bolt apart.....down to the bare bolt. Set you gun in your cleaning cradle.
Turn your FL die OUT a bunch of turns so in isn't close to the shell holder and size a case. Try and chamber the case.....it should not fit, or be very tight. Keep adjusting the die down untill you can just close the bolt with a little effort. Adjust the die in just a touch and try chamber it.
I keep adjusting untill I can push the bolt forward and it will close (fall) about 1/2 way down on the case by gravity alone. Just fall to the 1/2 way point. Just a very light touch with a finger will close the bolt the rest of the way. I will do 2 or 3 this way just to be sure.
Now set your lock ring on the die so it will never move.
YOU ARE DONE.....FOREVER!!!!
This has translated into about .0015 to .002 sholder bump, as measured by the "standard" method.
Now, to be honest, I actualy prefer to neck size most of the time on my hunting rigs. But when it comes time to FL this is the method. I do FL all of my brass for my 1K BR rifles.
Good luck.
Last edited:
milanuk
Well-Known Member
whoops.
I find this a very interesting and useful debate.
I personally use the 4xforfun method, with the addition of the Hornady headspace gauges.
I find them necessary for checking what I am doing and saving time.
First of all, it is useful for a more immediate setting of the FL die on the press in the position giving .0015-.002 bump.
Besides, as everybody knows, it may happen that some cases are harder than the average of the batch and they do not bump the same way.
When it happens, I check this or these cases with the gauge and caliper in order to understand how much I must lower the FL die on the press.
I mark the position of the die on both die and press, so that I can easily change its point of work and recover it after sizing the harder cases with no problem.
A last word concerning the belted calibers: I have been handloading 7 mmRM and 300WM for some buddies since years and sometimes it's a fight.
This is true not only with the oversized chambers of production rifles, but even with custom models.
Apparently - and fortunately - it seems that the world understood that the belt on a bottleneck case is a technical and ballistic nonsense, after the .375H&H.
But here I stop: I don't want to open a further debate on the belted calibers.
Good shooting!
lightbulb
I personally use the 4xforfun method, with the addition of the Hornady headspace gauges.
I find them necessary for checking what I am doing and saving time.
First of all, it is useful for a more immediate setting of the FL die on the press in the position giving .0015-.002 bump.
Besides, as everybody knows, it may happen that some cases are harder than the average of the batch and they do not bump the same way.
When it happens, I check this or these cases with the gauge and caliper in order to understand how much I must lower the FL die on the press.
I mark the position of the die on both die and press, so that I can easily change its point of work and recover it after sizing the harder cases with no problem.
A last word concerning the belted calibers: I have been handloading 7 mmRM and 300WM for some buddies since years and sometimes it's a fight.
This is true not only with the oversized chambers of production rifles, but even with custom models.
Apparently - and fortunately - it seems that the world understood that the belt on a bottleneck case is a technical and ballistic nonsense, after the .375H&H.
But here I stop: I don't want to open a further debate on the belted calibers.
Good shooting!
lightbulb
