308 military brass

Don't waste your money on a small base die unless you're into AR stuff. Small base dies will just result in looser fit in your chamber and accuracy will suffer

I think you need to tell that to my "70's Rem 700. I has about 9000rds through the barrel and will still do a 1/4", 5rd group when I do my part. All ammo sized with small base dies.
 
Thanks to Dogface 368 and Wrenches. I have begun to use a SB die for our son's Browning .270 BAR. Hitherto, I've just used standard base RCBS dies for that. He hasn't tested the new rounds yet to see whether he notices a difference. When preparing LC brass for my old Remington .308, I've been doing the same as Wrenches, except that I use a Lee Universal decapping die, swage with a lever-operated RCBS swaged, and uniform the pocket with a Sinclair device. I do appreciate all you thoughtfulness and the
courtesy of your recommendations.
 
Your right. The spray is not good in this situation. I use STP on an ink pad. Lucas also has a very thick lubricant for cars engines that will also work.
I've heard good things about several auto lubes and Imperial wax. But, when I picked up my RCBS gear about 40 years ago, I also got some RCBS Case Lube and I'm still using it. Maybe not the latest and the best, and it's slow, but it still works for me.
 
Except for extreme applications like this, Hornady One Shot does everything and is far less messy than pads and gooey lubes.

Also dipping the neck in dry lube is a good idea.
 
I tend to use a SB Xdie now days for my Bula xm21 that has a tight chamber. The SB die seems to avoid the occasional misfire due to not being fully seated and bolt mugs locked.
I own a Rock River LAR-8, and two Navy Trophy Rifles, Plus Six Navy conversion M1's all in 7.62 X 51. Never needed a SB die for any reason. In my opinion SB die over work the brass and shorten it's life. Same goes for all the AR-15 the wife and I own. I do not own any SB dies nor have I ever needed one.
the nice thing about using a SB die for semi auto , specifically the RCBS SB X die is you only have to trim the first time. The brass won't grow beyond where you set the mandrel.

Not having to trim , then Cham / debur is the reason I like the SB X die for my M14/21/25's.
 
I haven't seen any performance difference between using a FL vs SB die for semi auto's.
I personally toss those brass after it's 4th reload (5th firing).
But there are those I know that go 8 reloads.
So I don't know about brass longevity factors with SB dies and semi auto's .
 
I tend to use a SB Xdie now days for my Bula xm21 that has a tight chamber. The SB die seems to avoid the occasional misfire due to not being fully seated and bolt mugs locked.

the nice thing about using a SB die for semi auto , specifically the RCBS SB X die is you only have to trim the first time. The brass won't grow beyond where you set the mandrel.

Not having to trim , then Cham / debur is the reason I like the SB X die for my M14/21/25's.
I only have Full Length dies for all of my cartridges. I have Wilson case gauges and I run all my resized brass through them. Never have found one that would not fit the case gauge. This is 60 plus years of reloading. I also shoot several Smith Enterprise's forged M-14s rifles and never a problem. I also own and shoot many M1's in 30-06 and 7.62 Navy conversions. Never needed a SB die for any reason, and never called for an alibi in any match, sanctioned or not, due to a round not chambering. SB dies over work the brass, and are not needed when FL dies size the brass to perfectly fit SAAMI case gauges. Save your money and buy regular FL dies.
 
I only have Full Length dies for all of my cartridges. I have Wilson case gauges and I run all my resized brass through them. Never have found one that would not fit the case gauge. This is 60 plus years of reloading. I also shoot several Smith Enterprise's forged M-14s rifles and never a problem. I also own and shoot many M1's in 30-06 and 7.62 Navy conversions. Never needed a SB die for any reason, and never called for an alibi in any match, sanctioned or not, due to a round not chambering. SB dies over work the brass, and are not needed when FL dies size the brass to perfectly fit SAAMI case gauges. Save your money and buy regular FL dies.
What full length die do you use for your M-14? I've been using Forster FL but was thinking of trying RCBS.

I find that cases that drop into wilson gauges will not drop always into a Sheridan gauge.
The Sheridan is Saami spec for case diameter.
The wilson doesn't check case body diameter.
And that open cut Sheridan gauge shows you exactly where the issue is.
And it's that extra bit that can cause an issue with some tight m14 chambers.
But every chamber is different. Some guys never have issues. My Bula xm21 is tight and I need that extra room for that particular Rifle. Probably just a result of getting chambers tighter for greater accuracy with rifles designed for battle, not accuracy.
 
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What full length die do you use for your M-14? I've been using Forster FL but was thinking of trying RCBS.

I find that cases that drop into wilson gauges will not drop always into a Sheridan gauge. And that open cut Sheridan gauge shows you exactly where the issue is.
And it's that extra bit that can cause an issue with some tight m14 chambers. But every chamber is different. Some guys never have issues. My Bula xm21 is tight and I need that extra room for that particular Rifle. Probably just a result of getting chambers tighter for greater accuracy with rifles designed for battle, not accuracy.
I use Redding dies. I chamber my own barrels for my M-14 rifles and I use a JGS built Palma spec reamer for chambers which are very tight in both body and throat areas.
 
From what I remember from years ago, the Small Base resizing die was recommended when you are reloading for Browning BAR rifles, and lever action rifles. I am not sure why, because the regular sizing die is supposed to resize the fired case back to factory unfired dimensions, which should chamber in most rifles anyway. If you can't get a new cartridge to chamber in your gun, you have more problems than needing a small base die. That's in most cases anyway, YMMV
 
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