Larry Willis collet die

victor3ranger said:

The very first brass that I ran across that needed the Willis die was many years ago and it was Browning head stamped 7RM that had been fired from a Browning rifle.

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I haven't had the problems in my Ruger Mark 11 nor my 308 NM either. i kind of wonder it the Browning was the one maybe giving the problem. my rifle are either Mauser, or Rem action. Only one post 70 Winchester.
I have 4 on order, and haven't seem them yet.

When did you order them?

Fullbore92 said:

When did you order them?

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Feb 13 2024.

Yeah that's a good amount of time to wait. I just looked at an email I had sent Innovative Technologies in the beginning of January and they said that they were "ramping up production in the next week and fulfilling backlogged orders then they would be able to catch up on remaining orders quickly" I know you're not the only one that's waiting.

Fullbore92 said:

Yeah that's a good amount of time to wait. I just looked at an email I had sent Innovative Technologies in the beginning of January and they said that they were "ramping up production in the next week and fulfilling backlogged orders then they would be able to catch up on remaining orders quickly" I know you're not the only one that's waiting.

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I think that I read somewhere here if the orders were increased, the prodution time would be shorten. i guess that didn't work.

Often, a small base sizer will eliminate the need for a Collet sizer, at least in the 7 Mags I have owned. Also, If you own a 7 STW, go on the hunt for a RCBS small base sizer, they are worth their weight in gold.

VinceMule said:

Often, a small base sizer will eliminate the need for a Collet sizer, at least in the 7 Mags I have owned. Also, If you own a 7 STW, go on the hunt for a RCBS small base sizer, they are worth their weight in gold.

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Vince: I never really undetstood small base sizer die's are and used. I see it being talked about or written about. Petty bad for reloading for 63 years now.
Presently I am able to get to any of his empty fired case to check the sizing. I use feel that the case were not size correctly to start with. Now I feel that the case isn't being sized near the base of the case. When I get back up there I'll check out the cases and see what's up.
I have order out the dies in Feb, and paid for them. The worst of it is, I am having to do a lot of traveling this spring. So I 'll beomg taken away from my first love. Reloading!
O'well hurry up and wait.

I found that in 7 Rem Mag, the RCBS full length sizers stamped '79 or previous on the top of the die were very small in dimension, but not a small base die. You can converse with ebay sellers concerning the date stamp on the top of the die.

Two instances where I use small base sizers:

A. when I buy used brass, fired on another rifle. All my Lake City 5.56 brass used, is small base sized to avoid problems.

B. Brass fired in a custom rifle of mine where the reamer spec is "tight" compared to brass dimension, this would be considered a Match reamer by some standards. As the brass gets work hardened in the web, the brass springs back and will give the impression that it can not be sized. The solution to the work hardened brass is to size the dimension smaller to allow for the "spring back".

The top of a 7 Rem mag small base sizer die can be cut off and used to size the web on 7 STW brass, carbide part off tool used in the lathe cuts the hardened dies like butter.

VinceMule said:

Often, a small base sizer will eliminate the need for a Collet sizer, at least in the 7 Mags I have owned. Also, If you own a 7 STW, go on the hunt for a RCBS small base sizer, they are worth their weight in gold.

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That's what I was getting at in my original post ( #61). It doesn't have to be a small base sizer for an STW, it can be a small base sizer for a 300 Wea, 340 Wea, 8mm Rem mag and so on. The best if you could find it would probably be a small base die for the 458 Win mag. Even standard dies in these calibers work often. Remove the internals in these dies and size the base with no worry of pushing the shoulder too much. I have a Willis die and it works fine . I only discovered the other die options after I purchased the Willis die and they work just as good with less work and cost. JME

Sometimes I dumber that a rock. I don't see it. You standard die is set up to resized the entire case including the shoulder, and neck at one time. Even by remoring the decapping rod assemble out. it would still size the neck and and shoulder down, and not sure if you hit the case ajust above the belt to size it. I do have a couple Redding bushing die that it may work without a bushing in it to complete the sizing at the base.
I hadn't come across this problem until my sons 338WM Browning bolt action. That where a problem starting to show up. I wasn't sure as to why either. I do better understand how to determine of one possible problem and where to measure it at.
The one thing I have here in Mexico-North was a Redding 338 WM type S bushing die. You may still need to have somebody do some machine work to remove the shoulder back some. Or that what I feel. Like I say sometimes I am dumber than a rock.

88mustang said:

I'm in the need of a Larry Willis collet die
I go to the website and it say backorder!

What is everybody opinion on this die for belted mag

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It works. Great for extending the case life on 7mm-300 mag, 8mm rem mag and 338 Jarrett

If you are having issues with your
Belted cases size one and mic it just above the belt. Then look at what it should be, it's likely bigger. That is what the Willis die takes care of. Simply your FL die will not. Don't like it or happy with what you are doing keep at it. I'll keep using my Willis die.

It is a "solution" that doesn't really have a problem. As you can see, it isn't exactly common knowledge that one is needed. I have sized hundreds of rounds of belted brass for 338 and 7mag and never had a need to size differently than any other piece of brass. One reply above alludes to brass that had been shot in a larger chamber initially and his sizing die would not allow him to fit a new, tight chamber. If he had new brass this would not have been an issue. Others that have mentioned this die seem to think it is needed, but offer no real evidence. My Colt Light Rifle has a tight chamber and I had trouble getting used brass to fit. I filed down my shellholder a bit to allow the brass to enter the die a bit more and problem solved. A different sizing die may have worked fine, and new brass would not have been an issue.

Here is what I did and it cost me nothing but 15 minutes. I took .015"-.020" off base of die where shellholder meets die. Cut die to approximately 1 3/4"long and then used a dremel to deburr and slightly enlarge the top 3/8" of die body. This allows the die to resize right to the belt and now the belt contacts die before die contacts shellholder. I've tried it on 7 RM, 300 WM and 338 WM. I am into it for about 15 minutes of work with nothing more than a belt sander , cut off disc grinder and a dremel tool.