300 WM Dies/Brass Prep

[5gauss]

Innovative Technologies - Reloading Equipment

Our patented resizing die can reload Winchester, Remington and Weatherby belted magnums up to 20 times, instead of just 2 or 3 times and the top of the die is a chamber width gauge.

www.larrywillis.com

I believe this is the collet die most people including myself, there's also alot of information on reloading the 300 Winchester mag on this website.

If you get one be sure to read the directions, because when it says not to use anything besides imperial sizing wax it means it..

Yes...that is the one I use and just the Imperial lube! Old age is creepin up on me so I could not remember the name of the die...the concept makes sense and I believe you will get more life out of the brass...check what .300WM brass sells for now....

 

[5gauss]

I have reloaded a bunch, but, no expert...
All I can think to add here is:
300 WM, magnificent cartridge that it is, has a short neck. So short that it has caused me issues, in my naivete I set the shoulder back a touch too far...loaded 190s up kinda hot and some of the cases, after firing, showed way too much blow back...down the neck, over the shoulder and half way down the case and made the case look like I was trying to make a water trough for mice.
So, shoulder set back is very important.
Keeping my face intact comes in a close second.
Load on!!!
Lee

No worries about the face....it will grow back...but if you are concerned you can play it very safe and full length size and use the I.T. dies with their complete instructions...easy...Hunting accuracy easily done with the usual load development...

 

[Reelamin]

You're definitely not getting all you can out of that gun. I have the same weapon and I'm shooting .25" and 100 yards and easily smacking 12" steel at 1,000. I'm doing the same thing with bumping the shoulders back and putting .02 tension on the neck. I've never annealed a single piece of my brass and I get three or four fireings out of them before they crack depending on the manufacturer. Other than that it's all about the bullet and the powder for that gun. It's a finicky one.

hmmmm maybe I will clarify what I posted on just the last 300WM I finished up with my basic reloading equipment and techniques. 26" HB using Remington Brass, CCI250, 82.0gr of H1000, 175 Nosler BTHP @ 3240fps it averaged for 3 five shot groups .182" at 100yds. H1000 is impossible to find now and super expensive when I can. I don't want to use it all up on a practice gun that does nothing but shoot steel, paper, and rocks practicing my LR shooting. So I ran some powders I can get now pretty regular. Now with the same brass, never trimmed, and bumped 2K using 83.0 Magnum @3160fps for 3 groups it is averaging .157". Yes, it probably could do better with a different shooter and load. Personally I am 100% happy with any gun that shoots well under a quarter inch for five shot groups close to maximum velocity.

 

[Reelamin]

Thank you for all of your insight. I appreciate your understanding.

As for #4, I have heard that on a belted magnum, I am to measure from the belt to the ogive, compared to a bottleneck round, where I would measure from base of cartridge to ogive… or am I just misled? To obtain CBTO with a belted cartridge, would I still measure from the base of the casing to the ogive?

Yes you can measure anyway you want and find the way you are happy with. I measure my belted mags for Loaded Overall Length from the base to the ogive just like every other cartridge I measure

 

[Brydawg512]

1. You do not use an expander mandrel after the neck collet die. The expander is better suited for use with other dies that size the case by sizing the exterior of the neck. The expander mandrel insures that you are controlling the neck interior dimension. The collet does the same thing.
2. There is no such thing as a collet die that sizes the body. What you should consider is a Redding body die. This sizes the body of the case and is used to push the shoulders back. It does not touch the neck. That work is done by the neck collet die. This is an excellent (and inexpensive) approach to controlling the two critical things.
3. There is always someone that will say this step can be forgone, nnd that is true. However there will absolutely be negative affects on brass life, and some reduction is consistency of the final sizing of brass due to spring back. Brass gets work hardened with use. If you don't anneal, the work hardening will have adverse affects. How often you anneal (every firing versus every 2 or 3) is debatable, but annealing or not annealing really isn't if you care about brass life a d consistency.
4. I think there is some confusion about how to measure finished ammo, and seating depth. Let me clarify. CBTO (cartridge base to ogive) is pretty self-explanatory. You need to put your 30 cal bushing in your comparator, and then using you calipers, measure from the base of the case (not the belt) to the ogive of the bullet. This final dimension is specific to your rifle and should be determined by one of two things. 1. What distance you want the bullet from the point of engagement into the lands. .020" is a generally accepted starting point when doing load development. 2. Your magazine length. If you try to put your bullet close to.the lands of the rifle, it is possible that the resulting cartridge length will not properly fit in your magazine (too long).

Understamd that every time you fire a case, the pressure from the ignition (50-65k psi) swells the case and forms it to your specific chamber. The sizing process reshapes the case to near factory specs so that it fits back in the chamber, with proper clearances. Here are the actions that are performed when resizing
**. If using a full length sizing die, the die pushes the exterior of the case body back into spec after being swelled from firing. It pushes the shoulders back from the case expansion that happens when firing (the case grows). It also pushes the exterior of the neck back to a point that is smaller than final dimension, amd then when you pull the case back through the expander button, if final sizes the interior of the neck.
**if using a neck.collet die and a body die, the same functions happen with two different dies. The neck collet die does a better job of sizing the brass without worki.g the brass too much, in my opinion..

PM with any further questions..

1. Once you full length resize, you aren't going to be doing anything for neck tension unless your full length die is a bushing die. There really is not a whole lot of point to this as consistent neck tension is more important than a specific setting. Most factory standard dies will achieve this if you are using a good press and lubricant is consistent from case to case.
2. Wait and reload a couple and see first, that is mostly needed in cheaper rifles where the chamber is oversized at the back or if you are running too much pressure.
3. With a big case like 300wm you will increase your case life by annealing but it's not a requirement to get started.
4. No, just no. The parent case 375h&h headspaces off the belt. The 300wm is supposed to headspace off the shoulder
5. You can resize just the neck,... But ONLY if you buy a "neck sizing die" do not try to neck size by "backing off" your full length die- your cases will "grow" in the shoulder area and eventually not fit in the gun. If full length resizing make sure you measure the headspace of the case after you fire the first couple rounds. You do not want to reduce the shoulder more than .002" from that measurement.

So I am looking at the Redding Type S Full Length bushing die for resizing. Are you saying the bushing die will accomplish setting consistent neck tension or are you saying I need something in addition to this?

 

[CoachChris]

So I am looking at the Redding Type S Full Length bushing die for resizing. Are you saying the bushing die will accomplish setting consistent neck tension or are you saying I need something in addition to this?

You can get consistent results with this die.
You need to measure the neck of one of your loaded rounds to get the correct bushing size

 

[martyj]

Lee collet dies work well for constant neck tension due fact it tightens the outside of the case around a manderal and if the neck varies the inside stays the same.
I also use redding but had good luck with both.
Make sure you start out with good brass, Mine likes Norma, adg.

 

[Xescane]

hmmmm maybe I will clarify what I posted on just the last 300WM I finished up with my basic reloading equipment and techniques. 26" HB using Remington Brass, CCI250, 82.0gr of H1000, 175 Nosler BTHP @ 3240fps it averaged for 3 five shot groups .182" at 100yds. H1000 is impossible to find now and super expensive when I can. I don't want to use it all up on a practice gun that does nothing but shoot steel, paper, and rocks practicing my LR shooting. So I ran some powders I can get now pretty regular. Now with the same brass, never trimmed, and bumped 2K using 83.0 Magnum @3160fps for 3 groups it is averaging .157". Yes, it probably could do better with a different shooter and load. Personally I am 100% happy with any gun that shoots well under a quarter inch for five shot groups close to maximum velocity.

If you're a online shopper at all powder valley has had h1000 in rotombo pretty steady for the last month or so. I used to run my stuff as fast as you are but one I backed it off 200FPS and my group tightened up dramatically. My problem over here in Idaho has been finding mag primers for the last 2 years. I simply gave up on them. I'm running eld m 208 grain for projectile pushed by 75.5gr of h1000 or 178gr eldx with about 80gr. I came across the stockpile of sig brass two years ago and have been pretty happy with it.
That 10t-sr gave me so much trouble when I was trying to find a load for it that I ended up using 7828 and had really good luck with it but when I took the stock apart and filled that sucker full of silicone it changed the balance on the gun so I could carry it on my shoulder better and reduce the recoil dramatically reducing my flinch Factor and tightening my group. Too bad the **** thing waste 13 lb

 

[Lenny Foffa]

I love to hand load and look for reasons why I need more 'Stuff" !!! I think I need all that for competitive shooting. Who Knows for sure. I have talked to champion best rest shooters that say ,as an example , they NEVER anneal the brass. I bought case neck turning tool because I was sure it was necessary , only to learn there is so much clearance in that aera of my hunting rifles, it would just be a waist of time. Here what Little I know. Keep it simple when it relates to off the shelf Hunting Rifles and Hunting loads. The Reloading Manuales will take you step by step. I separate cases by weight, my 270 Win Brass is in 10 or 12 little blue plastic boxes that say . 270 Win. case Wt 186.0 to 186.4 Grn . ; the 186 .5 to 186.9!! Is that necessary, most likely No, but its all done so Ill never have to do it again. If I buy a new bag of brass, I just line up the blue boxes and add a case to the correct box. !!I test my CBTO 3.340; 3.343 ;3.45; ect ect. If you believe the targets, no real world difference for a hunting rifle and Hunting Load. I find the best way for ( ME) to become accurate with any load is to Shoot and shoot and shoot. Example ; I've been using 59.5 grns of H 4831 with a 130 grn. Nosler Ballistic Tip and Win primers for several years now. I have saved and dated every target in 3 ring Binders. 3017 to 3028 FPS Muzz vel. lab radar says . I have shot several 3 shot groups at 100 and 200 yards that are really excellent, and with the same loads shot some that looks like I shot the paper with a shotgun. Find the Load your rifle likes, and make those , and shoot those a lot , while you take other cases and slightly "tune " that load to see if you are making that load more accurate. If not ,stay with the load you are pleased with. When I can make bullet holes touch and shoot sub MOA at 100 ,200 and 300 yards, That , (to me ) is good hunting load. Now its up to me to maintain that level of accuracy, by shooting that rifle, with that load , a lot. It is NOT a sin to find a really great load, that works terrific on deer, and stay with it. It doesn't have to be complicated. last point. I've been making 06 loads for friends rifle, 165 Grn SST at 2700 fps. I Matched cases , CBTO measure and all made identical, Tested 4 different COAL's Finally got 3 shots extremely tight ,at both 50 and 100 yards, He hands me a box of Inexpensive Norma ammo ( $28.95 ) 165 grn, and ist same thing, ONE RAGGED HOLE at 100 yards. BUT the Norma factory ammo shot to the Middle of the Bullseye , my load shot at the right edge of the bullseye. So he says to me "the factory ammo is" better" than mine . What the hell am I going nuts for??? Next year Ill just give him the 28 bucks and tell him to go get the better ammo. Keep it simple buddy

 

[Gator 06]

Hello all,

I'm finally beginning to purchase the remainder of the equipment to get into reloading for my 300 WM. In a previous thread, I obtained a lot of great information about things I may need.

I have a few more specific questions I am curious about:

1) For brass resizing, I understand I need a FL sizing die. Since I won't be neck turning at this point, my understanding is I need a collet to properly resize the neck to obtain a .02 neck tension. Do I also need to use an expander mandrel after sizing with the collet, are they used in conjunction with one another, or is it one or the other?

2) Is a collet for resizing the body something I should consider?

3) Annealing — I've heard conflicting things, some say they never anneal others say the anneal every x number of firings, some every during. Thoughts/opinions?

4) CBTO measurement — can I still use a normal comparator to measure, considering headspace is measured from the belt to ogive?

Lastly, to ensure I understand the resizing process properly:

When resizing, what exactly is being resized? I understand that I am bumping the shoulder back to allow for proper fit in my chamber, but what else is being sized? I understand the case mouth is trimmed afterward to fit within SAAMI specs.

I apologize for my ignorance and can ensure everyone here I am not beginning reloading until I have a much further understanding of everything.

Thank you all in advance.

 

[Norm McKean]

I too, have been reloading for over 50 years and mostly belted magnums. Ist was mainly 7m rem mag and for the last 17 years, my 30-378 and I've never done anything to the cases other than resize and trim if necessary and tumble. I get as good of accuracy as I'm capable of shooting. I have an original 50 rnd box of cases from this rifle that have been shot at least 10 times and still going. I've had 2 that the primer pockets have gotten loose on but no stress marks around the base and I have never had to trim them either. So if it's competitive shooting then all the extra steps might help but for hunting at least out to 500 yds the basics are really all you need. I did buy 100 33-378 cases once and run them through my resize die to neck them down and I didn't even have to trim them. They work great .

 

[sodakota]

My 700 Remington 300 Win Mag is accurate - shooting several loads under .5 MOA. The best load is right at .2 MOA. I don't have to do much to get it to shoot well, including annealing.
However, with other rifles I've had to do quite a few things to get them to shoot. In particular I have a 722 222 Rem that needs TLC. If I treat it well, it will shoot .2 MOA. If I throw the same load with brass that hasn't been annealed/weighed/visually inspected, .8 MOA is the result.
What I'm saying is each rifle is a rule into its own.
I've been annealing more often since I found out how much it helped that 222. I'm working with a couple 25 caliber rifles now and I'll be certain to anneal to see if improves the accuracy.
I've been trimming cases to length for most of my shooting career, that's something that is critical, IMHO. Annealing may help, a lot.

 

[Jim’s Hunt]

Neck bushings or mandrel along with annealing and premium brass makes all the difference in precision shooting