EXPRESS
Well-Known Member
I have a Blaser R8 rifle in .338 win mag. This rifle(barrel) was a special order because I wanted a 1:10 twist so they used one of their .338 Lapua barrels and chambered it in .338 win mag.
For whatever reason, the chamber is quite large, I'd bet that it is within SAAMI tolerances but for the first time in over 15 years reloading over a dozen different belted magnum cartridges, I have had to use a special collet body die, otherwise the cases, best "case" scenario; get shaved above the belt, or stick in the die. So I have to run them through this annoying body collet die, then FL size. And the instructions with the special die suggest you do it the other way around, which makes absolutely no sense.
When I spoke to Blaser they said the solution is to just buy their factory ammo…Because they don't recommend reloading.
So would it be worthwhile, in terms of accuracy, but above all, would it do away with this problem of having to resize with a collet around the body in a separate step, if I got some custom dies made?
The one company I spoke with told me they would need three cases that had been fired three times, neck sized only, but left unsized after last firing. After checking their email, they said it would also take care of the problem.
Now, I can't get a neck size die for less than around $80, (here in Italy) and I'd never use it again.
The cases won't run though the FL die at all without shaving the edges, I already tried adjusting them for a minimal resize but it just won'r work.
So the only option I can think of, and it calls for Bubba Engineering, is to use my grip n pull Grip-n-Pull The World's Best Bullet Puller to squeeze the neck just enough to hold the bullet and fire away. I'm not looking for accuracy, so It "should" work ok, right?
I have some Norma brass which is very soft, so it should fit the bill nicely.
Sound like a plan?
For whatever reason, the chamber is quite large, I'd bet that it is within SAAMI tolerances but for the first time in over 15 years reloading over a dozen different belted magnum cartridges, I have had to use a special collet body die, otherwise the cases, best "case" scenario; get shaved above the belt, or stick in the die. So I have to run them through this annoying body collet die, then FL size. And the instructions with the special die suggest you do it the other way around, which makes absolutely no sense.
When I spoke to Blaser they said the solution is to just buy their factory ammo…Because they don't recommend reloading.
So would it be worthwhile, in terms of accuracy, but above all, would it do away with this problem of having to resize with a collet around the body in a separate step, if I got some custom dies made?
The one company I spoke with told me they would need three cases that had been fired three times, neck sized only, but left unsized after last firing. After checking their email, they said it would also take care of the problem.
Now, I can't get a neck size die for less than around $80, (here in Italy) and I'd never use it again.
The cases won't run though the FL die at all without shaving the edges, I already tried adjusting them for a minimal resize but it just won'r work.
So the only option I can think of, and it calls for Bubba Engineering, is to use my grip n pull Grip-n-Pull The World's Best Bullet Puller to squeeze the neck just enough to hold the bullet and fire away. I'm not looking for accuracy, so It "should" work ok, right?
I have some Norma brass which is very soft, so it should fit the bill nicely.
Sound like a plan?
