Reloading Dies?

[SidecarFlip]

SidecarFlip

Question about your Whidden dies, are they bushing or standard dies?

Their website says their dies have tighter body diameters, tighter in the base and can bump the shoulders back further.

So is there a air gap between the die and shell holder or can these dies be set to have the press cam over?

And do you have any problem with sizing the case body smaller, it sounds like their dies are almost small base dies.

I do not have any Whidden dies and really Like my Forster full length dies. So my main question is do you see a big difference between the Whidden dies and your other dies and the end result.

Kind of an interesting story how I got into using John Whidden dies. Last year our hunting group (3 of us) had custom built rifles built by Pierce Engineering in Lansing Michigan. Just so happens that John Pierce (not John Whidden) also builds and competes in F Class along with Brian Litz (from Berger/ABM). Brian is a Michigan resident like I am. I strongly suspect that both Pierce and Litz use Whidden dies as well, if it's good enough for 1000 yard F class chamipons, it's good enough for me.....

John Pierce recommended John Whidden for custom built dies, made specifically for the chambering in the 3 rifles we had built (2 in 308 and 1 300WM), so, I shot 4 rounds of factory ammunition in each and sent the brass to John Whidden to machine the custom die sets.

When I got them back (took 6 weeks), I was extremely impressed with the quality of the die sets so I wen and ordered additional stock dies in 338 Lapua, and 223 Remington to cover all the calibers I own.

They are all bushing dies, FL. The only difference in a bushing die versus a standard die is the neck is sized by a bushing, sized for a particular neck tension, other than that there is no difference. All Whidden dies are made purposely short so you can bump a shoulder, bushing or non bushing.

I am not and never been a fan of 'camming over' a press when sizing, in fact, I have purposely ground the bases on my RCBS dies just so I could bump without an interference fit between the shellholder and the die base, My SOP is to remove 0.005 and no more because excessive material removal will ruin the lead in at the base and cut through the case hardening) from the base of a die to allow a bump without shellholder contact.

My opinion is, there is no reason to 'cam over' a press at full stroke at anytime. It imparts undue stress on the castings and can cause ram deflection.... I just don't do it. You don't do that on a commercial stamping press either. Thats called 'shut height' and there is always a small space between the end of the stroke and metal to metal contact, always.

Telling it straight up, if you set a Whidden die to cam over, it would bump the shoulder so far back, the shell would wad up in the neck of the die, IOW, no reason to and thats how most bump capable dies are built, not just Whidden.

Candidly, I was alittle concerned with Whidden's 300 WM dies, simply because the 300 WM is a belted case and belted magnums have a tendency to bulge at the base after resizing and reloading. I haven't seen that issue with Whidden dies at all.

Am I happy with Whidden dies? Absolutely. Would I recommend them? Certainly. They aren't cheap but you get what you pay for.. like anything else.

I still use RCBS front load comp seaters (which is a PT&G) copy with the now common floating intermediate bushing. I've always liked loading my bullets from the top anyway and they are very repeatable.

I never liked putting a pill under the press frame and running the ram up, I want to see whats going on and only the RCBS Comp seater allows that.

Thats my progression from Lee to RCBS to Whidden with a few Redding and Forrester dies along the way. I just sold a couple sets of Redding and Forrester dies on Flea-Bay last month. No need in keeping them when I have the Whidden's.

In closing, Whidden does offer a micrometer seating die, but it's bottom load and I don't like bottom load so I prefer the top load RCBS (personal choice). John also makes a nice bullet pointing die system but I point my meplats in a toolroom lathe so thats not necessary either.

I realize that is a bit long, but that is how I got from 'point A to now.

 

[bigedp51]

SidecarFlip

Do you neck turn your cases and do you use the expanders that come with the Whidden dies?

You have a custom die and a standard Whidden die, do you think the standard die sizes the cases smaller in diameter at the base and body?

You now have point M to Z to complete.

 

[SidecarFlip]

SidecarFlip

Do you neck turn your cases and do you use the expanders that come with the Whidden dies?

You have a custom die and a standard Whidden die, do you think the standard die sizes the cases smaller in diameter at the base and body?

You now have point M to Z to complete.

Don'r own a neck turning tool. Don't see any need for one. I'm not shooting anything other than hunting rounds and I consistently shoot sub moa on these rifles at 200 yards, I mean sub moa like 3 in one hole with 2 'flyers' maybe 1/2" total deviation....and I mean consistently and not just with custom built rifles either. I have a box stock Savage in 308 that I load (using Whidden stock dies), that does the same and a 45 year old Huskqvarna 308.... same deal.

I use quality brass (Lapua) and I'm very careful with my charges...

Whidden dies all come with expander balls (on the decap rod but as shipped, the decap rod don't have the ball on it. It has nothing on it and thats the way it stays.

If I was loading say OF range brass of questionable heritage, I'd have the expander ball on, on the first resize, but after that....no.

if it was, say range brass, I'd anneal it too but thats neither here no there. I don't load range brass. I do keep my loads segregated, that is, the same loads stay with the parent rifle until the cases are unuseable. All my rifles are 'married' to the brass they use 'until neck splits or loose pockets cause a seperation and then it's new brass.... Contrary to populat opinion (on here), I FL resize each and every time, in fact I don't own a NS die and I don't want one.

I'm a student of Brian Litz and Walter Berger's school of jump. I load ladder everything and no 2 rifles jump the same. It's all about jumping and how it impacts accuracy, there is no easy way. Takes time, lots of time. I'd suggest buying a Berger loading manual and carefully read the chapters on jump and loads.

There is no easy path to accuracy and no holy grail. What works for me might not work for you. I'm tickled it works for me.

Can't answer about internal dimensions on Whidden Dies, all I know is they work for me, with help of course.

Reloading dies are only one small part of the accuracy equation.

I better add that just because I use Berger's loading theory of jump and loads, I apply that to Sierra's and Hornady pills as well. Their loading theory is applicable to any bullet, don't matter.