sizing die help

[spanky0043]

Im a new member to LRH.com but have been on the site for the last year or so. Im currently getting a 700 re barreled with a shilen 308 barrel. My question is what type of sizing die should I get?small base, fl, neck? Will neck sizing only work with brass that has been fired in my gun? Any way of knowing if fl sized brass will be too tight in chamber?thanks for any advice.

 

[Beluebow]

No need for a sb die as your shooting a bolt action not a AR.I would recommend a fl bushing die,set it up for minimum bump and you can adjust neck tension with a couple different bushings.

 

[g0rd0]

Lee makes a 3 die set, FL, NS and seat. For your money a good buy. Lee Reloading Supplies | Reloading Equipment Lee Precision | Discount Reloading Supplies by Lee | Titan Reloading

 

[gebhardt02]

No need for a sb die as your shooting a bolt action not a AR.I would recommend a fl bushing die,set it up for minimum bump and you can adjust neck tension with a couple different bushings.

Exactly what I would recommend as well.

Geb

 

[Trickymissfit]

lots of good dies out there, but not so good seaters! Forster sells a .308 national match die set, and with it you can also get the micrometer head on the seater. Forster dies are about as good as you can get in a threaded die. I'd simply use the full length die and avoid the usual headaches on neck sizing. Some guys like the Lee collet die, and others detest them. I'm in the group that wasn't impressed. If you try neck sizing, I'd go with the Wilson dies and an arbor press (later)
gary

 

[boomtube]

For sizing, to get the best you can hope for out of that good barrel get a Forster or Redding body die and a Lee Collet neck die, you can use them in conjunction to "FL" size; the Lee neck die will work equally well with necks of any thickness without fussing with bushings or neck turning. Get a Forster BR or Redding Comp seater, no other threaded seater dies are close, and you're done.

 

[Trickymissfit]

For sizing, to get the best you can hope for out of that good barrel get a Forster or Redding body die and a Lee Collet neck die, you can use them in conjunction to "FL" size; the Lee neck die will work equally well with necks of any thickness without fussing with bushings or neck turning. Get a Forster BR or Redding Comp seater, no other threaded seater dies are close, and you're done.

They don't do well with tight necked chambers as I learned the hard way. In a no turn setup they may work well. I have a .223, and a 22-250 with .246 necked chambers and typically want to use .243" or .244" brass in them. Can't get there
gary

 

[spanky0043]

Thanks for all the answers. Im prob just gonna go with a FL die set. Anyone used the RCBS competition dies?

 

[Bart B]

Sierra Bullets has got best accuracy by full length sizing all their cases used to shoot their bullets for quality control. Same for load development in factory rifles shooting their bullets. They've been doing it since the 1950's.

Best results are with dies whose neck diameter is a couple thousandths smaller than a loaded round's neck (no expander ball used) and its sized all the way back to the shoulder. The fired case body is sized down a bit and the fired case shoulder's set back a thousandth or two. If this ain't done correctly, then such full length sized cases may well not shoot as well as neck only sized ones; expecially when the fired case shoulder's set back way too far.

Note that bottleneck cases headspacing on their shoulders center perfectly in the chamber when fired regardless of how much clearance there is between the case body and neck to the chamber in those areas. It's the case shoulder that centers the case up front in the chamber shoulder, not the body or neck. Case necks float clear of the chamber neck regardless of clearance and are very well centered there if they're well centered on the case shoulder. Case body's are clear of the chamber wall except for its back end at the pressure ring where the extractor pushes it against the chamber at that point.

Neck only sizing dies do not center case necks on case shoulders as well as full length sizing dies do. This is why most benchresters now full length size their fired cases, but only a minimal amount. Their smallest groups didn't get any smaller but their largest ones sure did.

 

[SidecarFlip]

Thanks for all the answers. Im prob just gonna go with a FL die set. Anyone used the RCBS competition dies?

Me. Bushing F/L sizer and front load seater. You can stuff the Forrester and Wilson somewhere not mentionable.

I don't load your caliber but if I did, for me it's a no brainer.

 

[Bart B]

I've used RCBS comp. dies in .308 Win. The seater's a good one but then so is any seater when case necks are minimally sized down without using expander balls and they're straight on the case shoulder.

RCBS comp. dies I've used were great but I lapped their necks out to a couple thousandths smaller than loaded round neck diameters. Those darned expander balls are mis-named; they should be called "neck bending" balls 'cause they tend to bend them.

 

[SidecarFlip]

I've used RCBS comp. dies in .308 Win. The seater's a good one but then so is any seater when case necks are minimally sized down without using expander balls and they're straight on the case shoulder.

RCBS comp. dies I've used were great but I lapped their necks out to a couple thousandths smaller than loaded round neck diameters. Those darned expander balls are mis-named; they should be called "neck bending" balls 'cause they tend to bend them.

Bart..

I always enjoy reading your replies, you are wise beyond your years (Ithink at least because I have no idea how old you are)....

I probably should have included that I remove the elevated expander ball and replace the assembly with the N/S stem. The N/S stem expander has a tapered lead up instead of the ball.

 

[Bart B]

I probably should have included that I remove the elevated expander ball and replace the assembly with the N/S stem. The N/S stem expander has a tapered lead up instead of the ball.

That's what most folks do with full length bushing dies.

I would have liked to see both Redding and RCBS to make their bushings a tight fit in the die as well as positioned to size the fired case neck all the way back to the shoulder. Sized case necks are better centered on case shoulders when this happens. These dies are really "partial neck sizing shoulder bumping body" dies because of the coupld hundredths inch of the case neck that doesn't get sized. Although the difference is small, it doesn't seem to matter much. Especially When Sierra Bullets uses Redding full bushing dies on all cartridges they're made for testing their bullets; standard Redding FL dies for all the rest.

 

[spanky0043]

Sorry but im new to precision reloading and dont know much about bushing dies. but If I decide to go with a fl bushing die, how do I know what size bushings to use?