Which die should I use?

samson

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Mar 25, 2003
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Hello, I am reloading for a 300 Win Mag. I was using a standard RCBS Full Length, Neck, and seating die. I have only been neck sizing and now things are getting tight. I recently purchased a Lee Collet neck die and have a collet body die on the way. From what I gather, when using the "Inovative Tech. Die" this is only for the bulge in front of the belt. I think that I will also need a FL die but dont know which one to get. Any suggestions??
 
Do the Redding and Forster work the same way? It seems that the RCBS, when Full Length sizing, stretch the case a lot.
 
You failed to mention whether your rifle is factory chambered or custom. I have the same problem with my straight factory Model 70 Laredo. I'm using Hornady die and with full power load, I could only reload my brass three times before it gets really tight. I used Federal Gold Medal Match brass. With Winchester or Remington though, I could stricthed it a bit more to 5 loadings before discarding them. 300 Win Mag brass are common and relatively cheap so I don't see it as a problem. Prepping the brass though is another matter. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif
 
Funny, I asked that exact same question just a few short weeks ago! Well this is what I was told and what I learned!
Junk the RCBS fast - Thank God for Ebay
Buy Lee Collet neck sizing die!
Buy Redding Body Die!
Buy a Forster bench rest seater die!

Never look back!!!

Doug.

Ps, I have used Redding for over 20 years and I never, ever, thought I would tell anyone to use a Lee die. I never, ever thought I would tell anyone to buy a Forster die. Boy was I stupid.... The Forster bench rest seater is every bit as good and I think better then the Redding comp seater. I have used the Redding "S" type neck dies since they came out and always thought I was doing the absolute best job - wrong! Once I tried the Lee Collet and Forster dies w/ the Redding Body die, well lets just say I have seen alot less light at the end of the tunnel (at the target that is). /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
I've used standard RCBS or Bonanza full-length sizing dies for different 30 caliber magnums including the .300 Win. Mag. They've had their necks lapped out to about .002- or .003-inch smaller than loaded round neck diameter so no expander ball is used and sized case necks are very straight. But I've got to use a special body only die to size the case all the way to the belt for best accuracy; regular dies don't do this. Bullets are seated with conventional seating dies. Never had any good results with any neck-only nor the popular partial sizing techniques.

Accuracy at 1000 yards with this process is no worse than about 6 inches with some 5-shot groups down to a couple of inches. I've got the same accuracy with new cases whose heads are decently square with the body axis.
 
Do you need a lubricant on the body die and if so will the Imperial Sizing wax work?
 
Samson & Desert Fox,

The belt prevents ANY conventional resizing die from reducing the "pressure ring" on ANY belted magnum case. The pressure ring exists on all rifle calibers. However, the pressure ring creates a unique problem for belted calibers causing handloads to stick in the chamber. My website describes this subject in great detail, and it shows yo how to solve the problem. Check it out and, you'll see why the U.S. Secret Service (and 1,900 other shooters) are using our Belted Magnum Collet Resizing Die.

- Innovative Technologies
 
Just curious. Why is the Forster Seating Dies better than the Redding Competition Seating Die?

I am ready to buy the Redding Competition Die but I may have to rethink this.
 
[ QUOTE ]
The belt prevents ANY conventional resizing die from reducing the "pressure ring" on ANY belted magnum case.

[/ QUOTE ]I don't think it's the case belt but instead the full-length sizing die's design. These dies have a rather large radius at their belt clearance to body sizing chamber. It's large enough that the body sizing part of the die can't size all the way to the belt. Belts on cases rarely if ever touch any part of the die during full-length sizing and rarely get reduced in diameter.

But your die is a boon to belted case reloaders. It was in the early 1960's that top 1000-yard highpower shooters learned that new belted cases shot more accurate than any resized ones; neck, partial or full-length sized ones just didn't do as well. Careful measurements and observations proved that belted cartridge chambers made to minimum SAAMI specs had interference between the pressure ring on resized belted cases and the chamber where the belt headspaced. It varied across all cases and accuracy was reduced. Someone figured out that if the fired case body could be resized all the way to the belt eliminating the pressure ring bulge, accuracy would equal what new cases produced.

A regular full-length sizing die had about 1/4th inch of its bottom cut off as well as its top just below the shoulder. The inside edge of the bottom was radiused just a bit, perhaps only a few thousandths of an inch, so it wouldn't scrape off brass when sizing a fired case until the die's bottom just touched the case belt. Sometimes more of the die bottom would be cut off so case diameter just in front of the belt was the same as a new case. I've used dies like this to size belted cases a second time after running them through a conventional full-length sizing die to set the shoulder back several thousandths first.

Many folks made their own body sizing dies this way as nobody had one commercially available until yours was put on the market. The process does work very well. Any conventional full-length sizing die can have its ends cut off and used for different cartridges with the same body taper and new case diameter in front of the headspacing belt. The advantage of your die is it's collet adjusts how much the case body gets reduced.
 
When you guys talk about "bumping" the shoulder back, what does this mean and how do you do this?
 
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