Custom FL Dies - What company?

[MikeMcCasland]

Gents,

I think I'm in the market for some custom dies and want some opinions.

I'll start with some background. I've had .308s in the past, however I'm just starting to dip my toes into the 'serious end' of FTR. Most recently I had a reamer made by JGS, and a couple of barrels chambered from it; I've got 2-4 firings on some palma brass from both barrels, and don't have any extraction issues etc (i.e. my reamer design wasn't complete crap, and was cut correctly).

In the past (with this and other .308s) I've alternated between using expanderless FL bushing dies, expanderless FL dies/mandreling up, and FL dies with adjustable expanders. I haven't been 100% satisfied with any option from a concentricity/consistency perspective. .

FWIW - I'm using a .342nk, and using a .336 bushing to give me .001" tension.

It feels like at this point the natural progression is to go with a custom FL die.

That said, it looks like Forster and Whidden are the only two die companies that really promote this as a service. I know Warner Tool does it, but I'm not interested in a $600 FL die that I have to shim to adjust shoulder bump.

Is there anyone I'm missing?

Of those, anyone have any preference over the other?

Unless there's a bunch of anti-Forster sentiment, I think I could get two forsters for the price of a single Widden, and have them honed ~.001 apart to basically use like you would a bushing die (except without run-out).

Any thoughts or feedback would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

 

[22DASHER]

Whidden has made several dies for me off of reamer prints and all are flawless. Price is great, doesn’t take a year and quality is there.

 

[Dusty Stevens]

Forsters most custom handmade offering wont be half as good as an off the shelf whidden. Whidden is the only one that will use your print or your 3x fired brass to make a perfect die- not just one that will size enough. The best thing is getting a resize reamer made and having your gunsmith ream a newlon blank and get it hardened but thats serious dinero

 

[JFrank]

Well I guess you know what I’ll say.

 

[MikeMcCasland]

Well I guess you know what I’ll say.

Is that a Lee collet die?

If so, I'm trying to avoid bumping shoulders in one step, and sizing the neck in another. I could pretty much do that now with my current whidden FL die, and mandrel it back up (or use pin gauges).

I shoot a lot, and I'm also very lazy.

I'm really looking for a 1-step sizing process that gives me .001 tension, .002 bump, zero run out, and hits those numbers every time. That's not asking too much is it?

 

[Mulligan]

Whidden has made several dies for me off of reamer prints and all are flawless. Price is great, doesn’t take a year and quality is there.

^^^^This^^^^
CW

 

[JFrank]

Is that a Lee collet die?

If so, I'm trying to avoid bumping shoulders in one step, and sizing the neck in another. I could pretty much do that now with my current whidden FL die, and mandrel it back up (or use pin gauges).

I shoot a lot, and I'm also very lazy.

I'm really looking for a 1-step sizing process that gives me .001 tension, .002 bump, zero run out, and hits those numbers every time. That's not asking too much is it?

Wilson F/L bushing die

 

[JFrank]

I’m heading in the same direction as Mike with an upcoming 270 WSM project but in this instance not Widden, Wilson or Harrel’s makes a F/L bushing die so I’m not exactly sure what to do.

Maybe the dreaded neck sizer..

 

[BoydAllen]

I have had good reports on custom Hornady dies. A friend had one made so that he could have a thousandth more neck tension without the expander than with. It is a one piece die, with all custom dimensions including the neck ID. If you want the best concentricity in sized brass, a custom one piece die, from whoever you choose to make it, will do that. I happen to have a stock one piece die (Hornady) for 6mm PPC that has a neck ID of .258, which makes it perfect for my chambers, with the neck thickness that I use. Sized neck runout is about a third of a thousandth, or a little less. I should tell you that I cannot prove that the ammo loaded with brass from this die is more accurate than when I use a Harrell bushing die, but if you are gauge happy.....Years ago, referring to loaded PPC ammo, someone told me that as long as it was under .002 TIR that you couldn't see the difference on target. Back to the Hornady custom dies, they are made to the dimensions that you require, not just lapped out. They are bored on a turning station and the polishing is treated like a trade secret. I think that they have come up with a way to do it by machine, that is very consistent. I have played with several of the PPC dies.

 

[Mulligan]

I’m heading in the same direction as Mike with an upcoming 270 WSM project but in this instance not Widden, Wilson or Harrel’s makes a F/L bushing die so I’m not exactly sure what to do.

Maybe the dreaded neck sizer..

Whidden will make a custom die for you
CW

 

[Mikemci]

I use a Whidden die for my 6ppc, but I only posted to say I really like your avatar! God bless Texas.

 

[JFrank]

Thanks Clay
That’s definitely an option but at what cost ? My son in laws rifle but I’m tasked with making them shoot accurately enough to drop an Elk across a freakin canyon.

 

[Dusty Stevens]

I’m heading in the same direction as Mike with an upcoming 270 WSM project but in this instance not Widden, Wilson or Harrel’s makes a F/L bushing die so I’m not exactly sure what to do.

Maybe the dreaded neck sizer..

Whidden will make it no issues

 

[JFrank]

Whidden will make it no issues

You know my Daughter will kick both our butts if I don’t get it right

 

[Dusty Stevens]

You know my Daughter will kick both our butts if I don’t get it right

Ill make sure its right if you need me. I damn sure dont want that girl mad at neither one of us

 

[Mulligan]

Thanks Clay
That’s definitely an option but at what cost ? My son in laws rifle but I’m tasked with making them shoot accurately enough to drop an Elk across a freakin canyon.

 

[Bc'z]

@SPJ I believe Redding is $175 a set
Rcbs is about $40 cheaper.
Me I'd probably go with the Redding

 

[Dusty Stevens]

Click adjustable fl bushing sizer and a gunsmith reamed wilson seater- perfect setup. Cant get any better

 

[JFrank]

@SPJ I believe Redding is $175 a set
Rcbs is about $40 cheaper.
Me I'd probably go with the Redding[/QUOTE
Hey that’s right , I forgot all about what we were talking about the other day.
Btw I’ll make Ralphie do the test firings though I’m not shootin that cannon if I don’t have to

 

[MikeMcCasland]

Click adjustable fl bushing sizer and a gunsmith reamed wilson seater- perfect setup. Cant get any better

Why are you BR guys running bushing setups? I would have figured you'd have 2-3 custom dies configured with different neck diameters.

Admittedly I've only ever used Redding bushings (have Whiddens ordered as of tonight), but no matter what I do as far as bushing float/cleanliness/direction, I'll still end up with ~20% of my rounds showing more TIR than I'd like...and it's coming from the sizing operation.

Click adjusting ring aside, do the whidden dies do something different in the bushing area that the reddings don't do? Or are their bushings just that much better made?