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Whidden Dies

Bully

Silver $$ Contributor
i purchased a set of Whidden FL/Bishing dies lightly used from a member on this forum. They are absolute wonders of mechanical beauty. Almost too pretty to use. However, I made the sacrifice and did initial set-up and ran a few cases they them.

They FEEL more accurate. This could start a pricey habit.
 
Just bought my 1st set last month. There goes the reloading budget ! They are way nice & exceptional quality.
 
love my whidden dies for 22dasher...full length sizing with only one finger on the handle,def not over working the brass
 
For those using the Whidden sizing dies, is the preference bushing or non-bushing?

John
I have used both Whidden styles and cannot really say I like one better than the other. The latest one I purchased is a Whidden non bushing FL die but I did order it with the Expander Ball Kit. With this kit you receive several different size expander balls and you adjust your neck tension by changing the ball instead of changing a bushing.
 
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I now have Whidden Dies for all my Center Fire Rifles. Custom Whidden Dies for my 4 bench rest center fire rifles. For those I also have Wilson Neck Sizing Dies and Seating Dies. I blew my Reloading Budget right after attending the Williamsport 1,000 Yard Bench Rest School last June. The only problem is that with all the things I learned to do and am doing, I now longer have time to shoot all these nice rounds that I have built.

Bob
 
Can you use the Whidden Bushing Die as a Body Die with the bushing removed?

I thought about doing the bump back that way and then using an expanding mandrel to size the neck...........
 
you will need a bushing to size the neck down before the expander ball will work.

One advantage of using neck bushings and no expander ball is less cold work cycles on the brass means less hardening.

If you anneal your brass frequently (every shooting?) this isn't as much of an issue.

--Jerry
 
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Can you use the Whidden Bushing Die as a Body Die with the bushing removed?

I thought about doing the bump back that way and then using an expanding mandrel to size the neck...........
Yes you can remove the bushing and just bump the shoulder.
I do not use a expander mandrels or buttons, just the bushing to the control neck size. This way you do not work the brass as much and you get rid of the inconsistency that is added when you use mandrels or buttons. Search the form for info on neck tension.
 
i have brought a whidden hydro forming die and a bushing FL die and seater die for my 6BRX
well i must say the dies are great build quality
my hydro firing die is the new type with updated plunger and it did a great job on my 6BR brass
my FL bushing die is unreal and i only get about .0005 run out at most on my necks
now this bit i must say whidden have excellent customer service, even to me in australia
i had a problem with my seating stem and they sent me a new one, the new one didnt 100% fix my problems so after another email whidden sent me an all metal seating stem, and this fixed my problems i was having, they never charged me for shipping and bent over backwards to fix my problems
highly recommend Whidden dies and service
 
Before you do this check with Whiddens, last time I spoke with them about this they said don't do it. Reason being is that they machine the bushing pocket deeper so that more of the neck can be sized by the bushing. The side effect of that is that you have to have a bushing installed anytime you use the die to support the pocket or it will break because it's very thin.
They may have changed that since I talked to them last but it's worth checking on so you don't get a surpise.

.
Can you use the Whidden Bushing Die as a Body Die with the bushing removed?

I thought about doing the bump back that way and then using an expanding mandrel to size the neck...........
 
Before you do this check with Whiddens, last time I spoke with them about this they said don't do it. Reason being is that they machine the bushing pocket deeper so that more of the neck can be sized by the bushing. The side effect of that is that you have to have a bushing installed anytime you use the die to support the pocket or it will break because it's very thin.
They may have changed that since I talked to them last but it's worth checking on so you don't get a surpise.

.

Thanks for the heads up.
 
Before you do this check with Whiddens, last time I spoke with them about this they said don't do it. Reason being is that they machine the bushing pocket deeper so that more of the neck can be sized by the bushing. The side effect of that is that you have to have a bushing installed anytime you use the die to support the pocket or it will break because it's very thin.
They may have changed that since I talked to them last but it's worth checking on so you don't get a surpise.

.

Hmmm...for the bushing to support the shoulder forming portion of the die, you would have to screw the top bolt down tight against the bushing. Generally I don't do this. I back off 1/8 to 1/4 turn to allow the bushing to self center.

--Jerry
 
I will begin using the Whidden Non-Bushing die. I plan to remove the mandrel and use a Lee Collet Die to adjust the neck tension. Another way?
 
I agree with you 100% and that has always been my practice with bushing dies as well. Just repeating what I was told by one of the guys at Whiddens.

Hmmm...for the bushing to support the shoulder forming portion of the die, you would have to screw the top bolt down tight against the bushing. Generally I don't do this. I back off 1/8 to 1/4 turn to allow the bushing to self center.

--Jerry
 

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