Die reaming question...

[Judd]

Okay, I'm fighting bolt click and I've about decided to start ordering a sizing reamer with my chamber reamer...my question is I know I can buy a Newlon sizing die blank but after its reamed do you have to send it to get heat treated and hardened? I know Whidden and Redding heart treat but I'm wondering how we accomplish the same thing.

I'm also assuming it needs done because if it's been hardened before its reamed I would think it'd be too hard.

Anyone know?

 

[ireload2]

There is a wide range of hardnesses you can achieve with heat treat. However the hardness you need is too hard to ream.
For example some rifle receivers are heat treated from the low 30s to low 40s on the Rockwell C scale. With the right reamer you could ream a die with that heat treat. But that heat treat is NOT hard enough to make a good slick FL die.

A good hardness for a FL die might be from 55 to 62 Rockwell C scale but you cannot ream material that hard because it is nearly as hard as the reamer.

 

[hogpatrol]

Okay, I'm fighting bolt click and I've about decided to start ordering a sizing reamer with my chamber reamer...my question is I know I can buy a Newlon sizing die blank but after its reamed do you have to send it to get heat treated and hardened? I know Whidden and Redding heart treat but I'm wondering how we accomplish the same thing.

I'm also assuming it needs done because if it's been hardened before its reamed I would think it'd be too hard.

Anyone know?

What caliber are you shooting? A small base die may be able to help.

 

[260 Ravage]

Judd.
I had the same problem with a barrel and gave it up. But, would honing the web portion of the chamber rectify the problem. Just curious.
Terry

 

[DaveTooley]

I case harden all my dies after reaming and I think most dies are hardened that way. Just be careful and not get it to deep or the die will become brittle. I have finish reamers that are too tight on the base and I do polish the chamber to enlarge it so FL dies work. That may be an option for you.

 

[Judd]

Having a sizing die made to match my chamber will fix the problem.

The question is after the Newlon sizing is reamed, how do I get it treated because it sounds like it's needed?

Not interested in other ideas as this is the correct way to address the problem. I just don't know how this works, the other option is have a custom die made. After seeing the nightmare my buddy went thru getting a custom die I'd rather have mine reamed. I just want to know how you guys deal with reaming the sizing die out but it not being hardened or are y'all having them hardened after the fact?

 

[ireload2]

As mentioned in the earlier post #5 you can use a case hardening alloy and have the dies case hardened after reaming. But the dies will still need a final polish after case hardening.
Polishing a .001 or .002 out of the rear of the chamber would help the die you have now. You get a slightly bigger chamber and you can make the finish texture of the chamber really smooth. This will go a long way toward stopping the bolt click.
If your buddy had a nightmare someone did not know what he was doing. Either way you have to polish either the die or the chamber or both.

Having a sizing die made to match my chamber will fix the problem.

The question is after the Newlon sizing is reamed, how do I get it treated because it sounds like it's needed?

Not interested in other ideas as this is the correct way to address the problem. I just don't know how this works, the other option is have a custom die made. After seeing the nightmare my buddy went thru getting a custom die I'd rather have mine reamed. I just want to know how you guys deal with reaming the sizing die out but it not being hardened or are y'all having them hardened after the fact?

 

[Judd]

Thanks guys!

 

[Alex Wheeler]

Nitriding is another option.

 

[ridgeway]

I case harden all my dies after reaming and I think most dies are hardened that way. Just be careful and not get it to deep or the die will become brittle. I have finish reamers that are too tight on the base and I do polish the chamber to enlarge it so FL dies work. That may be an option for you.

I believe their blanks are 12L14...case harden is pretty much the only option.

 

[MFR]

I took a barrel that was shot out and made a sizing/bump die from the chamber because it matched my reamer used on my new barrels. I cut barrel off so it could be chucked in a lathe. Cut 7/8-14 threads on the OD, and polished the chamber. Then had the chamber hard chrome plated .0008" thickness . They can plate hard chrome up to .002".
Mark