1st time bumping the shoulder

[squirrelsnpr]

I just got my Redding shoulder bump die and Lock-n-Load headspace gauge kit and had to try them out. I keep one case that didn't chamber just to see the difference. After determining where I needed to bump the shoulders to I set the die and went at it. The die worked great on the one case that did not chamber.

I decided to check on the other pieces of brass. On the pieces of brass that had a quite few firings I felt that I really had to push the brass into the die. I could feel the shoulder bump die working the brass before the shoulder got to the top. Is this normal? Is the shoulder bump die a full length sizing die as well? Is it made to resize everything but the neck?

Thanks,
Mitch

 

[groupshooter22]

Yes the Redding die full length sizes every thing but the neck.

 

[squirrelsnpr]

10-4. How often should I use the bump die? I was still getting brass to chamber, but I could feel it being worked over pretty hard by the bump die. It seems as if the brass is stretching out more then up.

 

[groupshooter22]

What lube are you using? If your not already using imperial die wax try that and see if it feels any better. I full length size and bump the shoulder back .001 every firing for consistancy. My body die didnt size too much but more than I liked so I bought a Harrell die and that is slick.

 

[Gearheadpyro]

I didn't think Redding made a shoulder bump die. They make a body die that is basically a full length resizer without neck sizing or depriming. It's a good die, but not a bump die.

Bump sizing needs to be done with something like the Forster neck sizing/shoulder bump die. With that die I can bump the neck back just .001-.002" (all that's really needed), bushing resize as much or little of the case neck as I want, and leave the rest of the body alone.

I think Hornady offers a shoulder bump/neck sizing die as well.

 

[blawton]

Whenever i chamber a gun for myself i take the excess that is cut off the muzzle and run a chamber reamer in it to the shoulder to give me a bump gauge. You can also use a empty pistol case like a 40 s&w. You want to check a fired round and a virgin to see where you headspace is at. Then when running the fired round through your FL or Shoulder bump die check before you run it and see if your pushing the should back. So you would just measure the OAL with the pistol case on shoulder. Bumping .001-.002 is perfectly normal for the smaller caliber. When using larger magnums i usually found them to work better when they had more bump like .005. But its best to try both with proven loads to see which is better.

 

[NorCalMikie]

The object of the "shoulder bump die" is to bump the shoulder without doing anything to the body.
The Forster Precision Bushing Bump Die will size the neck with different size bushings and bump the shoulder as far back as you want it without doing anything to the body.
After a few firings you need to use a "body only" die to bring the body size back in. It has no moving parts and only sizes the body.
You use both body and shoulder bump dies to complete the process. But only "as neded".
So what you're doing with you Redding die is resizing the body and bumping the shoulder. You can't seperate the process with that die.
The less you move (resize) the brass, the longer it lasts.

 

[squirrelsnpr]

Am I safe to say that I'm going to use this die only when a round doesn't chamber. Or should I be using it after every firing to keep things more uniform? I'm practicing on my .223 so I don't screw up the expensive 6.5x47 brass. Should I look into the Forester for the utmost barss life and accuracy?

 

[NorCalMikie]

OK Sheep dog,( ) it goes like this. If your fired brass will rechamber without being resized, except for the neck, you're good to go.
It makes no difference what caliber it is, it all works the same. Once the brass has been fired, it's fireformed. It will expand and shrink back a little. You don't want to move the brass anymore than needed.
It's best for the brass if, you resize it the least amount possible. If you can resize the neck and rechamber the brass and it works easy, you're in! Load it up and go shoot something.

I prefer Forster but what do I know? There's lots of guys there that like other brands of dies. Forster just happens to be "my" choice. Some others are more expensive.
I shoot 22 and 6 BR and can get about 5 firings before I need to use a body and am going on at least 15 firings and resizings and still going strong.
Lots of guys will full length resize "every time". Not sure how often they're replacing their brass. Set you're Redding die so it just "slightly" pushes the shoulder back. Set the die so it won't touch the shoulder. Run it down till you get a slight feel on the shoulder. Chamber the brass and see. Shouldn't take much. It's best to measure before and after you resize so you'll know where you are.
And .223 is pretty forgiving so it could be a little different when it comes to your 6.5. Practice till you get it right. HTH, Mike.

 

[squirrelsnpr]

its too bad I cant find someone closer to teach me all of this. Thanks NorCal, I wish you were a just a little more south. I need to update my occupation, it should read "Laid Off Sheep Dog Looking For Work".

 

[Ram]

I bought a Forster bushing bump die in 308. With the new brass and full length sized brass, I have 0.010" clearance between the shell holder and the die. The instructions state to set the the die to contact the shell holder.

Shouldn't new brass and full length sized brass me at or near minimum length? If these instructions are followed, would it not push the shoulder back up to 0.010" below minimum length?

 

[blawton]

If it does indeed push them back that far then yes it is to much. Its easy to check to see how much it will buy measuring before and after you can even use a pistol case as a gauge.

 

[lpreddick]

my redding .243AI body die would not bump the shouder until i had my gunsmith grind about .012 in off the end of the die. i understand it is primarily a body die. my other redding body dies will bump the shoulder enough but are also sizing the body slightly. seems the forster bump die would be the way to go if one didn't want to touch the body. ?how often would one need to bump without bringing the body down a bit?

if i can see you, i can touch you.BANG!

 

[NorCalMikie]

With only bumping the shoulder and sizing the neck with a bushing, it might be 4 or 5 firings before the body needs to be sized. Depends a lot on how new the brass is and how hot the load is.
Newer brass might not need it as much as older brass. The older stuff will loose it's spring back after a time. As long as you can chamber the fired brass you should be good to go. All depends on how hard it is to close the bolt. Bump the shoulder and see. If it's snug, body size.
And rather than modify the die by removing material, just modify the shell holder. Chuck it in a drill press, run it down on a well oiled stone and take off the amount you need. Measure first so you'll know where you at. Do 2 or 3 so you'll have a selection of modified shell holders.