308 palma decapping pin

[limbic]

I have 260 S Type Redding die that I'm using for my 308Palma brass. I can't seem to find a decapping pin to fit the die that will work with the small rifle primer flash hole. Anyone have any other ideas on what to do to decap my brass.

I had been taking my bushing out of my 6BR die and using it and it worked ok. Not great.

 

[memilanuk]

The flash holes are a bit undersized, probably 0.058-0.059" if they are anything like Lapua 6mm BR brass. Get a PPC flash hole uniformer from Russ Haydon, should open them up to 0.062", which should cure most of your decapping pin problems.

 

[limbic]

yep .0620 is what I need. My undersized pins I bought are exactally .0620 in diameter. Thanks for the help.

 

[memilanuk]

That still may not work as well as you think...

I'd almost guarantee a 0.062" decapping pin will get stuck in a 0.062" flash hole... think about it.

I just checked, and the decapping pin on my Redding 6mm BR Type 'S' F/L sizing die measures 0.055"... which is why it works even with out-of-the-box untouched Lapua 6mm BR brass, as did my Redding 6-6.5x47L die with Lapua brass in that caliber.

Not sure of the best way to get the right sized pins, other than calling Redding's customer service...

 

[TonyR]

I have a Redding universal decapping die with interchangable pins to decap large and small flashholes. The pins are held in the die body with a circlip and change out quickly. It would add an extra step but I have decapped 6mmBR Lapua brass with it as well as cases up to 416 Remington Magnum. You might also check with Dan Warner at Warner Tool in New Hampshire. They make decappers for both large and small flashholes for their full length sizer and I think the threads might be the same as the Redding. They do sell them seperately from the dies.

 

[pbike257]

shouldn't there be a replacement rod for the redding .308 die, that can be used to hold the smaller decapping pins so you can just size the brass with the right decapping pin? If so what part number is it?

 

[memilanuk]

shouldn't there be a replacement rod for the redding .308 die, that can be used to hold the smaller decapping pins so you can just size the brass with the right decapping pin? If so what part number is it?

Just going from memory here, as I'm not anywhere near my loading bench at the moment.

Regular flash holes are ~ 0.080"; regular decapping pins are 60 thou or so - which leads me to believe the 'undersized' decapping pins that the OP got were in fact, not undersized at 62 thou, but just regular decapping pins, whether mislabeled or otherwise.

The difference between the 'regular' decapping pins at 60-62 thou and the BR/PPC decapping pins at 55-58 thou hardly seems worth making another dedicated stem - just tighten the nut on the two-finger collet a bit harder and call it a day. As far as I know, there are no other parts besides the pins that are specific to the BR/PPC holes

If you really want to make a separate part, I'd say go with an entirely different design that uses the shouldered pins like RCBS/Hornady - that way they can't get pulled out of the stem by a tight-fitting flash hole.

 

[geraldgee]

I would hold off on opening up the flash holes. Rather, I would concentrate on finding the correct de-priming pin to use. I see where contacting Redding was suggested. All of my small primer dies are Whidden. I know you can get the correct pin size from them. Not sure if the will work in Redding dies - I've never tried them.

Good luck

Gerald

 

[Boatschool02]

I called Redding and they sent me the correct pin for free.

 

[geraldgee]

Good deal!

 

[Jackal2016]

Seeing as I normally prefer to decap my spent cartridges before any other processes, I just picked up a Lee universal decapping die for about $20 cdn. I disassembled it and chucked the stem in my lathe, (a drill or drill press would suffice) then spun it up and ground the tip down to fit with a honing stone. And a bonus for me is it will work for decapping my 204R as well due to it's smaller diameter shank compared to the Lyman universal decapper.

 

[Macropod]

Or you could just use an 0.080" K&M flash hole uniformer and enjoy more consistent ignition in cool conditions.

 

[kvd]

I disassembled it and chucked the stem in my lathe, (a drill or drill press would suffice) then spun it up and ground the tip down to fit with a honing stone.

Had the problem mentioned in the OP and did what Jackal2016 did - except used emery cloth and polished with 600 grit silicone carbide abrasive paper. Finished diameter was 0.056 inch. Works for everything now.

 

[Linko]

I use the Redding decapping die with their small pin on my Lapua 6br brass. Wouldn't the Palma hole be the same size as the 6br Lapua?

 

[geraldgee]

Lapua produced BR brass with sr primers while Remington was producing if with lr primers. At the request of the US PALMA shooters, Lapua produced sr primer .308 brass and the US team saw immediate benefits in their SD and ES numbers. And they released Creedmoor brass with small pockets. I would advise against enlarging small primer cases to an .080 flash hole. - just my opinion.

 

[FatBoy]

My Whidden 47L pulls the pin about 10% of the time. Super frustrating fishing through a bowl of sticky cases to find the pins. I ordered smaller pins from them, same thing. The Redding 6BR die maybe pulled 1-2%.

Not bashing either company. I didn't have this issue until I switched to blue box.

 

[KevinThomas]

Within the Lapua line, there's a small number of accuracy-oriented cartridges in which we've utilized the smaller diameter flash hole. These are; the 220 Russian, the 6mmBR, the 6.5x47L, the new 6.5 Creedmoor, and the 308 Win Palma. The 308 and the Creedmoor are the only two that have much of an issue here, as they are also available with the larger diameter flash hole either from other makers, or from us in other formats. In the case of the 6.5 Creedmoor, we were the first to offer them with the smaller flash hole, and despite its being well received by shooters, some haven't been aware of the difference and have mistakenly used the larger diameter decapping pins. Our 308s are available in two distinctly different formats, the standard 308 Win, and the 308 Win Palma, which is made with a small primer pocket and the smaller diameter flash hole, per the USA Palma team shooters request. Since the standard 308 case (both ours and other makes) has traditionally been made with the standard flash hole, this is one that reloaders occasionally run afoul of if they're not aware that the Palma case needs to have the decapping pin swapped out for the smaller size. Most manufacturers offer the smaller pins, and some are now using them as standard issue in their dies. A little knowledge is a good thing here, and will save some potential annoyances. As for the 6.5 Creedmoor, I called virtually all of the manufacturers well ahead of our release of this case, and informed them of our intent to utilize the small primer and smaller diameter flash holes. Most stated that they would begin using the smaller diameter decap pins as standard for this die set from that point forward, preventing the problem from ever arising in the first place. Most shooters have appreciated the benefits of the smaller flash holes, but they are a point that needs a little reminder from time to time, just to stave off some frustration.

 

[dcali]

Within the Lapua line, there's a small number of accuracy-oriented cartridges in which we've utilized the smaller diameter flash hole. These are; the 220 Russian, the 6mmBR, the 6.5x47L, the new 6.5 Creedmoor, and the 308 Win Palma. The 308 and the Creedmoor are the only two that have much of an issue here, as they are also available with the larger diameter flash hole either from other makers, or from us in other formats. In the case of the 6.5 Creedmoor, we were the first to offer them with the smaller flash hole, and despite its being well received by shooters, some haven't been aware of the difference and have mistakenly used the larger diameter decapping pins. Our 308s are available in two distinctly different formats, the standard 308 Win, and the 308 Win Palma, which is made with a small primer pocket and the smaller diameter flash hole, per the USA Palma team shooters request. Since the standard 308 case (both ours and other makes) has traditionally been made with the standard flash hole, this is one that reloaders occasionally run afoul of if they're not aware that the Palma case needs to have the decapping pin swapped out for the smaller size. Most manufacturers offer the smaller pins, and some are now using them as standard issue in their dies. A little knowledge is a good thing here, and will save some potential annoyances. As for the 6.5 Creedmoor, I called virtually all of the manufacturers well ahead of our release of this case, and informed them of our intent to utilize the small primer and smaller diameter flash holes. Most stated that they would begin using the smaller diameter decap pins as standard for this die set from that point forward, preventing the problem from ever arising in the first place. Most shooters have appreciated the benefits of the smaller flash holes, but they are a point that needs a little reminder from time to time, just to stave off some frustration.

Thanks for the good summary. Question though: What is the benefit of the small hole that makes it worth all this hassle? Seems like lots of folks have opinions, but very little based on evidence. Surely something drove Lapua to this decision - it'd be a lot easier just to make them with normal sized holes.

 

[pbike257]

Update.... I contacted Redding hunter through their website. I emailed them and told them my dilema, New decapping pins of the small diameter came in the mail about 4 days later freefrom charge. Great service at Redding Hunter.

 

[Bluetip]

Seeing as I normally prefer to decap my spent cartridges before any other processes, I just picked up a Lee universal decapping die for about $20 cdn. I disassembled it and chucked the stem in my lathe, (a drill or drill press would suffice) then spun it up and ground the tip down to fit with a honing stone. And a bonus for me is it will work for decapping my 204R as well due to it's smaller diameter shank compared to the Lyman universal decapper.

I was just about to recommend this, then I read your reply. A friend of mine does this with his 6.5 creed.