Body Die Sizing

[welscher663]

So I just got a body die to cope with some cases chambering hard. I have not used one of these before and was wanting a little insight on it. When I go to run brass thru them, do I first need to run them thru a neck sizer to knock out the primer? or can I run them thru the body die with the primer still in place and then neck size?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Marksman63]

Body die first, neck sizer after.

1. Decapping
2. Brass cleaning (SS tumbler)
3. Case trimming to length (if needed)
4. Annealing
5. Body (headspace) sizing
6. Brass cleaning (media tumbler)
7. Neck sizing
or
5.7. FL sizing and brass cleaning

 

[padom]

Body die first, neck sizer after.

1. Decapping
2. Brass cleaning (SS tumbler)
3. Case trimming to length (if needed)
4. Annealing
5. Body (headspace) sizing
6. Brass cleaning (media tumbler)
7. Neck sizing
or
5.7. FL sizing and brass cleaning

You body size after trimming? Trimming should come after body sizing because that can make the case length increase.

 

[Shynloco]

Body die first, neck sizer after.

1. Decapping
2. Brass cleaning (SS tumbler)
3. Case trimming to length (if needed)
4. Annealing
5. Body (headspace) sizing
6. Brass cleaning (media tumbler)
7. Neck sizing
or
5.7. FL sizing and brass cleaning

You body size after trimming? Trimming should come after body sizing because that can make the case length increase.

All the above......+1.

 

[CatShooter]

Body die first, neck sizer after.

1. Decapping
2. Brass cleaning (SS tumbler)
3. Case trimming to length (if needed)
4. Annealing
5. Body (headspace) sizing
6. Brass cleaning (media tumbler)
7. Neck sizing
or
5.7. FL sizing and brass cleaning

You body size after trimming? Trimming should come after body sizing because that can make the case length increase.

The body die is not a headspace die - for a headspace die, get a Forster "Bump die".

The body IS a FL die, without the neck sizing section - there is no purpose in FL sizing twice, it beats the crap out of the cases.

You can use body dies at anytime, including on loaded ammunition...

 

[fguffey]

So I just got a body die to cope with some cases chambering hard.

My opinion, there is something you are not doing correctly when sizing. You did not need the body? die. I have had body dies for years, long before they were referred to as being bodies.

F. Guffey

 

[Patch700]

To answer your question , it is good practice to deprime cases initially for a couple reasons.

The first being that with the primer still in its place you cannot get a precise case measurement with respect to base to shoulder datum and as you know this is an important measurement to know when you are sizing brass .
This is important because you do not want to be blindly bumping shoulders back until they chamber nicely , you need to measure and chose the amount of bump you'd like and at that point if the brass still chambers stiff you now have a reference measurement to tell you what else has to change with the brass to make it chamber smoother but yet not go beyond your desired datum measurement.

As CatShooter has mentioned , yes you can indeed use a body die at any step of the operation should you chose to do so by it's design.

I wouldn't go as far as to say that the OP is doing something wrong if he decides he would like to use a body die... We have no idea what his fired case dimensions are as compared to what they measure after he sizes them with his neck die or whatever die he uses. For all we know his dies are not a close match to fired chamber dimensions... Not a huge deal , just means he will probably be left with no choice but to oversize the brass in some areas to get the desired chambering effort he likes.

With respect to depriming , should you wish to do your neck sizing as a last step and do not have a dedicated depriming die you can simply adjust the decapping spindle of your neck sizer to punch out the primer long before the case reaches the point in the die where it will begin sizing.

Deprime first....Then begin measuring and go from there.

Good luck

 

[DataSmith]

I'm rather curious as to why the OP is having a problem with their brass in the first place. Assuming this is a bolt action and the brass was fired from this rifle.

 

[LHSmith]

^^^^^Yep....Fact is brass wears out. Once it starts to "click" on bolt opening it's finished. Sure you can swage it back down with a small base die, but the "fix" is short-lived. If you value your rifle, save it's locking lugs from farther damage and chuck the "clickers"

 

[Brians356]

Fact is brass wears out. Once it starts to "click" on bolt opening it's finished. ... If you value your rifle, save it's locking lugs from farther damage and chuck the "clickers"

Interesting. But the OP did not mention "clicking" on bolt opening (he mentioned "chambering hard".)

Needing to set shoulders back somewhat, as suggested by stiff bolt closure, does not indicate the brass needs to be discarded. I would think that was obvious, so probably I misunderstood your point.

 

[CatShooter]

Clicking on extraction, comes from a minimum chamber, and a sizing die that is larger at the base than the chamber... so the die cannot bring the base down smaller than the chamber, and the case base continues to bind slightly on extraction... it has nothing to do with "wearing out", and happens often with match or minimum SAAMI chambers.

Click can happen fairly quickly, within a few firings (depending on how tight the chamber is, and how loose the die base is), and cases that "click" can last as long as any others.

People get 50 to 100 loads from a case if it is treated well with knowledge (something that is sometimes in short supply).

But the OP's original question deals with hard chambering (if he described it correctly)... so it has little to do with extraction "Click".

 

[Marksman63]

Body die first, neck sizer after.

1. Decapping
2. Brass cleaning (SS tumbler)
3. Case trimming to length (if needed)
4. Annealing
5. Body (headspace) sizing
6. Brass cleaning (media tumbler)
7. Neck sizing
or
5.7. FL sizing and brass cleaning

You body size after trimming? Trimming should come after body sizing because that can make the case length increase.

The body die is not a headspace die - for a headspace die, get a Forster "Bump die".

The body IS a FL die, without the neck sizing section - there is no purpose in FL sizing twice, it beats the crap out of the cases.

You can use body dies at anytime, including on loaded ammunition...

I set up the redding body die to push shoulder back, too.

 

[BoydAllen]

You need to pay attention to shoulder bump when you set a body die, just like you would with a FL die. If you take the neck bushing out of a bushing FL die, what you are left with sizes the same parts of the case as a body die.

 

[bigedp51]

If you full length resize every time you would not have your problem with minimum shoulder bump or setback.

I also belong to the "rat turd in the violin case" fraternity.

 

[BoydAllen]

Ed,
I do not understand your remark about FL resizing every time. I have to carefully set my FL dies, and reset them as cases work harden. Also, two make a pretty exclusive club. If you make inquiries among those who hold rifle accuracy records as to their agreement with you and your mentor's violin case preferences, I do not think that you will find any who agree. This is after all supposed to be a web site devoted to the pursuit of accuracy.
Boyd

 

[bigedp51]

Boyd Allen

Thousands of people read the postings in this forum which is call the "Reloading Forum (all calibers)". This isn't the "neck sizers only forum" and you need to get off your high horse and see past your own nose.

Now do you understand "YOU" and the neck sizing only mutual back slappers club are not the only ones in this forum.

Bottom line, drop your attitude I'm running low on Preparation H

 

[LHSmith]

^^^^^ You either have a reading comprehension problem or you started happy hour early.

 

[Patch700]

All due respect Ed , that is not called for ... Nobody mentioned anything about Neck sizing being the end all to anyone's problems so lets not go putting words in other peoples statements.

Posts can be edited.... Perhaps your last one could use a bit of that.

One can go back and forth until the last powder kernel is burnt discussing sizing preference's and that is how one can possibly learn something by trying a different method , doesn't work for you then so be it , lesson learned.

 

[bigedp51]

Ed,
I do not understand your remark about FL resizing every time. I have to carefully set my FL dies, and reset them as cases work harden. Also, two make a pretty exclusive club. If you make inquiries among those who hold rifle accuracy records as to their agreement with you and your mentor's violin case preferences, I do not think that you will find any who agree. This is after all supposed to be a web site devoted to the pursuit of accuracy.
Boyd

Boyd Allen

Lets make it at "least" three people who full length resize and he even has a few articles on reloading the .303 British and doesn't act snobbish about it. Like I said get off your high horse and stop making your comments because not everyone shares your views.

The Rifleman's Journal
Index of Articles
http://riflemansjournal.blogspot.com/p/articles-index.html

 

[LHSmith]

^^^^^You just don't get it. The shoulder bump adjustment must be tweaked to compensate for the brass's nature of springing back at different rates...but if you only load your ammo at starting load pressures (ala your effiminate .303 Brittish loads) you'll never see the big picture.