competition shell holders

[tvaught]

I’m having fits trying to get a .002 shoulder bump. I have a zero press using a redding s bushing die. Prep the brass to the point of resizing, put it a regular redding shellholder. raise the ram til it touches and add a bit more for cam over. Now the anguish begins. Check with a short action comparator, record measurement. put it in the press, size it and its more. Fine i back it off and try again and start screwing the die in very slightly. I get to 1-1.5 thousand go just a tad more and now it’s 5 thou. And I mean i almost didn’t feel it move. Can someone tell me why? Would competition shellholders help?

Thanks

Mike

Zero Modular Shellholder System

As we have done round after round of press testing, both with the ZERO and other presses, we have known that the very best way to get consistent sizing time and again is to have contact between the shellholder and the die. This removes your ability, however, to dial in your shoulder bump – until...

www.area419.com

These are the shellholders designed to be used with the Zero press.

 

[Coyotefurharvester]

Or with the standard shell holder the op could use cut to fit shim stock(0.002,0.003,0.004) under the case head in the shell holder to raise the case than size again and determine how close he is to targeted sizing goal. Most Redding FL sizing die instructions I have read, state if the die touches the shell holder that is max sizing(minimum SAAMI) that has been my experience also. I also.recommend not mixing brands of sizing die and shell holders.

 

[rlporter507]

I'm having the same problem with the zero, haven't figured it out yet. I can get .002 in my redding T7, with a shell holder i turned down .034, but not in the zero. same die. I just took .034 off the die, but have not tried it yet.

 

[William Vogel]

I chamber my barrels tight and when I require cam over to bump the shoulder of the brass, I put the shellholder in my lathe and turn off a few thousandths to keep the press from camming over. Works every time.

 

[TTE]

Most dies are threaded 14 TPI. That means each full turn of the die changes the depth by .071. That's seventy-one thousandths. You only need to turn the die 5 degrees to change the depth by .001.

This.

It is difficult to move the die .001 by hand. You have to take into consideration if the lock ring moves the adjustment as well .... IF you can move it approx. 5 degrees (which is tough to do accurately).

IMO .... instead of pulling your hair out trying to get the proper 5 degree adjustment by hand, this will help you A LOT -

https://www.pmatool.com/pma-micro-die-adjuster-pro/

 

[rlporter507]

you can put a o-ring under the lock ring, and move it in a very small amount easily

 

[AlNyhus]

you can put a o-ring under the lock ring, and move it in a very small amount easily

This ^^^^^

It also helps the dies self-center to the ram and shell holder. Just make a mark when it's where you want it and tweak from there, if needed. The inexpensive Lee lock rings have an 'o' ring built in and they also do a very good job. An 'O' ring on the shell holder can also help consistency.

Good shootin' -Al

 

[Multiracer]

Don't forget to "oil" the outside of a virgin case before you chamber it for the first time. This will produce the best fire forming in "your" chamber.

 

[LHSmith]

Don't forget to "oil" the outside of a virgin case before you chamber it for the first time. This will produce the best fire forming in "your" chamber.

Good cause for Sunday morning popcorn. I've been flamed for suggesting this for wildcats for years. Just don't forget to clean chamber after- also I only apply a thin film of Imperial wax to the case body only.
BTW - I am a huge fan of Skips Die Shims.

 

[greyspider56]

I’m having fits trying to get a .002 shoulder bump. I have a zero press using a redding s bushing die. Prep the brass to the point of resizing, put it a regular redding shellholder. raise the ram til it touches and add a bit more for cam over. Now the anguish begins. Check with a short action comparator, record measurement. put it in the press, size it and its more. Fine i back it off and try again and start screwing the die in very slightly. I get to 1-1.5 thousand go just a tad more and now it’s 5 thou. And I mean i almost didn’t feel it move. Can someone tell me why? Would competition shellholders help?

Thanks

Mike

I want to thank you all for the help and replies.

 

[AlNyhus]

Good cause for Sunday morning popcorn. I've been flamed for suggesting this for wildcats for years. Just don't forget to clean chamber after- also I only apply a thin film of Imperial wax to the case body only.
BTW - I am a huge fan of Skips Die Shims.

I always lightly oil cases prior to the first firing. Marvel Mystery Oil, 3 In 1...any light oil works.

 

[6BRA]

.001 won't work on mine...

Videos | wheeleraccuracy

www.wheeleraccuracy.com

Video sizing brass

 

[LCazador]

you can put a o-ring under the lock ring, and move it in a very small amount easily

How does that change the amount of bump or shoulder setback?

 

[rlporter507]

How does that change the amount of bump or shoulder setback?

by putting a o-ring under the die lock ring next to the press, you can screw the die down or up in very small increments to get the bump you want. when you turn the die down, it squashes the o-ring so you have a little adjustment there. its got to be pretty close to the set back you want with the die just snug on the o-ring.
when I set up the sizing die, i screw down the die a little at a time while running a brass into it. this aligns the case with the die. I also throw away the clip that holds the shell holder in the ram, and use a o-ring to hold the shell holder in place. this allows the shell holder to float, and by screwing the die down on the brass I think it helps with alignment.

 

[Hengehold]

Zero Modular Shellholder System

As we have done round after round of press testing, both with the ZERO and other presses, we have known that the very best way to get consistent sizing time and again is to have contact between the shellholder and the die. This removes your ability, however, to dial in your shoulder bump – until...

www.area419.com

These are the shellholders designed to be used with the Zero press.

+1.

Get yourself a shelholder set (zero or Redding). It is the correct tool for the task of setting shoulder bump and it should be considered a must have/ basic piece of equipment for anyone that is reloading for bottleneck rifle cartridges.

Without the correct tool an easy job can become difficult, and a difficult job can be impossible. Get yourself the correct tool, it is absolutely worth the investment. The cost per use on a tool like that is almost $0.00

 

[Hengehold]

Good cause for Sunday morning popcorn. I've been flamed for suggesting this for wildcats for years. Just don't forget to clean chamber after- also I only apply a thin film of Imperial wax to the case body only.
BTW - I am a huge fan of Skips Die Shims.

Just FYI, An episode of the Hornady podcast touched on the topic of having lube on a cartridge when firing. A lubed case will not grip the walls of the chamber as well as an un-lubed cartridge. The result is an increase in pressure rearward, and stress on the bolt lugs increases by a drastic amount (it was something like 4x, or 6x increase in bolt lug stress). I don’t recall the exact statistic from the podcast, but an increase in bolt lug stress by a factor of 4 or more is enough to give someone pause and not want to practice this on a regular basis.

 

[JMayo]

I have pma tools on all my dies. .... Those dots represent a distance to turn. No way could i unscrew and rescrew a die in a shell holder, sneaking up on the desired bump.