Custom Wildcat Dies

[mikecr]

Your brass is not formed until you do so, and this requires fire-forming in your chamber (your best die).
But it is simple enough to know what you will fire-form brass to, and what you want to size where & how much. This is where the sizing reamer comes from (those understandings). Any die maker should be willing to trust that you know what you're doing in designing the sizing reamer. He can make it using the reamer/print, and could not possibly be held accountable if your plan didn't work out. It's YOUR plan, it's just a die, and you could simply learn & adjust until right.

Nothing wrong with using FF'd brass, if again there was understanding behind it. The greater to clearances in forming, the greater the change to spring back of the brass, and the less predictable sizing needs will be. So until knowing the outcome there is still an element of chance to it.
I've had good fortune with both, but then my clearances were small and my ammo turned out exactly matching earliest design. So did my estimated H20 capacities, and QL generated loads.

 

[lpreddick]

So, how do you create a piece of brass to fire in the chamber of your wildcat if you have no custom made sizing die to create it with?
With no sizing die you can't size a piece of brass to get it into the chamber to fire it.....
With no fired brass you can't get a sizing die...

This could be a vicious cycle.....

This was my concern when I decided to create my first "wildcat". Wait time for reamer was 6-8 weeks. 2-3 weeks to get barrel done. FF brass and send to Whidden. 100% FFed brass might not occur until 2-3 firings. Wait time now 6 or more weeks during which I could shoot (FFing) but not FL size brass. I took the chance and sent Whidden a reamer print as soon as JGS and I agreed on specs. Reamer and dies arrived a few days apart and I was shooting and resizing in short order. Granted reamer might cut chamber slightly larger but JGS is first class and my chamberer is extremely precise, and measured fired brass was exact as reamer print.

 

[fguffey]

This could be a vicious cycle.....

Not true; there are fire formers, they chamber a round, pull the trigger and then remove a fire formed case, a few of us call that case a once fired case. And then there are case formers, we form first and then fire; I am the fan of cutting down on case travel so I form first then fire.

The OP purchased two reamers, one for the chamber and another for the die.

F. Guffey

 

[fguffey]

Nothing wrong with using FF'd brass, if again there was understanding behind it. The greater to clearances in forming, the greater the change to spring back of the brass, and the less predictable sizing needs will be.

I have never been a fan of sneaking up on forming cases, I know, it is fashionable to use cereal or some type of obstruction when forming cases, not me, I have formed cases that had absolutely no memory of what it was before I pulled the trigger, I do not mess around with that jump back, snap back or spring back stuff, And then there is the projection, reloaders claim the case is not formed until it has been fired 5 times, after that they add the part about starting over by full length sizing' and I always ask how is that possible. The case has been fired 5 times, the case has hardened, I believe reloaders would catch on faster if they changed their plan every time they fired the case.

F. Guffey

 

[Eddie Harren]

Guffey,
Still waiting on a price for those "Datums" you claim to have.

 

[warner]

Alan Warner, the craftsman of the finest resizing die on earth, requires a few pieces of brass that was fired in your chamber. No reamer, no reamer print
JRS\: Thanks for the kind words.
Just a little insight on my methods.. I like to see fire formed brass (twice fired if possible) in order to gather measurements and a print if you have it so I can compare features. can't tell you how many times I've seen brass that was only close to what the print said. Shoulder angles especially. And for a head space comparison --- a fare number of times the reamer went deep. On a wildcat there is no way of knowing what it is supposed to be without a print. I can make the die to any number, and advise if its off a bit from what the drawing said it was supposed to be. In the long run, who cares if the HS is long, as long as you know it and size the brass correctly TO THAT CHAMBER.
All that aside, I can make a die from your reamer print but we assume it is correct, and the cutting was also correct. I usually error on the smaller side when I only have a print. Not the way I like but it gets a die made. Tweaking inserts (making over) may be needed, but not many times have I needed to.


Alan

 

[Tommie]

I once ordered custom dies from CH-4D.
Meh.

 

[fguffey]

I once ordered custom dies from CH-4D.
Meh.

I was going through some dies I am going to sell and noticed a counter display box for C&H when they were in El Monte, California. Printed on the box was information on how the dies were to be used. "This die set is designed to be used with a shell holder with a height of .125" ". That was long before 'social media'; members of social media have demanded the brand of shell holder and die match.

My shell holders have a deck height of .125", the ones that do not fit into that category were made in the mid 50s by Pacific.

F. Guffey

 

[IdahoSharpshooter]

Neill Jones, CPS.com

 

[Matt in Virginia]

Neill Jones, CPS.com

CPS.com? Where am I going wrong there?

Regards, Matt.

 

[Patch700]

So, how do you create a piece of brass to fire in the chamber of your wildcat if you have no custom made sizing die to create it with?
With no sizing die you can't size a piece of brass to get it into the chamber to fire it.....
With no fired brass you can't get a sizing die...

This could be a vicious cycle.....

It would depend on the caliber and parent case.. I have in the past had the smith use my chambering reamer to cut a neck size bushing die that was used to get fired cases sized 3x then send the cases in for a FL die that was the closest match.

So if you were say for example building a 7-08 imp and couldnt use a std die , you could use a necksizing bushing die cut with the Imp chamber reamer to get your fired cases sized... Lots of ways to skin a cat here so to speak.

 

[IdahoSharpshooter]

Neil Jones Custom Products, in PA. For some reason it will not find it when I type that in with a www. prefix.

www.neiljonescustomproducts.com works if go directly to the internet.

Rich