Die that doesn't touch the shoulder?

[Wolfdog91]

Odd question ink own it does anyone make a die that doesn't touch the shoulder of a case just the body and especially the base ?

Asking because I have a 7mm TCU contender ( and looking to get more .223/5.56 based wildcats) and buckets of range brass I been trying to convert but the main issue is the bases . Even with a small base die some of them just won't fit due to the bases and if I try to adjust the die down more i end up pushing the should back alot .

I mean honestly it's not a big deal because found out I can just pop in a case and if it closes its good if not it's a reject and really even new fairly nice brass is pretty dang cheap

But anyway was curious if anyone makes a die that would just read the base and body of the case back to under factory spec without touching the shoulder ... Or is that just not a thing ? Thanks

 

[Rwfish]

You could contact Harrells to see if they could build a custom die to your specs…..

 

[HandgunHTR]

The best thing to do is find a used small base die for the 223. Run your cases through that before necking up to the TCU. Easy-peasy.

 

[divingin]

If you pull the die up just a bit( a thou or two more than your shoulder setback), you'll still size the body to some extent, but not touch the shoulder (can't say if you'd get enough squeeze to meet your requirements.)

I've never heard of a body die that didn't have the shoulder in it (though I have used a small base 308 die on the much shorter 6BR case. But it also turned out that I didn't need to.)

 

[HandgunHTR]

The best thing to do is find a used small base die for the 223. Run your cases through that before necking up to the TCU. Easy-peasy.

Oh, and if you worried about pushing the shoulder back too far and creating a headspace issue, the way you solve that with the TCUs is to seat your bullets out with a hard jam into the lands for your fire forming loads. That will ensure you get a good form.

 

[Fast14riot]

What you're looking for is known as a ring die. I have a couple for .308 based cartridges, that the brass just sticks out the top. Roll sizing can also do this. Some pistol dies can be gutted and have enough space to let a piece of rifle brass stick out. Just need to find the right one, or turn it into one on a lathe.

 

[Wolfdog91]

The best thing to do is find a used small base die for the 223. Run your cases through that before necking up to the TCU. Easy-peasy.

Like I said I tried and didn't really work on many of them

 

[Wolfdog91]

If you pull the die up just a bit( a thou or two more than your shoulder setback), you'll still size the body to some extent, but not touch the shoulder (can't say if you'd get enough squeeze to meet your requirements.)

I've never heard of a body die that didn't have the shoulder in it (though I have used a small base 308 die on the much shorter 6BR case. But it also turned out that I didn't need to.)

But it won't go all the way down and hit the base like I need

 

[HandgunHTR]

Like I said I tried and didn't really work on many of them

I missed the part about using a small base die.

Don’t worry about pushing the shoulder back too far. As I said, just jam the bullets into the lands hard and they will form just fine.

 

[wedgy]

Cut the top off the die and you won't have a shoulder bump. If you need more sizing grind the bottom of the die off until it sizes to your dimension. Lee probably makes the cheapest die.

 

[rlporter507]

if you get a die of the same case body, but is longer, say a 30-06 die for a 308, when you size it, it wont reach the shoulder. not sure if there is such a thing for your caliber tho.

 

[TXJM]

Odd question ink own it does anyone make a die that doesn't touch the shoulder of a case just the body and especially the base ?

Asking because I have a 7mm TCU contender ( and looking to get more .223/5.56 based wildcats) and buckets of range brass I been trying to convert but the main issue is the bases . Even with a small base die some of them just won't fit due to the bases and if I try to adjust the die down more i end up pushing the should back alot .

I mean honestly it's not a big deal because found out I can just pop in a case and if it closes its good if not it's a reject and really even new fairly nice brass is pretty dang cheap

But anyway was curious if anyone makes a die that would just read the base and body of the case back to under factory spec without touching the shoulder ... Or is that just not a thing ? Thanks
View attachment 1677810

Do they make a small base 222 mag? A 204 and drill out the top?

 

[dhagerty40]

you hit the reason I no longer use range brass in my 7TCU because some .223 rifles have really sloppy chambers. I would just use a .223 small base sizer and then form to 7TCU after.
and do not worry about the shoulder or upper body, you will be blowing these out during fireforming anyway. it may also take up to 3 firings for the case to fully form to your chamber depending on your load.

My 6.5TCU is a whole different story. if I do not bump the shoulder, it gets a lot of rounds that will drop the hammer into safety position causing a misfire. I ended up full length resizing every time on this barrel.

for dies, I have had the best luck with redding dies. while both RCBS and Hornady has a slight rounding of the die at the bottom causing to not fully size the case, Redding is more straight and gives me less problems.

I ended up myself switching to Starline brass. after over 500 cases, I have not lost a case yet!

 

[alf]

Depending on brass/chamber dimensions, a 38/357 die will size the base. I use one on my 204 brass.

Other wise you could buy a small base die and cut it in half with a carbide hack saw blade, which I've done also with one of these:

RemGrit 12 in. Carbide Grit Rod Saw Blade 1 pk Mfr# E0406180 - Ace Hardware

RemGrit® Carbide Grit Rod Saw Blades have carbide particles bonded to an alloy steel rod. This saw cuts extremely abrasive materials with no teeth to chip or dull. Carbide grit offers the greatest wear and heat resistance. Ideal for materials that other saws will not cut. Rod design gets into...

www.acehardware.com

 

[pavementends]

you might try a 9mm carbide die with all the internals removed. Acually a 38/357 die is closer depending on who made it.

 

[butchlambert]

I use Charles Huckaba's die idea. Take a full length die and run a drill through just larger than the shoulder diameter. Cut about .15" off the bottom. Now you can screw the die down to achieve whatever dimension that you desire.