Dies for hunting rifle

[Iowa Fox]

For run of the mill std chambering firearms I use used RCBS, Redding, Lyman, ect dies. One thing I de-prime in a separate operation and Never use the expander ball. I use a Lyman M die to open the necks back up. Standard cheap run of the mill dies will knock out some pretty good reloads if you watch your Ps&Qs.

 

[GeootJan]

Ed, if I understand this correctly, a honed sizing die is good because it does not work the brass as much when that brass is always fired from the same rifle.
And they want the bullet you intend to load plus your intended tension.

If one were to load a thiner wall brass than it was honed for their would be less neck tension holding the bullet.

it does sound like I may take this path, I have 200 lapua rounds, factory ammo but the brass is still lapua.

I found the book selection in the main page, going to get some

 

[GeootJan]

Damn
Nine boxes of Dies to take the place of one good F/L bushing die.

couldn’t resist

Is that for 9 different neck tensions?

 

[Bc'z]

Is that for 9 different neck tensions?

Lmao
Bushings are cheaper!
Not to mention easily swapped for different brass manufacturers and varying neck thickness.
A honed die limits you to 1 specific type.
But hey what do I know? Not much!

 

[Rsadams]

I still think post 5 sums it up...

 

[Uncle Ed]

Ed, if I understand this correctly, a honed sizing die is good because it does not work the brass as much when that brass is always fired from the same rifle.
And they want the bullet you intend to load plus your intended tension.

If one were to load a thiner wall brass than it was honed for their would be less neck tension holding the bullet.

it does sound like I may take this path, I have 200 lapua rounds, factory ammo but the brass is still lapua.

I found the book selection in the main page, going to get some

I have never had the necks honed on any of my Forster dies because I want them to work with any brand of brass. I also do not think that my Forster dies over reduce the neck diameter compared to other brand dies I have.

Below in this Accurate Shooter technical article the reloader had three dies honed to cover neck tension and case neck thickness. And these dies produced neck runout with 16 cases with .001. runout and 4 cases with ..0015 runout. And the reason so many reloaders use a Forster full length die or a Redding body die and a Lee collet die is because they produce less neck runout than a bushing die.

FL Bushing Dies vs. Honed FL Dies
https://www.accurateshooter.com/technical-articles/reloading/fl-bushing-dies-vs-honed-fl-dies/

Forster FL dies, necks honed to .265″, .266″, and .267″.

Please notice in the video below by the 6.5 Guys they get "LESS" neck runout with the Forster die than with a bushing die. That being said the U.S. Military considers match grade ammunition to have .003 or less bullet runout.

Bottom line, at the Whidden custom die website they tell you they have less neck runout using non-bushing full length dies. And the reloader using a bushing die and a factory rifle that has a larger SAAMI chamber will have more neck runout than a standard non-bushing full length die.

Tech Line & Tips (FAQs)
Concentricity Problems
a.k.a Neck Runout With Bottleneck Cases
https://www.redding-reloading.com/tech-line-a-tips-faqs/146-concentricity-problems

We have conducted many tests over the years on the various factors contributing to concentricity problems with bottleneck cases. We have repeatedly found a definite correlation between the uniformity of the brass (or lack of it) and the resulting concentricity of the neck to the body of the case.

An interesting experiment also revealed that neck turning of brass that was intentionally sorted as non-uniform, showed little or no concentricity improvement when used in standard S.A.A.M.I. spec chambers. Conversely brass that was sorted and selected for uniformity remained uniform and concentric with or without a neck turning operation.

An interesting experiment also revealed that neck turning of brass that was intentionally sorted as non-uniform, showed little or no concentricity improvement when used in standard S.A.A.M.I. spec chambers. Conversely brass that was sorted and selected for uniformity remained uniform and concentric with or without a neck turning operation.

 

[Uncle Ed]

Damn
Nine boxes of Dies to take the place of one good F/L bushing die.

couldn’t resist

I worked part time in a sporting goods store and had a very good discount and even got "FREE" dies if I answered a manufactures questionnaire. So I decided to test different type and make dies to satisfy my die OCD and found the following.

1. You can take any make full length die and remove the expander and the resized case will be as concentric as it ever will be.
2. If you remove the dies expander and use a expander die there is a good chance you will have less neck runout than using the dies expander.
3. Neck sizing dies will produce more neck runout and I believe this is because the die does not fully support the case body.
4. My Forster bushing bump die produced more neck runout than any other neck sizing die.
5. My Forster non-bushing full length dies produced the least neck runout when sizing the case just once.
6. For some reason I could not make myself like using a Lee collet die.

I might have been doing something wrong, every time I tried to apply the same amount of torque to the collet die the duct tape ripped and the string would break.

 

[Bc'z]

Looks like uncle Ed has some jokes of his own!!

 

[Uncle Ed]

Looks like uncle Ed has some jokes of his own!!

Uncle Ed is retired and has nothing to do and all day to do it.

And I like going to the range when no one else is there.........................................
that way when I leave the range I know I was the best shot that day.

I just ordered the Chipmunk single shot pistol yesterday so won't have to pick which dies I have to reload it.

I wonder what ammo I should use......................

 

[Bc'z]

Uncle Ed is retired and has nothing to do and all day to do it.

And I like going to the range when no one else is there.........................................
that way when I leave the range I know I was the best shot that day.

I just ordered the Chipmunk single shot pistol yesterday so won't have to pick which dies I have to reload it.

I wonder what ammo I should use......................

Try them all and figure out what diet it likes best.

 

[BDman]

I started with Lee dies and moved on to Redding bushing type, Whidden non bushing and Forster FL honed in that order. The Forster FL honed dies and a mandrel have resulted in the least runout of any of them with the Forster and Whidden with their supplied expander running a close second. Second being less than .002 runout.

I have the Forsters' honed to work with the thinnest brass I will use and if I choose to use thicker brass, the extra sizing is minimal and much less than a standard die. My results on paper are good enough to have converted several of my shooting friends. However, I don't think it's all about runout, as long as it's not excessive. Just my .02.