Need 20 Practical die advice.

[jrmercer]

Help! Need 20 Practical die advice.

I have been searching for the specifics so I can get my Midway order sent to get ready for PD season, but some details and advice are needed. ,note ... I lean more towards varminting than BR and this is for eventual use in AR's as well as bolt guns)

We do have the reamer on its way from PTG and Dave said to ask Redding about these particulars ... but they were not familiar with the 20 Practical. Called Hornady and did not get any further so I will just throw out my problems here.

First, I don't have S-bushing dies for .223 and I will want to use these to reload that caliber as well. And I don't know of the real world advantage of the micro-adjustable 'comp' seating or sizing dies, tho most Redding users seem to opt for the 'reg' dies and get good results. So tell me what I am missing or need to change ~ this is what I am considering for my order:

1 ~ Recommend reg or comp Redding S-bushing dies?
2 ~ Recommended neck size bushing for .223,AR and bolt)?
3 ~ I can't find a Midway number for the complete small decap rod/stem or the .20 button, tho they have Ruger 204 dies.
4 ~ Use .230 bushing for 20 Practical?,or maybe .228 & .233?)
5 ~ A different bullet seating stem,like 204 Ruger) for the .20?
6 ~ Is the Redding FL sizer small enough that I probably don't need to fuss with their Small Base die?
7 ~ Anything else I might need?

And if you can take time to review this ~ Thanks!

~ John

 

[Fireball]

John, I hope you read the 20 Practical article here on the site. I'll address each of your questions below.

1 ~ Recommend reg or comp Redding S-bushing dies?

The Redding regular type-S bushing die is all you need. I actually prefer it over the fancier comp version.

2 ~ Recommended neck size bushing for .223,AR and bolt)?

Depending on your brass anywhere from .225" to .230".

3 ~ I can't find a Midway number for the complete small decap rod/stem or the .20 button, tho they have Ruger 204 dies.

Order these items from Sinclair or direct from Redding. The button will be around $4.00 and the rod/stem assemply will be around $11.00. Midway doesn't carry these small parts. Midway is a good source for more "normal" shooting supplies, but Sinclair is for the precision shooter and will know what you are talking about when you call them on the phone.

4 ~ Use .230 bushing for 20 Practical?,or maybe .228 & .233?)

Like I said above, it will depend on the thickness of the necks on your .223 cases and how much bullet tension you want. It can range anywhere from .225" to .230".

5 ~ A different bullet seating stem,like 204 Ruger) for the .20?

You can use your regular .223 Rem seater for the .20 Practical, no problem. You could use a .204 Ruger seating stem if desired, but it isn't necessary.

6 ~ Is the Redding FL sizer small enough that I probably don't need to fuss with their Small Base die?

Yes. I have only had to use a small base die once in my life and that was on a tightly chambered 6BR years ago.

7 ~ Anything else I might need?

Re-read the article including the side bars and it will all make sense. Feel free to ask more questions here. And remember the .20 Practical is just a short throated .20-223 with a funny name.

-Warren

 

[jrmercer]

Muchas Gracias Fireball! The voice of experience is worth a lot and repeating some of those points does help.

Yes I did read and re-read the article and it does address nearly everything. I will note what I am yet unclear about.

#1~ That is great news. It avoids some of the problems/details associated with the comp dies and it definitely saves bucks.

#2~ a Redding neck sizing bushing for the .223 caliber reloading should be ... ???,maybe a .243? i.e. bullet diam. of .224 plus brass thickness?)

#3~ Thanks for the tip on Sinclair or Redding. I have gotten a number of items from Midway that are not cataloged ... but your idea is better.

And your other advice down the list does simplify the process and keep the expense to a minimum. I can't wait to touch off the first round!

Thanks again!

L8R ~ John

 

[Fireball]

Hi John, glad to help. I apologize I made a mistake answering your question about the bushing for the .223 Rem. I thought you were asking about the bushing for the 20 Practical twice. For my .223s I usually use a .246" bushing. It seems to work well with all the different .223 Rem brass I have used. You may need to go up or down a .001" depending on your particular cases and the amount of neck tension you want. Remember that more neck tension is a good thing in an AR-15 so the bullet doesn't get seated deeper into the case while the action is cycling the round into the chamber from the magazine.

 

[jrmercer]

"Thank You!" again Fireball for your time and help!

I did get all of the items ordered and you were right about Sinclair - Ron was most helpful, had my parts numbers on the tip of his tongue, they were in stock and ready for shipment, and he is also a wildcatter,20/222). ,That is nice to talk to an experienced hand.)

Can't wait for the CoAx to start spitting out some new ammo. I'll try to get back with a report when it is all together and perforating paper.

EUL8R ~ John

 

[WSAR15]

I have just asked Redding to quote a die set.
I sent then the reamer drawing.

 

[kitsap]

I can add that Redding now makes a 20 cal carbide button kit for their decapping rods. At the time the article was written, they did not. These are available today from Midway, Graf's, etc.

DougF

 

[WSAR15]

Is this the 204 Ruger decapping rod?

 

[rcw3]

See link below. Just my advice,and you can take it or leave it) but 'don't re-invent the wheel' here, stick with what works. The web page has just about all the info you need on a 20 Practical.

Robert Whitley
http://6mmar.com/20_Practical.html

 

[coupalr]

I use a competion die with a 228 bushing for winchester brass and a 230 for lapua brass.

 

[rcw3]

Coupair

That's funny, my Winchester brass,and most Lake City I have tried) loads out right around .228' at the neck. You must use almost no neck tension for your loadings. I am working with AR-15's so a bit of neck tension is definitely necessary, especially for magazine feed rounds.

Robert

 

[coupalr]

when I measure my cases after sizing the neck measures .227 - .2275. So I am only running between .0005 and .001 neck tension. My rifle is a single shot savage so I do not have to worry about recoil moving the bullet.