Please help!

[Vassal]

Hello, I recently finished a 300winmag build and getting the last of it together is making me cry. I can't tell what is going on, but I have NEVER had trouble like this. Nothing makes sense even simple matters! After spending 3 hours tring to tighten down an anti cant device without it CANTING!!!! I gave up, returned home and decided to reload the brass.
I could have sworn I set these dies up a few months ago when I test fired the gun to check headspace, BUT when trying to work with the brass I can't get the shoulder to bump AT ALL. I am using redding s dies. I have tried everything, screwing the top down to zero(or bottoming it out), bottoming out the die body and the top, et cetera. I can't get it to touch! After sizing with the body die I have roughly 2thou EXTRA headspace (meaning of course longer). Other measurements are all made smaller and it seems to chamber without resistance.
Sure I have functional ammo, but I have to be able to control the shoulder!
This is my first experience with a belted case. Is this an issue with the belt? If I can't bump some may space on the shoulder while others less so or on the belt.
I literally have a splitting headache and visions of anger. I have lost my cool please help me find it!

 

[bheadboy]

the win mag is designed to head space on the belt. once that is set up, the shoulder is ? depending on the chamber you have. you are most likely bottoming out on the belt and the shoulder is not touching.

thus, is seems to me like not a head space problem but a chamber length to shoulder problem. i would suggest you set the dies to size on the belt and forget the shoulder bump as it should not be a problem.

Bob

 

[Vassal]

Thanks for the help,
My question is how can the fired brass be SHORTER than the sized brass.

 

[FroggyOne2]

As to the Win Mag headspacing off the belt. That is not really needed. Back in the day when belted magnums began, the belt was used to keep a "non-bottlenecked" or a case with not enough shoulder, from being pushed to far into the chamber by the firing pin, which could cause a catastrific failure.

The era of the Win Mag, the belt just came along with it, it denoted the case was a magnum, even though it was not needed. Forr bdst accuracy and case life of the Win Mag, it should sized off of the shoulder and not the belt. Belted cases have a history of building up brass on the top side of the belt, after time, even though the case is still good enough to use, it will not chamber due to this build up.

What i would suggest to the OP, is to have the die prrofessionally ground at the bottom of the die in order to achive suffecient setback of the shoulder of the case in order to headspace off it, instead of the belt.

 

[CatShooter]

You are running yourself ragged for naught.

Treat the 300 WM like any other case - shoot it once or twice, so the case starts to fill the chamber.

Then treat it like a standard rimless case.

 

[Vassal]

Perhaps I'm not being clear. I am trying to treat it like any other case but my REDDING s dies won't size the shoulder! Usually it is easy to bump the shoulder but I can't get it with these dies. The fired cases are roughly 3 thou SHORTER (From base to datum of shoulder) than the cases after body sizing. NOTHING I can do with the bushing neck die will bump the shoulder. I would be suprised if the s dies were defective but I guess they could be. (Yes I am using a redding shellholder also.
All I want is to bump the shoulder a thou and fire the darn cases! but I cant even get the shoulder to touch anything!

 

[Vassal]

Wait a minute, am I supposed to be bumping the shoulder with the body die or the bushing neck die?

 

[Vassal]

Oh crap,, No wonder I've been havin' trouble. that's what I get for letting it sit for so long. UMM,,,,the body die bumps not the bushing die; Sorry fellas.

 

[CaptainMal]

Great...An easy fix and don't be embarrassed. We all do or did stuff like that.