Redding S dies and case mouth runout

[HunkiePolock]

Like many on the forum, I have been cursed with .003-.004" TIR case mouth runout from Redding's S die bushings after they go in as fired with .001" TIR. I took the die apart and stoned everything I could think of, with no improvement. I took out the expander ball and resized, with no improvement.

I purchased some Hexagon Boron Nitride (HBN) from TAI Lubricants, P.O. Box 1579, Hockessin, DE 19707, 302-326-0200. I think I got 3-1/2 oz. (a LOT of HBN) for something slightly over $20. I originally was going to try it in a Savage barrel that may be a good shooter but isn't quite there yet.

I had the idea in the back of my mind that maybe friction between the bushing and the die was not allowing the bushing to center completely. So I cleaned my bushings well, put five bushings and a scant 1/2 teaspoon of HBN in a plastic film canister, and shook well, then reassembled. The three Federal fired cases I resized (without expander ball) came out with the same runout they went into the die with, .001, .001, .0015. Looks promising.

 

[jonbearman]

Put an o-ring under your die so it can self align.

 

[markr]

If you shake the die (out of the press) you should be able to hear the bushing click a little.

 

[Leaddog]

Put an o-ring under your die so it can self align.

regarding the o-ring trick...

how tight do you cinch down the die onto the o-ring?
and does the insertion of the o-ring give consistent shoulder bumps?

Hand tight and yes.

 

[308sako]

Because I have had good results with the "O" ring I decided to go one step further with this concept. That is to say I placed a small "o" ring between the bushing and the decapping assembly, and always leave a little room for the bushing to float.

Works for me... try it!