Sizing Question

[mike06]

Ok I always decap with a decaping die first thing in a separate step. My question is that we all know Fl,Neck Bushing dies etc. all come with a decaping rod an pin install. Does anyone leave the decaping pin install to help holed the case straight during any type of resizing?

 

[piie]

By the time the decapper gets to the flash hole the case is already quite far up that die and I cannot imagine that it would be able to play any role in centering a case more than what the sides of the die body are doing...

If the die didn't do a good job of centering the case, you'd be breaking decapping pins left right and center...

 

[mike06]

I use 3 different dies in my process sometimes two every time. I use a Forester Bushing Bump die only when I want to bump the headspace a little also with a large bushing to reduce the neck .004 or near that. Then I use my Redding Bushing die to size the neck to its final size. In another process I can use my Wilson FL Bushing die if needed or just my Redding Body die. I do this to keep the case runout as low as possible. I just thinking the pin going in the case might help. But like said above the side walls of the case should be all I need to worry about.

 

[Uncle Ed]

Ok I always decap with a decaping die first thing in a separate step. My question is that we all know Fl,Neck Bushing dies etc. all come with a decaping rod an pin install. Does anyone leave the decaping pin install to help holed the case straight during any type of resizing?

The case floats in the shell holder and when full length resized the case is self centered in the die. (if all is perfect)

The bushing floats in the die and you hope it centers with the case body.

And with a bushing die you are at the mercy of the quality of your brass. Meaning if the case does not have a uniform case wall thickness the thin side of the case will expand more when fired. And these type cases will warp when fired and the case body can end up egg shaped.

I would be worried about off center flash holes and bent decapping pins. The warped cases will not be perfectly centered in the die and you will have wild neck runout readings in your gauges.

 

[Metal God]

Nope and in fact I raise the expander button as high as I can so the decapping pin wouldn’t reach the primer pocket .

 

[mike06]

The case floats in the shell holder and when full length resized the case is self centered in the die. (if all is perfect)

The bushing floats in the die and you hope it centers with the case body.

And with a bushing die you are at the mercy of the quality of your brass. Meaning if the case does not have a uniform case wall thickness the thin side of the case will expand more when fired. And these type cases will warp when fired and the case body can end up egg shaped.

I would be worried about off center flash holes and bent decapping pins. The warped cases will not be perfectly centered in the die and you will have wild neck runout readings in your gauges.

Ok Ed I guess it would be best if I remove all the decapping pins. I have never left them install in the past and I was just thinking out of the box. I have had FL Bushing die put in more run out than the case started with in the past. All my rifles are standard off the shelf no customs.

 

[Uncle Ed]

Ok Ed I guess it would be best if I remove all the decapping pins. I have never left them install in the past and I was just thinking out of the box. I have had FL Bushing die put in more run out than the case started with in the past. All my rifles are standard off the shelf no customs.

I also have nothing but off the shelf factory rifles or milsurps and get more neck runout with bushing dies.

And with factory rifles you have no control over how far the neck expands when fired. And this larger amount of neck reduction is what induces the neck runout with a floating bushing.

And I get the least neck runout with non-bushing Forster full length dies.

And the only one who got really good results neck sizing was Saddam Hussein's cat.

 

[Jennb]

I dont use the decapping pin ir the expander ball. Took it all out

 

[Uthink Uknow]

I do it a little differently. Every three firings I run the cases through a ring die to size the bases, just the base and then I run them all through an FL die with the neck bushing and recapping pin. Everything gets cleaned up and I prime and add powder with the bullet on top. With this process I never have hard bolt lift and I don’t over do the shoulder set back. We make the ring dies. Here’s a .30BR case with over 50 firings on it.

 

[chkunz]

The decaping pins add nothing of value to your process. I cannot think of a problem that they cause but I have removed all of them in my dies for many years since I do things in the steps that you describe.

 

[Uncle Ed]

I do it a little differently. Every three firings I run the cases through a ring die to size the bases, just the base and then I run them all through an FL die with the neck bushing and recapping pin. Everything gets cleaned up and I prime and add powder with the bullet on top. With this process I never have hard bolt lift and I don’t over do the shoulder set back. We make the ring dies.

I buy bulk once fired Lake City 7.62 brass and some of them are fired in machine guns.

I size them first with a cheap bastards ring die. I use a Lee .45 ACP carbide die to size the base first and then use a full length die. This keeps me from walking around looking like a crab with one arm twice as big as the other one.

P.S. Don't use Hornady One Shot on once fired Lake City 7.62 brass, you will pull your arm out of its socket.

 

[AJC]

None of my pistol sizing dies has the pin installed, but I havent taken out the rifle yet as I dont have all the mandrel sizes.

 

[sqrlgtr]

I deprime in separate step also but like to leave the decapping pin in my dies just in case there might be something in flash hole or no flash hole.

 

[Uthink Uknow]

For a case lube we use Carmex Lip Balm. It’s every bit as good as Imperial sizing wax and it’s readily available at any drug store, department store. It comes in the little yellow capped jar.
We were put onto this stuff by Greg Walley at Kelbly.

 

[JFrank]

I buy bulk once fired Lake City 7.62 brass and some of them are fired in machine guns.

I size them first with a cheap bastards ring die. I use a Lee .45 ACP carbide die to size the base first and then use a full length die. This keeps me from walking around looking like a crab with one arm twice as big as the other one.

P.S. Don't use Hornady One Shot on once fired Lake City 7.62 brass, you will pull your arm out of its socket.

That used to happen to me until I realized the die wasn’t a good match for the chamber and grossly undersized the brass, I tried a couple different dies including Forster and settled on a Wilson fl bushing die producing quality rounds without Popeye arms” and remarkably no runout issues at all. Only $60.00 at Brunos
Go figure

 

[divingin]

Mike; do any of those dies have an expander ball?

If you're using a bushing, I'd assume you're selecting your bushing based on your desired neck diameter, so no need for an expander. And, if you're not running an expander, the decapping rod will not do anything to center the brass until the pin enters the flash hole (and likely nothing even then, given the smaller pin diameter.)

In any case, given that sizing die decapping occurs in the top half of the stroke, the brass is well into the die and largely centered by the die walls by that time, isn't it?

 

[mike06]

Mike; do any of those dies have an expander ball?

If you're using a bushing, I'd assume you're selecting your bushing based on your desired neck diameter, so no need for an expander. And, if you're not running an expander, the decapping rod will not do anything to center the brass until the pin enters the flash hole (and likely nothing even then, given the smaller pin diameter.)

In any case, given that sizing die decapping occurs in the top half of the stroke, the brass is well into the die and largely centered by the die walls by that time, isn't it?

I don't use expanders on dies any longer. If I need to expand the neck I use gauge pins set up in my Forester bullet puller.