Whidden Die Question

[smokinggun]

I saw recently where a someone was having an issue with a Whidden die where the die was a Bushing die but was supposed to be a Non-Bushing die and I'm wondering if I have the same problem. My die is supposed to be a FL Non-Bushing die. The caliber is 6.5 Creedmoor and after sizing a case (which didn't go very well) the bullet is way loose and there is massive runout (crooked neck). I am trying to form 6.5CM from 308win and I'm trimming length first but I would expect it to go a little smoother than this. The die stem assembly is a little different from the Whidden Bushing dies that I have but the body of the die accepts a bushing when I drop one in there.

Does anyone have a Whidden Non-Bushing FL sizer that they could check to see if the body will accept a bushing? I do plan to call Whidden in the morning to speak with them to see but too curious to not ask here.

Thanks!

 

[Patch700]

Sounds to me as if you do indeed have a bushing die and the hole where the neck is supposed to be sized by a bushing is actually small enough to do a bit of sizing to the parent 308 case...

It wouldn't be uncommon for the hole that is bored at the top of the shoulder neck junction to be only .5mm greater than the designed case neck dimension.

In example, the ID of the hole bored in the neck area may only be .300" so if you are running a 308 case up in there (a case that could be .340") with no bushing it would most certainly size the case down albeit very crudely and therefore would be consistent with what you are seeing.

Be patient , call the boys in the morning they will fix you up.

 

[Patch700]

To add to this , what does your "fubar'd" case measure on the neck OD? I would run that case up into the die , remove the entire top assy and take a pic..

Good luck

 

[smokinggun]

Thanks for the help. I switched from the Lee Classic Cast press to the Forster CO-AX press and this made a huge improvement, but the bullet still is way loose. The case neck which is not turned yet at this point measures .304 OD and .275 ID. I did take the die apart as you suggested and the case neck is tight to the die's neck so it definitely will not be sizing the case neck any smaller without a bushing.

Thanks again.

 

[smokinggun]

Also, I can see that the sized neck is clearly sticking up above the shoulder area into the area where the die would go.

 

[dickn52]

That was me most likely. Mr Whidden asked for its return and confirmed it was a bushing die without a bushing. Got that changed and everything is fine.

 

[smokinggun]

Yes, it was you and another guy as well. I just found the thread where you commented on his situation.

I love Whidden Dies and their other products and I'm sure they will make it right but it sure would be nice if they marked their dies either bushing or FL non-bushing.

 

[smokinggun]

Thanks again for the help. I talked to Whidden and they said send it in and they will send the correct one back. Excellent customer service as always!

 

[SheepDog]

Just a quick thought on your technique. Don't trim the case before you do the final sizing. The square end of the case may cause problems in sizing it down and you have to trim to length after your final size anyway. Just delete the extra step.

 

[smokinggun]

Just a quick thought on your technique. Don't trim the case before you do the final sizing. The square end of the case may cause problems in sizing it down and you have to trim to length after your final size anyway. Just delete the extra step.

Thanks, I will try it that way as well. I was reading on the 6.5CM forum where they were getting better results by trimming first.

 

[SheepDog]

Reloading is a process of trying different things until you find what works for you. If something isn't working try something else.

 

[rardoin]

Thanks, I will try it that way as well. I was reading on the 6.5CM forum where they were getting better results by trimming first.

When forming from .308 the the neck grows by a considerable amount as the 'old' shoulder is pushed up into the neck. If not trimmed about 0.050" or so I find that the case will 'bell mouth' and the neck will more often than not cock to one side. By trimming first, or in my case after running new .308 through a 7-'08 die to partially set the new shoulder position, the necks will be straighter when starting the final sizing in the Creedmoor die. In addition the bell-mouth on the neck makes it more difficult to trim as the cutter face is not perpendicular to the case mouth due to the flair. I would carry on with trimming twice...I find it worth the effort. I have formed about four hundred+ Lapua .308/Palma cases and have not lost a single one in the process.

HOWEVER....now that Lapua is making 6.5 Creedmoor cases, I will let the two remaining boxes of Palma brass on my shelf collect dust.