wilson dies and arbor press

[favload]

I have beeen thinking about getting into the arbor press and Wilson dies for a while and today I placed my order for both. I went with an arbor press from Sinclair and a stainless seater die and steel neck die from Wilson. Are there any tips or suggestions for using these that may help out? The cal. is 6BR. A loaded round at the neck measures .269"-.270". I went with a Reding .268" bushing to get started. They were out of the .267"
Again tips/suggestions to set up and use the equipment would be great.
thanks
jer

 

[AlNyhus]

I'd suggest making sure the necks are really clean before sending them into the neck die and bushing. I use 0000 steel wool to clean the necks and a quick wipe around the neck with some Imperial die wax.

Hand dies and an arbor press opens up a whole new world of reloading convenience. Enjoy! -Al

 

[favload]

THANKS FOR THE TIP. iS IT TRUE THAT YOU CAN INSERT THE BUSHINGS WITH THE NUMBERS DOWN INSITH THE NECK DIE TO GET ANOTHER .003" OUT OF THEM?

 

[Preacher]

Mine don't gain .003 with the numbers down either, but I leave them down because I get less run out when I do....

 

[favload]

Ok guys, my set just came and I have a few questions please bare with me.
1. When I neck size using the wilson die and bushing I first deprime then remove the rod then puch the case in the die until it is flush with the die correct? Then I incert the push out decapping rod back in the die to push out the case correct? This process seems a bit long is it correct?

2. if the process I just described is correct then the tool mentioned above to "dig" out the case from the die would have a very hard time working seeing how the grove in the case is burried in the die. Please explain how this works.

Using the above method I am noticing that about 1/4" of the neck is getting sized. This appears to be more than the 3/16" mentioned in the instructions. I am starting to think I am forcing the case in the die too much.

 

[Cheechako]

THANKS FOR THE TIP. iS IT TRUE THAT YOU CAN INSERT THE BUSHINGS WITH THE NUMBERS DOWN INSITH THE NECK DIE TO GET ANOTHER .003" OUT OF THEM?

fav

You've got your decimal in the wrong place. Try .0003". I believe the old original Wilson bushings would give you about .0005" more. I'm not sure about the newest ones. Read the instructions. They used to discuss this.

Lynn's "digging out" tool is used to remove the loaded cartridge from the seating die.

You can't push the case too far into the sizing die. They will only go in until they are flush with the end of the die.

And, doing all this is faster than you would think. Once you get your routine down, your cases will go thru those dies faster than corn thru a goose.

Ray

 

[favload]

Ok, it's making more sense now. So the procedure I described before is ok? Just use the arbor press to push the case all the way in until flush with the base of the die then use the rod to extract again using the press.
I'm good with The bushing question. I bought a .268",the only size close Sinclair had at the time. I wanted My loads rounds measure .269- .270 at the neck so I hope the bushing I have will work ok. I was hoping for a .267" All in all I like the quality of the dies and press. I just need practice with the steps.
thanks

 

[AlNyhus]

If you got the decapping base along with your setup, there's no need to remove the decapping rod. With the top of the die on the base, push the case in with the arbor press, flip the die over and press on the decapping stem with the arbor press to knock the primer out and remove the case.

Press, flip die over, press, clean primer pocket, reprime, add powder, seat bullet.

The Redding bushings aren't tapered, but the Wilsons are tapered .0005,half a thou).

Hope this helps. -Al

 

[favload]

Thanks Al, it does!
jer

 

[Silverfox]

Maybe I'm too anal about keeping my Wilson neck sizing dies clean, but I always use a universal CH decapping die to decap the casings before neck sizing. I don't want any powder fouling, metal flakes, etc. dropping into the neck sizing die. Next, I clean out the primer pocket and do a light touch with a flash hole deburring tool too. I make sure I tap the casing necks on my wooden loading bench top with the necks down to clean out any debris. Then I insert them into my Wilson neck sizing die.

 

[AlNyhus]

If you want to decap before neck sizing, a slick and easy way to do this is to get an extra Wilson decapping rod for a 6PPC and decap the case by setting it on the Sinclair base and tapping the primer out using the decapping rod and a plastic mallet. Using a 6PPC decapping rod gives you a .058 decapping pin size..which will work on everything.

I use this setup all the time to remove primers before measuring the base-to-shoulder dimension on fired cases before setting the dies up to bump the shoulders,since the primers can add .001-.003 to this dimension if left in place).

The stem from a Lee trimmer tool also works as a decapping rod if you cut the threaded portion off the top. Just make sure the pin diameter is small enough to not get jammed in the flash hole...you can chuck it up in a drill and take the o.d. of the pin down with some crocus cloth or sandpaper if you need to reduce it's diameter. I've got a couple of these in my loading box that I've modified over the years.

Good shootin'. -Al

 

[Cheechako]

fav

One thing you may notice is that there could be a difference between the total length of the sizing die when it's sitting on its base, and the bullet seating die when it's on its base. What this means is that the stroke of the arbor handle will be different with each operation. At times that gets a little frustrating, especially if you're not shooting well that day. ,Every little thing gets frustrating on those kind of days):,

What i do is make an additional or completely new base so that both dies are of equal height when being used. You need a lathe or a buddy who has one.

If this is confusing I can post a photo.

Ray

 

[Winchester69]

If you want to decap before neck sizing, a slick and easy way to do this is to get an extra Wilson decapping rod for a 6PPC and decap the case by setting it on the Sinclair base and tapping the primer out using the decapping rod and a plastic mallet. Using a 6PPC decapping rod gives you a .058 decapping pin size..which will work on everything.

Wilson makes caliber-specific de-capping punches and bases.
.

 

[AlNyhus]

I know. I was just trying to illustrate,badly, it seems)that you can use a decapping rod with a .058 pin as a sort of 'universal' decapping rod.

Good shootin'. -Al

 

[Winchester69]

I know. I was just trying to illustrate that you can use a decapping rod with a .058 pin as a sort of 'universal' decapping rod.

My misunderstanding. Apologies.
.

 

[AlNyhus]

My misunderstanding. Apologies.

Nothing to apologize for, my friend. I had almost forgotten about the Wilson caliber specific decapping punches and bases...good point. :thumb:

Good shootin'. -Al