FL die set up (need help)

[Jackomason]

I read through the Reloading 101 posts and Learned a lot that I had never considered.

So now I'm sitting here with once fired 7mm rem mag brass and would like to shoulder bump .002".

My problem is that my brass fits fine the way it is. So, do I take the Decapping pin/expander ball out and run a case up and screw the die down till I feel it "kiss" the shoulder or am I past the point of gauging off the rifle? I like doing things without spending money on the "fancy" tools but that's more out of nissecity rather than preference but I'll do what I have to.

Thanks

 

[RTH1800]

Sir,

The less you work the brass the longer it will last. I would think if it chambers easily your suggested method will be fine. Then, after several loadings if it gets harder to chamber, turn the die in 1/4 turn.

 

[Supersubes]

I read through the Reloading 101 posts and Learned a lot that I had never considered.

So now I'm sitting here with once fired 7mm rem mag brass and would like to shoulder bump .002".

My problem is that my brass fits fine the way it is. So, do I take the Decapping pin/expander ball out and run a case up and screw the die down till I feel it "kiss" the shoulder or am I past the point of gauging off the rifle? I like doing things without spending money on the "fancy" tools but that's more out of nissecity rather than preference but I'll do what I have to.

Thanks

You’re not going to be able to just screw the die down till the shoulder “kisses”. The die will be sizing the body long before the shoulder of the case is anywhere near the shoulder of the die. You also don’t need to bump .002 if the case fits now. More than likely, the case will actually grow slightly in headspace if you stop short of touching the shoulder, because the die will have squeezed the body down, and the material has to go somewhere.

Regarding rth’s recommendation above. A quarter turn on a 7/8-14 die will move the die down just a smidge under .018”. In other words, a lot! It needs to be a measured approach. Go buy the Hornady headspace comparator set for your caliper. It will be money well spent.


What action do you have? There is a technique you can use, depending on the action type, that will tell you how much headspace is present prior to sizing. You need the Hornady tool above to do this accurately though.

 

[RTH1800]

I was thinking the OP would simply turn the die down until it touched adjusting a little at a time. Not leave the ram up and try to force the die down. I use powdered graphite to indicate then the die touches then measure any movement of the shoulder with a caliper and Wilson headspace gauge.

 

[spife7980]

As supersubes said, the only way to know it exactly how much youre sizing is to measure and that takes tools. A set of calipers and the hornady headspace bushings are the best IMO. The wilson gauges cost more and do less. The hornady kit that will allow you to measure anything costs as much as a wilson gauge for one caliber.

If might take a couple firings for your brass to fully grow, if you can chamber the empty brass easily then just size it enough to get the neck sized back down without bumping the shoulder any further back. I like to take those tools, find the longest piece of brass and then adjust my die so that single piece of brass gets bumped .001" and then run the rest through it. That one piece may still not be fully formed to the chambers size but its close enough and .001 isnt going to change much of its life. Its the sizing it 1/4 turn down further that will cut the brass life short.

 

[Jackomason]

I've been considering buying them anyway so it's probably worthwhile investment. I didn't even think about sizing the body, can I resize with out bumping and check to see if it fits? If they do I'll load them and shoot them till they dont fit but if it doesn't (sounds more likely) then I can start using the method described in the pinned posts.

Not sure how to quote posts from other threads but here is a screen shot of what I'm trying to follow.

 

[Jackomason]

As supersubes said, the only way to know it exactly how much youre sizing is to measure and that takes tools. A set of calipers and the hornady headspace bushings are the best IMO. The wilson gauges cost more and do less. The hornady kit that will allow you to measure anything costs as much as a wilson gauge for one caliber.

If might take a couple firings for your brass to fully grow, if you can chamber the empty brass easily then just size it enough to get the neck sized back down without bumping the shoulder any further back. I like to take those tools, find the longest piece of brass and then adjust my die so that single piece of brass gets bumped .001" and then run the rest through it. That one piece may still not be fully formed to the chambers size but its close enough and .001 isnt going to change much of its life. Its the sizing it 1/4 turn down further that will cut the brass life short.

Sorry didn't see your post before I wrote mine, that makes sense. Ill run the die down to the shell holder then do one full turn back. And I'll check to see if they all fit. I'll see if the wife will let me spend any more on tools this month!

 

[padom]

Stop guessing and get a Hornady Case Comparator. Take the guess work out. Measure your fired brass, screw die down slowly, sizing each time and measuring till your measurement equals your fired brass measurement minus 0.002. Then lock your die down. It's that easy.

 

[Mike Casselton]

Lube the case and then lightly smoke the neck and shoulder area with a scented candle. Scented candles smoke more, and they smell really pretty.

Leave the die about a nickle thickness above the shell holder.
Run the case in and check for a light touch on the shoulder.
Continue running it down 1/8th of a turn until you get down to the touch and then lock it in.
If you smoke the entire case, you can see where the die sizes the case and you'll get a better understanding of what's happening.

This technique is for those that don't have the tools on hand to precisely measure.

 

[Mike Casselton]

Stop guessing and get a Hornady Case Comparator. Take the guess work out. Measure your fired brass, screw die down slowly, sizing each time and measuring till your measurement equals your fired brass measurement minus 0.002. Then lock your die down. It's that easy.

This is the correct way.

The post I made above is for those who don't possess the tools or, are real cheap bastards.

 

[Rick7353]

Stop guessing and get a Hornady Case Comparator. Take the guess work out. Measure your fired brass, screw die down slowly, sizing each time and measuring till your measurement equals your fired brass measurement minus 0.002. Then lock your die down. It's that easy.

I am looking on the forum and can't find an answer. It sounds so simple, bushing selection that is. I measured my factory FEDERAL GMM neck and it was.240. OK I took off.001 and should use a .339 nitride bushing in my redding comp 's die after zI full length sized and bumped back to where the bolt just closes nicely. I loaded 26 rounds with varying charges of CFE223 and was ready to seat the Sierra BTHP 168 GRAIN and they fell right in the case!! I have .334, .335,.336, and .338 nitride bushings when I used the.338 the bullet fell in. I then took out the.338 and put in a .336 and it made the neck smaller. I am using Fed G brass sa me as the new but I did neck turn. Could that cause the looser git?

 

[Bradu]

I am looking on the forum and can't find an answer. It sounds so simple, bushing selection that is. I measured my factory FEDERAL GMM neck and it was.240. OK I took off.001 and should use a .339 nitride bushing in my redding comp 's die after zI full length sized and bumped back to where the bolt just closes nicely. I loaded 26 rounds with varying charges of CFE223 and was ready to seat the Sierra BTHP 168 GRAIN and they fell right in the case!! I have .334, .335,.336, and .338 nitride bushings when I used the.338 the bullet fell in. I then took out the.338 and put in a .336 and it made the neck smaller. I am using Fed G brass sa me as the new but I did neck turn. Could that cause the looser git?

If you neck turned then you will have to use a smaller bushing. You can measure neck thickness and multiply it by 2 and add the bullet diameter then subtract .002" since it's not holding a bullet. I assume if you are turning then you have a tubing mic?

 

[Rick7353]

If you neck turned then you will have to use a smaller bushing. You can measure neck thickness and multiply it by 2 and add the bullet diameter then subtract .002" since it's not holding a bullet. I assume if you are turning then you have a tubing mic?

THANK YOU!! That's the only thing it could be, as I turned the necks but went by using a loaded round vs the OS dia of case. I seem to learn best when I screw up.