Guys I'm going to start knocking down some win. 7-08 brass to .260. I've got a .260 Redding body die and a S type neck sizer already. Of everything I've read it seems the 7-08 brass is the best choice for making .260 brass. And I need a good full length sizing die from what I'ive read. I've pretty much narrowed it down to Redding or Hornady. Which .260 f/l sizing die is working out for you when necking down Win. 7-08 brass?
Which f/l sizer do you trust?
- Thread starter Tangodown911
- Start date
Re: Which f/l sizer do you trust?
Both brands you have in mind are the two best imho. Those are the 2 brands i use my self. the FL dies i believe there is not really an edge on which ones the best. now seating i would just give the edge to the hornady. Hornady has some of the best customer service i have dealt with in the reloading business Way better the RCBS. And i believe redding is part of rcbs now. I would Hornady but you wont go wrong with either one.
Both brands you have in mind are the two best imho. Those are the 2 brands i use my self. the FL dies i believe there is not really an edge on which ones the best. now seating i would just give the edge to the hornady. Hornady has some of the best customer service i have dealt with in the reloading business Way better the RCBS. And i believe redding is part of rcbs now. I would Hornady but you wont go wrong with either one.
Re: Which f/l sizer do you trust?
I like my redding for that job. I run it through it first with no bushing and then againg with the bushing. Ive done it in one pass before to and don't know that there is a differece but usually go 2 steps. As far as seating goes I like the wison in line. So far my little .260 has done very well with the win 7-08 brass H4831sc SMK 142's and those 2 dies.
I like my redding for that job. I run it through it first with no bushing and then againg with the bushing. Ive done it in one pass before to and don't know that there is a differece but usually go 2 steps. As far as seating goes I like the wison in line. So far my little .260 has done very well with the win 7-08 brass H4831sc SMK 142's and those 2 dies.
Re: Which f/l sizer do you trust?
FWIW - I re-form for two cases 25-06 and 221 Fireball.
221 - I was having trouble using a Hordandy FL sizer re-forming the 221. The shoulder wasn't bumped back far enough to chamber the case. In that instance I went with an RCBS FL sizer and all was good again. Funny thing - the Hornady die works well after the case has been re-formed and fire formed but didn't get me where I needed to be at the initial re-forming step.
25-06 - Same story as above but I was using a Redding FL sizer for the initial re-forming. In that instance I went with a Lyman FL sizer and that fixed the problem. Again, after re-forming and fire forming the Redding die worked.
For the 25-06 I went the Lyman route because I read an article by a gunsmith who does a lot of wildcat cartridges and his claim, based on his experience, was the Lyman dies are a bit more aggressive than some of the others on the market.
Also, do yourself a favor and anneal the cases before you re-form them. Your yeilds will be much higher.
FWIW - I re-form for two cases 25-06 and 221 Fireball.
221 - I was having trouble using a Hordandy FL sizer re-forming the 221. The shoulder wasn't bumped back far enough to chamber the case. In that instance I went with an RCBS FL sizer and all was good again. Funny thing - the Hornady die works well after the case has been re-formed and fire formed but didn't get me where I needed to be at the initial re-forming step.
25-06 - Same story as above but I was using a Redding FL sizer for the initial re-forming. In that instance I went with a Lyman FL sizer and that fixed the problem. Again, after re-forming and fire forming the Redding die worked.
For the 25-06 I went the Lyman route because I read an article by a gunsmith who does a lot of wildcat cartridges and his claim, based on his experience, was the Lyman dies are a bit more aggressive than some of the others on the market.
Also, do yourself a favor and anneal the cases before you re-form them. Your yeilds will be much higher.
Re: Which f/l sizer do you trust?
I've used a lot of die brands for a long time, including Redding and Hornady. I've not found any that don't work, none that work any better on average than any other. I'm at a loss to know how and in what way a die can be "agressive". ???
FL size dies are reamed with SAAMI spec reamers, same as our chambers and those spcifications are a range, not a point. Anything inside the proper range is fully in spec. so there is as much average variation between dies of the same brand as there is between brands. That's not what folks want to hear, they want to KNOW what brand is "best", but fact is it's not that clear cut. Chose your dies by external features you like, such as the locking ring or decapping rod, etc, because the insides are pretty much the same.
I've used a lot of die brands for a long time, including Redding and Hornady. I've not found any that don't work, none that work any better on average than any other. I'm at a loss to know how and in what way a die can be "agressive". ???
FL size dies are reamed with SAAMI spec reamers, same as our chambers and those spcifications are a range, not a point. Anything inside the proper range is fully in spec. so there is as much average variation between dies of the same brand as there is between brands. That's not what folks want to hear, they want to KNOW what brand is "best", but fact is it's not that clear cut. Chose your dies by external features you like, such as the locking ring or decapping rod, etc, because the insides are pretty much the same.
Re: Which f/l sizer do you trust?
Are you sure you need a f/l resizer? Bolt or Gas gun?
Gas gun? -- for sure. Bolt? -- mixed reviews.
Brass: I've formed about 500 .260 cases in the past year and compared against the Rem .260 & Nosler .260.
Summary of my experience:
Lapua .243 --> .260 (with neck turning + other prep): best
Nosler .260 (gtg out of the box but expensive): v. good
(note: I've had more primer pockets loosen up with the Nosler -- due to my loads/chamber?)
WW .243 --> .260 (with neck turning + other prep): good
Rem .260 (with neck turning + other prep, pretty inconsistent dimensionally within the lot): OK
Lapua .308 --> .260 (with neck turning + other prep): OK
So I haven't tried necking down from 7-08. I can tell you that in necking down from .308, neck turning is a must. In necking up from .243, my neck turning seems to be more about uniforming all the necks based upon the amount of brass shavings that I'm removing to achieve the desired thickness. When necking down from .308, the neck turning is getting the neck back to a reasonable wall thickness consistent with my out-of-the box .260 brass. In other words, I'm removing quite a bit more brass when neck turning downsized .308. I go into the shoulder a bit, and a small OD ridge results. After fire forming, the ridge is gone. Still, the .243 up sizing works well for me.
.02
Are you sure you need a f/l resizer? Bolt or Gas gun?
Gas gun? -- for sure. Bolt? -- mixed reviews.
Brass: I've formed about 500 .260 cases in the past year and compared against the Rem .260 & Nosler .260.
Summary of my experience:
Lapua .243 --> .260 (with neck turning + other prep): best
Nosler .260 (gtg out of the box but expensive): v. good
(note: I've had more primer pockets loosen up with the Nosler -- due to my loads/chamber?)
WW .243 --> .260 (with neck turning + other prep): good
Rem .260 (with neck turning + other prep, pretty inconsistent dimensionally within the lot): OK
Lapua .308 --> .260 (with neck turning + other prep): OK
So I haven't tried necking down from 7-08. I can tell you that in necking down from .308, neck turning is a must. In necking up from .243, my neck turning seems to be more about uniforming all the necks based upon the amount of brass shavings that I'm removing to achieve the desired thickness. When necking down from .308, the neck turning is getting the neck back to a reasonable wall thickness consistent with my out-of-the box .260 brass. In other words, I'm removing quite a bit more brass when neck turning downsized .308. I go into the shoulder a bit, and a small OD ridge results. After fire forming, the ridge is gone. Still, the .243 up sizing works well for me.
.02
Re: Which f/l sizer do you trust?
Thats exactly what I was going to say.I have had a few that had something wrong,but thats rare.Everyone has their favorites,but they all will work.I usually recommend buying what your friends have,whats available locally,or whats popular,just so you can obtain or borrow parts if you bend or break something during a loading session.IE;if you break your 223 decapping rod,your 22-250 decapper will get you going,if its the same brand.So,I guess that I trust them all, Pete
Thats exactly what I was going to say.I have had a few that had something wrong,but thats rare.Everyone has their favorites,but they all will work.I usually recommend buying what your friends have,whats available locally,or whats popular,just so you can obtain or borrow parts if you bend or break something during a loading session.IE;if you break your 223 decapping rod,your 22-250 decapper will get you going,if its the same brand.So,I guess that I trust them all, Pete
