Q: Type S full dies vs body dies ?

[macguru]

Redding Type S (full) dies resize the body a little and bump the shoulder and neck using the appropriate bushing

I have noticed my fired SAUM brass is a little full around the base of the body (web?) and would like to get it one or two thou narrower than my type s full length die can manage. I dont think a "small base die" is available for the saum. My question is this , will a regular redding BODY DIE give me any more shrink than the type s die or is the body die just the same as the type s die, say with the neck bushing removed ??

thanks

[AlanF]

I believe it is the same, but I have read about body dies being modified to squeeze the base. You cut them off at body-shoulder junction, and hone the base of the die till it squeezes the body sufficiently. You would follow the squeeze with a shoulder bump if required.

[macguru]

OK I have ordered a redding 300 saum body die in stock at brt, i will try it on the 7mm saum cases at the closest setting i can manage and report back on whether it alters the base dimension. If not, i will look at using it to fashion a small base die as you suggest. heck, it was only 50 bucks. Cheers Andrew

[cheech]

Ask the gunsmith to ream a blank F/L die with the same chamber reamer if you know who did it

[Matt P]

Ask the gunsmith to ream a blank F/L die with the same chamber reamer if you know who did it

[macguru]

Yep, I have a pretty good idea Cheech you actually seem to need a die thats a couple of thou tighter than the actual chamber dimensions so that the brass springs back a bit from the chamber wall. Not too much, just a little bit. I dont know why a fraction of my cases are a little tight, but they are. Maybe I fired some loads that were a bit too hot when i was load testing at the beginning. I will measure the tight ones again in case its a different issue to what i think it is...

Sure , its happened to me in the 308 with brass thats been fired in a factory chamber, then used in a target rifle chambered by a gunsmith, so i bought a small base die and that solved the problem. But my googling has not revealed a saum small base die.... wsm yes, saum no.

[pgcpty]

Andrew,

On a few occasions I've modified FLSD's to perform as small base sizing dies by
1. shortening the die length to just below the shoulder
2. trimming sufficient length off the base to reduce the die entry diameter by 0.1mm (0.004")
3. boring out the ID within 10mm of the base sufficient to clear the upper case within the die.

Used carbide tools for this as the dies are case hardened

7mm SAUM Small Base Body Die from FLSD.jpg

Hope this helps

Peter

[pjifl]

It is also possible to cut off the die top a long way down and push the case entirely through the die if you want to work on the entire base. You need a small stub as a 'pusher' piece on the shell holder and may need to readjust the position of the die during the process and have a second or third go at pushing until the case pops through. While hardly a normal procedure, it is possible. A better option is not to overload cases.

Peter Smith.

[macguru]

Thanks Peter C , When I get my body die from BRT i may bring it over, i will certainly give you an update when i try it but i dont expect it will do much in unmodified form, still worth a try.

Yes Peter S , I fear my load development may have been a bit out of hand there seems to be a correlation between tight cases and loose primer pockets. Thankfully, we are talking about less than 20 cases, not the whole box !

cheers

[Longranger]

Easy to convert a FL die to a body die if doing neck sizing as a separate operation. For a 308, an 11/32" carbide drill in the lathe to open up the neck area in the die works well. This sizes the shoulder a little better than a Redding body die which often has overly generous neck clearance.

[bruce moulds]

Ask the gunsmith to ream a blank F/L die with the same chamber reamer if you know who did it

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