Kock up, can it be fixed ?

[Rich4]

I would personally run further tests prior to canning the press, although the headspace I have most trouble getting right is between my ears so confidence in equipment is not to be taken lightly, try resizing them 3 times each indexing around and remeasure, I’ve learnt diagnostics are much cheaper in the long run than new gear, I’ve accidentally ended up with a spare copy of hand loading for competition, if you haven’t read it before I found it useful, more geared to TR but great ideas nonetheless, regards Rich

[Pommy Chris]

When I started purchasing my reloading hear I thought that a turret press would save changing dies and be ok, yes it's ok but not what I need when chasing 60's and X 's.

I reckon I lose heaps more points by pointing the rifle in the wrong place than by loading with Redding competition dies and a Lyman turret press. Wnen I need to load away from home I use Wilson dies and an arbor press. I've been unable to detect any differences in the quality of the ammunition produced using either.

Barry

The best resizing die I know of apart making one is a Lee Collet die. It resized with a collet onto a mandrel which is on the INSIDE ie if the brass is uneven (which it is) the INSIDE where the projectile sits is totally concentric due to the mandrel. Bonus is it is a 35 dollar die, I no longer use my Redding which cost many many times more.
Chris

[KHGS]

When I started purchasing my reloading hear I thought that a turret press would save changing dies and be ok, yes it's ok but not what I need when chasing 60's and X 's.

I reckon I lose heaps more points by pointing the rifle in the wrong place than by loading with Redding competition dies and a Lyman turret press. Wnen I need to load away from home I use Wilson dies and an arbor press. I've been unable to detect any differences in the quality of the ammunition produced using either.

Barry

The best resizing die I know of apart making one is a Lee Collet die. It resized with a collet onto a mandrel which is on the INSIDE ie if the brass is uneven (which it is) the INSIDE where the projectile sits is totally concentric due to the mandrel. Bonus is it is a 35 dollar die, I no longer use my Redding which cost many many times more.
Chris

Without doubt the best neck sizing die ever.
Keith H.

[UL1700]

I neck size only, until I feel resistance on the bolt close then I knock them back a fraction with a FLS die. As a result I do 90+% of my reloading with wilson inline dies and an arbor press. Relatively cheap to setup and loads within 2 thou total runout without even trying. Using this method I have constantly loaded 6br rounds with almost no detectable runout using a 21st century gauge although in 10+ loads the cases never saw a FLS die. The dasher that I now load for has never been quite as good (1 to 2 thou total runout). For single stage presses the rock chucker has its reputation for a reason as does the forster. I have a summit which is great to use but I think my summit has an accuracy edge on larger rounds.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TqcYI0G2hqM

[UL1700]

The best resizing die I know of apart making one is a Lee Collet die. It resized with a collet onto a mandrel which is on the INSIDE ie if the brass is uneven (which it is) the INSIDE where the projectile sits is totally concentric due to the mandrel. Bonus is it is a 35 dollar die, I no longer use my Redding which cost many many times more.
Chris

Agreed but they are horrid to use

[KHGS]

The best resizing die I know of apart making one is a Lee Collet die. It resized with a collet onto a mandrel which is on the INSIDE ie if the brass is uneven (which it is) the INSIDE where the projectile sits is totally concentric due to the mandrel. Bonus is it is a 35 dollar die, I no longer use my Redding which cost many many times more.
Chris

Agreed but they are horrid to use

How so???? If set up properly I have always found them a breeze to use. I have found this over several of my own collet dies along with many I have set up for customers.
Keith H.

[pjifl]

The Collet die is hardly horrible to use but is very different and may seem strange to someone who is used to traditional sizing. It is different to use but incredibly useful.

One uses the Collet Die 2 or 3 times then a light FL die and simply repeats the cycle. The number of times before a FL size varies depends on your load. Light loads you might get 5 or 6 before a FL squeeze.

The best traditional type of die is a custom one which will give just enough squeeze where needed and no more. But matching one to your chamber is not a simple job. Most commercial dies over work the brass and pull heavily on the rim when extracting the case from the die. Some cartridges have a thinner rim and it can eventually be bent slightly backwards. The Saum is an example of this. Make sure the shellholder is good quality - some cheaper ones are a looser fit. I have seem some sloppy Lee shell holders. Some Lee products are poorly made, others excellent.

Straightening loads is hardly a serious option and you should look to the cause. Tolerances previously mentioned by others are sensible.

For long bullets, 5 thou total throw is probably the point where one should start looking for causes. It is not very hard to get well under this. Apart from really bad brass and bad dies, the most important thing is a quality bullet seater. It must use a sliding element.

Peter Smith.

[Mozzie]

Thanks again for the wealth of info,
Did a lot of testing today with my dies and my neighbours rock chucker
Thankyou, I will be purchasing a Lee collet die to minimise the run out on case necks. I 'm not ruling out my press, however we did confirm that my seating die has worn badly when the centre nut of of the press was loose and is causing an extra 3 thou run out on the bullet concentricity. So it's gotta go.
So my question is this, Forster seating die, or should I just go with a Arbor press and Wilson hand die ?
Some expert advise please
Cheers
Mozzie

[Pommy Chris]

Thanks again for the wealth of info,
Did a lot of testing today with my dies and my neighbours rock chucker
Thankyou, I will be purchasing a Lee collet die to minimise the run out on case necks. I 'm not ruling out my press, however we did confirm that my seating die has worn badly when the centre nut of of the press was loose and is causing an extra 3 thou run out on the bullet concentricity. So it's gotta go.
So my question is this, Forster seating die, or should I just go with a Arbor press and Wilson hand die ?
Some expert advise please
Cheers
Mozzie

The Lee is cheap and super accurate, I have a Wilson and it is a good product but it is a pain in the butt to use. The Lee is simple and very accurate and you dont need lube either. The Wilson is fine but not as quick as a Lee and not as accurate as no mandrel. Get a cheap press and a Lee and you are done. Call me if you need and I can help you set it up the Le sould feel almost like it is dong nothing when working correctly. People set then up for too much resistance.
Chris

[UL1700]

I may have to try the Lee in my Rockchucker, I only used it on my Summit (didn't have the RC at the time) and I just couldn't get any feel for it!

[pjifl]

A collet die feels slack in use compared to normal dies. Measure the neck before and after to assess whether it is doing its job. If you adjust it for the press to go overcentre there will be very little feel. You can successfully do the necks with a collet die stopping before the press goes over centre. The most common mistake made by people used to normal dies is to set up for far too much force. Because the neck is squeezed down onto a mandrel, there is no advantage in a force beyond what is needed - assess using measurement of the neck.

Peter Smith.