Case forming reloading Dies

[bigedp51]

Does anyone use a .303 British case forming reloading die, I purchased the Redding die and the website states that this die has larger internal dimensions than a standard full length resizing die. It states to use the forming die and then use a standard resizing die the finish the case sizing.

I want to use this die to bump the shoulder back when neck sized cases became hard to chamber. I'm thinking the forming die will not touch or over resize the outside diameter of the .303 case and prevent case head separations.

Anyone ever do this or do you use some specially made die for bumping the shoulders back on your .303 British cases. (Without sizing the body of the case)

Do any of you have custom made dies for your .303 for minimum sizing or any other methods or tricks for sizing .303 cases.
(Please no duct tape fixes or advice)

 

[smellie]

I just use a .308 Winchester die with the expander changed to a .311.

Cheap.

Works.
.

 

[woolly]

Have you asked Redding? They are the best source of info regarding their products.

 

[ben hunchak]

That's not the purpose of case forming dies, they leave the case larger (in all directions) and are meant for forming brass from larger cases. You can't pick your spots with those dies.

 

[bigedp51]

smellie to the rescue and a brain dead American goes sh*t why didn't I think of that. I love these cheep bastard fixes................

I already have .308 dies for my 2A1, but I haven't tried the .303 case forming die either to push the shoulder back.

Thanks smellie, your the best........

(Ed grumbles under his breath why didn't I ask smellie first before spending $34.95 for the die and $5.35 S&H - $40.30 for a .303 case forming die)

smellie, the .308 has a 20 degree shoulder and the .303 has a 16 degree shoulder, do you have any problems with 4 extra degrees of "bump"???

The .303 case forming die is much larger in diameter and why I got the idea using it as a bump die. Below I can insert and remove a fired case with just my fingers.

I was asking about the case forming die because at this time I don't have any tight fitting neck sized cases and wondered if any one else had tried it.

 

[bigedp51]

That's not the purpose of case forming dies, they leave the case larger (in all directions) and are meant for forming brass from larger cases. You can't pick your spots with those dies.

If the "big fat die" pushes the shoulder back it still can be used as a bump die.

I have been reloading for over 40 years and I "know" what case forming dies are "normally" used for.

I was looking for some "extra" large .303 cases with fatter rims and larger base diameter........BUT without a lathe they are a smidge to large. Next up the .405 Winchester case.

 

[smellie]

I don't hve any trouble with this, but then, I size them JUST enough so they aren't tight when I close the bolt. You are definitely on the right track for accuracy and long case life, BigEd.

Notice that your die has TRIM stamped on its bottom: trim die, very useful for keeping track of neck stretch, which is a REAL brass-killer. I compensate for it by lubing the insides of the case-necks; it really makes a difference.

BTW, don't try to reload THAT casing with regular equipment; it will be Berdan unless you have switched it over to a sensible (Boxer) primer. These are, if I remember rightly, .217" diameter; no trouble to make up a little ring-crimp tool, knock the primers out, uniformise the flash-holes, use the ring-crimp to reduce the size of the pocket and use regular CCI or Winchester primers. No point tossing all that nice South African brass.

Getting the BEST out of a .303 CAN be involved. It is also a LOT of fun.

Have fun! Glad I could help a bit.
.

 

[sunray]

"...when neck sized cases became hard to chamber..." Needs periodic FL resizing. Cases likely need annealing too.

 

[smellie]

BigEd, have you tried Defence Industries brass......

Canadian, War Two, extremely consistent and ALL rims right at .063 MAX.

Headstamp is just 3 groups at noon, 8 and 4: DATE at noon in 4 figures, DI at , Z at 4.

Boxer primed, noncorrosive and nonmercuric. Also nice to work with.

Best modern brass seems to be Prvi Partizan, out of Serbia.
.

 

[Baal]

I compensate for it by lubing the insides of the case-necks; it really makes a difference.

Do you use regular lube or graphite powder?

 

[bigedp51]

smellie

I'm Ed Horton from milsurps you might not know me by biged51, the best brass I can get for reloading the .303 British is Prvi Partizan cases. The Prvi cases have thicker rims, larger base diameters and case walls .010 thicker than ANY American made case. I would call these Prvi Partizan cases "military grade" comparable to U.S. Military Lake City Match grade cases.

Below Prvi Partizan and Greek HXP cases fired from the same Enfield rifle, you can see the difference in base diameter and thickness on these fired cases.

I fire form my cases using a rubber o-ring around the case to hold it against the bolt face, the o-ring also compresses and centers the case in the chamber.

The problem is no one makes a shoulder "bump" die for the .303 British and I wanted to see what the Canadians used.

I not want to overwork the brass with a full length resizing die and want to make my cases last a lot longer and save money.

I'm a little cheap and like saving money and even my dish washer has a special money saving pre-wash cycle.

 

[buffdog]

Neck sizing .303

I prefer to use the Lee Collet dies for sizing the .303 British. I segregate all my brass as to which rifle it is fired in, and usually trim when needed. If I find one that needs trimming, I trim all of that particular "batch" that is for that rifle and have been fired approximately the same amount of times.

Because of some VERY generous chambers in the .303 calibres (especially the E and LC marked Ross rifles), full length resizing is usually done sparingly. By keeping the brass seperated, this helps cut down on case failures.

Everyone who shoots .303 British should have a broken case extractor. EVERYONE! Another thing is a home made device....a piece of wire about 4 inches long, pointed at one end, bent at a 90 degree angle about 1/4 inch from the pointed end, and glued into a 1/2 inch dowel. This allows you to put the bent pointed end into the case and you can feel the "ring" that is inside, and is an indication of pending case seperation.

Like SMELLIE, I also brush and lubricate the inside of the case necks. Bonanza (now Forester) makes a handy little device that has three brushes sticking from a small base that holds dry graphite lubricant. You simply mount it on the bench, and push the cases down and back. Not only does this lube the inside slightly, but the big thing is that it cleans the crud out of the inside of the case neck, allowing easier bullet seating and a more consistent grip on the bullets.

There does come a time when you do have to scrap the whole lot and buy some new cases though, and you have to recognize it.

The usual .303 British brass seems to be a bit thinner in the neck area than a lot of calibres. I have successfully used 30-40 Krag brass, which seems to be a bit heavier.

 

[Johnn Peterson]

smellie

I'm Ed Horton from milsurps you might not know me by biged51, the best brass I can get for reloading the .303 British is Prvi Partizan cases. The Prvi cases have thicker rims, larger base diameters and case walls .010 thicker than ANY American made case. I would call these Prvi Partizan cases "military grade" comparable to U.S. Military Lake City Match grade cases.

Below Prvi Partizan and Greek HXP cases fired from the same Enfield rifle, you can see the difference in base diameter and thickness on these fired cases.

I fire form my cases using a rubber o-ring around the case to hold it against the bolt face, the o-ring also compresses and centers the case in the chamber.

The problem is no one makes a shoulder "bump" die for the .303 British and I wanted to see what the Canadians used.

I not want to overwork the brass with a full length resizing die and want to make my cases last a lot longer and save money.

I'm a little cheap and like saving money and even my dish washer has a special money saving pre-wash cycle.

I have a pair of Jungle Carbines I reload for and even though I have a sizeable quantity of brass in a number of brands, after the first firing, I neck size with a lyman necksizing die I got when I first started reloading. Oh, I also keep the brass separated for each rifle. I did this in an attempt to prolong brass life and it seems in doing so, accuracy is a little better.

As much as possible, rather than actually forming brass, I'll search out the 'real thing'. The only caliber I have that is the exception is for my 219 Donaldson Wasp. That I form from 30-30 using;

• RCBS # 1 - 8 forming die.
• RCBS # 2 H forming die.
• RCBS trim die.
• RCBS two die set.

1. In addition, if and when required, for this caliber and others I have an RCBS Hand Case Neck Turner w/quick change case holder for turning and truing neck thickness.
2. Also, I have a Lyman

Universal case trimmer for trimming to length.

Last but not least, it looks like you have my 'Blond Coyote' doing dishes for you. I saved that exact same picture some time beck, primarily because it looks like my dog.

Here's a picture of her amongst the clutter in my den.

P.S.With a very limited experience case forming, I contacted the tech people at RCBS. They were extremely helpful in answering my questions and supplying data and procedure details.