Collet Die makes it possible to get 20 loadings on Belted Mag Case???

[350 Mag]

I was wondering if anyone has used this die.

He claims it will extend the life of your belted mag brass to 20X, even if your shooting HOT loads.

http://www.larrywillis.com/

 

[Jarlath]

Two things.

1. It has been out since 2002. If it hasn't been the claimed as the cat's ass by now, there is probably a reason.

2. The entire point of the die is to ensure that the chambered belted magnum headspaces off the shoulder instead of the belt.

So yes it probably Could allow for up to 20 reloads, since the majority of belted magnums is head separation above the belt. (Using shoulder headspacing relieves the stretch at that point.) Of course it all depends on the crimp/seating of the bullets used. How tight the barrel is at the neck of the case, etc....

Mind you, neck only sizing seems to extend case life a long ways as well.

 

[Moosetracker]

I have a Willis collet die and use it regularly on some of the magnum calibers that I own. It is particularly useful under the following conditions:

- hot loads
- commercial rifles with large tolerances
- resizing brass fired in another rifle

Please note that you will still need an FL or body die to bump the shoulder back by .002", as required.

A nice feature of the collet die is the inner gauge at the top of the die. You can get a quick indication of whether or not the brass is excessively large immediately above the belt.

Is it worth the cost? Yes, particularly if you own a rifle with large tolerances, have several magnums and/or collect range brass. With the latter you can recover the cost of the die quickly.

 

[Mystic Precision]

Sizing any case that many times will lead to work hardening and likely separation (you can't anneal the case head). A full on magnum puts a lot of stress on brass no matter the chamber. I have yet to see that many reloads in any of my chamberings.

Does it squeeze the area ahead of the belt? I am sure it can. Will it stop the brass from wearing out? Doubt it.

Weakest area in the case will be the primer pockets and nothing will save that from expanding too big.

Jerry

 

[444shooter]

Not worth the risk to keep reloading brass that much. Maybe up to 5 times and then dump the brass.

 

[bigbull]

I am lucky if I can get 5 FULL POWER loads out of any of my hot calibers and to be quite honest I don't think I really would want to, my primer pockets loosen up before the case lets go anyway.
bb

 

[joe-nwt]

You can get good results with a regular neck-size die. I sectioned some 12X fired 300WM brass that I only neck sized and there was no sign of thinning. But like Jerry said, the primer pockets were about toast by then.