Die to size only the base of belted mag cartridges

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daddylonglegs

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Along time ago, I recall seeing a thread on a custom die to resize only the base of belted mag cartridges bases on the 375 H&H case. Can someone help me out with the name of the die (manufacturer) and where to obtain one. I have 3 X 7mm Rem Mags - an very old tang safety Ruger, a Schultz & Larsen, and a Miroku Browning 1885. It is a pain to keep fired brass (over 500) separated by which gun they were fired in. Both the Schultz & Larsen and the Browning 1885 are chambered very tight. Brass fired in the Ruger will not chamber in the other 2 rifles even after resizing in Bonanza dies. The problem isn't the shoulder or the neck, but near the base of the brass right around the belt.

I also have a Schultz & Larsen 338 Win mag and a Winchester in the same caliber. Same problem. Brass fired in the Winchester will not chamber in the Schultz even after full length sizing in quality dies. Same with a custom 340 Weatherby mag. Brass fired in a Mark V will not chamber in my custom even after resizing. It sure would be handy if someone made a sizing die for all brass based on the 375 H&H which only resized the bases of the cases, and did not touch the brass in the neck or shoulder area. Any thoughts?
 
I likely have what you are thinking of - is called "Larry Willis Magnum Collet Die" - it seems to squish perhaps 1/8" or so immediately in front of the belt - where normal sizing dies do not get. Does not touch the case walls, shoulder or neck - as I recall from the instructions - you re-size the case first, then use that collet die at the very back end of the case.

The instructions with it recommend high pressure grease to be used - so like Imperial Sizing Wax or similar - between the collet and die body, and I think between the collet and the brass case. So you have to figure out how to get stuff off the brass case before reloading it? I do not recall it being intended to be used for each case loading - I think it was designed to re-size a case to fit a particular rifle, which should usually only be necessary once.

An FYI - at the time, I was attempting to convert previously fired 7mm Rem Mag cases into 7x61 S&H cases - correctly resized, trimmed, chamfered, etc., except not one empty, unprimed case would allow the bolt to close. As if the rifle the rounds had been fired in, was larger in front of the belt, then was the 7x61 rifle chamber. Jiffy marker showed the contact point was consistently just ahead of that belt - so I ordered that Larry Willis die. In mean time - I noticed those re-sized cases would simply "drop in" to my RCBS 338 Win Mag die. But would stop a good 1/2" to 3/4" out of my RCBS 458 Win Mag die - both dies should have been the same size, but were not - by pure luck, that 458 Win Mag resizing die was smaller - and by running all those brass through that die, I was able to close the bolt on each case. So, simply using that RCBS 458 Win Mag sizing die "fixed" the issue for me, and I never had to actually use that Larry Willis die to squish down those cases. But that built in gauge on top is super handy to check brass cases!!!!
 
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I got one several years ago when I had pile of 257 Weatherby brass that would ‘t chamber in one particular rifle despite using every trick I knew. The Willis tool took care of that.
 
Yes, I have had one for quite a while. I have a minimum SAAMI spec 308 Norma Mag rifle,
and any brass fired in another rifle will not chamber unless I use this tool. Once it is used
the brass is good for subsequent loadings, even with max working loads. EE.
 
Interesting, vewy vewy interesting.
Last 250 Savage I purchased won't chamber any fired brass other than new and what
was fired out of it.

Tired a couple sets of dies and no seegarr.
Need to check into this.

Thanks folks.
 
kamlooky - I think you may run into small versus large tolerances in various rifle chambers and dies - my friend and I each had 308 Win rifles - both would chamber factory rounds and either of us could chamber the other's full length sized hand loads. But his fired brass would not chamber into my rifle - (or might have been my fired brass would not chamber into his rifle?) - until the case was re-sized in a full length die.

I do not think that Willis Collet die is made for anything other than the belted magnum rounds - to get that small area immediately in front of the belt - only. Not sure what is the solution for a rimless, non-belted case like a 250 savage - I found it really helps to colour up a "problem child" with jiffy marker, to find out where it hangs up - was several times not where I had guessed. Is possible that you might already have a smaller diameter die for a larger case - say like a 270 Win or a 30-06 that would squeeze a bit tighter - just ahead of the case head - than your existing 250 Savage die - if the hang-up is right in front of the case head. As you know, with a shell holder - no normal die is going to size the very case head of any brass - not sure the very beginning of the side walls stay "sized" either - tolerances might be working against you - chamber versus die body??
 
The once fired brass was shawt out of a 99 Savage.
I know this 250 has a decently tight chamber.
Doesn’t bawther me sole a bit.
Tried making 250 brass from neck’d down 300 Savage.
Used RCBS dies and tried a Lee die.
No go.

Interesting’nuff the Lee die scrunched up the brass with less effort.
Go figure.
 
I had an old rcbs small base 300 win die. Cut the top off below the shoulder. Then trimmed off the belt and about a 1/16 extra. This moves the case further into the die taper. Just push the case untill it makes contact with the belt and done.

Works great as a body die.
 
A picture is worth a thousand words. Cut down 7mm Rem Mag die.D8E01272-68C4-46E8-9AC6-A3EB55BC1850.jpg
Works on all belted cases with the .532 head size.
 

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JJ-65 said:
A picture is worth a thousand words. Cut down 7mm Rem Mag die.

Works on all belted cases with the .532 head size.
Click to expand...

Yep, no doubt that is does - but once that belt is up against the recess, that is not going to re-size any more - is what that Willis Collet die gets that some sizing dies can not - the small (1/8" - 3mm) immediately in front of the belt.

As described above - not real sure that one is needed normally, but is seldom an alternative when it is needed. I had bought several hundred previously fired 300 Weatherby brass - Weatherby head stamp - when full length re-sized, not one would chamber into my rifle - jiffy marker showed hang up immediately in front of the belt - obviously the chamber in seller's rifle was smidgeon larger than in mine, at that point. So once resized with that collet die, all would then fit - versus $4 each for that brass to buy new ones, then.

I have reloaded for a 338 Win Mag since 1980's - all was either factory ammo or new cases fired in that rifle - so was not an issue, ever - but became apparent when I started to play with brass that had been previously fired in another chamber.
 
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Potashminer said:
Yep, no doubt that is does - but once that belt is up against the recess, that is not going to re-size any more - is what that Willis Collet die gets that some sizing dies can not - the small (1/8" - 3mm) immediately in front of the belt.
Click to expand...

The Larry die does work excellent.
But the small base die I have made works just as well. With the belt groove machined off plus a little extra. I'm sure if I pushed a bit more I could shear the belt off.
 
2 thousand words…..55BD9021-0166-4886-AD1C-3E248A11B863.jpg The die was cut off ABOVE the belt recess.
 

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I use the Larry Willis die for my sons 7mm STW, to reduce the "belt bulge" just above the belt. This is the only cartridge that required the Willis die, never had any other problems with the belt bulge swelling. Note that after every firing, the fired case must be resized with your standard full length die, followed by the Willis die. Imperial Wax is the best lubricant for both applications. Best of luck!
 
I get good mileage out my 300 Win small base dies. Take the expander assembly out of it and you can put a little extra squeeze on any standard length magnum .308 or under; or more likely these days I’ll just use a small base bushing die with no expander ball just because I don’t have to take anything apart. I’ve also cut a 30-06 SB die in half ti cure issues with a 35 Whelen. Theoretically it would work on the whole ‘06 family; but that situation has never come up.

I actually prefer doing it that way compared to the Whillis tool. Because its easier,, but one day I finally came up with a situation I ouldn’t handle that way and broke down and bought the Whillis. SB dies and the Whillis are the sort of thing that people who haven’t needed them will practically go into rants saying nobody does. Nobody needs them til they need them; but if/when their turn comes nothing else will work.
 
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