DIY body die?

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boxhitch

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can a body die for .308 group of cartridges be diy by cutting the top portion of a FL die off with a zip disc
to a suitable length so the full body is contacted but not the shoulder or neck, realizing there will be zero shoulder bump
Drawings look similar for 243 through 358

Along those lines, can a belted magnum body die be diy the same way with additional cut to the bottom to clear the belt?

These wouldn't be the same as a collet squeezing the body, but may be as good?
 
I have no experience doing what you propose.

For belted cases - I had bought several hundred previously fired Weatherby head stamped brass for 300 Weatherby Magnum - after Full Length Sizing, not one would chamber in this rifle. Using jiffy marker, I discovered the enlarged area was just in front of the belt - which ever rifle had fired those brass was a smidgeon larger, there, than this one - so I ended up to get a Larry Willis collet die, which squished down that brass just in front of the belt - does nothing else to that brass. It has a very handy-to-me "plunk" gauge on top to drop a fired case into to see if it needs "treatment" or not. I have seen postings on CGN where others have made and re-sized their brass with a DIY cut-off die - they said it worked fine. I have been using a 338 Win Mag since 1990's - should be same size belt as on 300 Weatherby - but I have only ever used new brass or factory ammo that was fired in this rifle - never needed to fuss with that brass at all.

FYI - not all dies are made precisely the same size - I had reformed some 7mm Rem Mag brass into 7x61 S&H - about 80 cases or so. Would not chamber after re-sizing - same issue - seemed to be hanging up immediately in front of the belt. The sized cases dropped easily and fully into a 338 Win Mag FL sizing die, but were at least 3/8" proud on a 458 Win Mag FL sizing die - those two should have been the same size, but were not - both dies were RCBS brand - I presume is difference minimum to maximum tolerances? When I ran all those brass through that 458 Win Mag FL die, then they all chambered in that rifle - they would not, before I did that.
 
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I have used a small base 300win mag die for what you are looking for. I cut the top off and turned the belt groove off plus a little bit on a lathe. Now the brass can be pushed right up to the belt and can just poke out of the top of the die. Need to be careful though. As the belt can be pushed right off...

RCBS makes a small base 308 die. Should work the same.
 
I use a small base .308 with the expander assembly removed for 7/08, 243, and a wildcat 22/243 with no modifications at all. Would’t work on a 358, but since I don’t have one anyway it doesn’t matter much.

A guttef 30-06 SB die works on the 270. I am planning on either drilling out a 30-06 SB die or cutting the end off one ti use with my 35 Whelen. It’s a pump gun and needs a little help.

The one I use the most is a 300 Win SB. It’ll put a little extra squeeze on the 300 Win, 7 Rem, 264 Win, and 270 and 257 Weatherby.

I also have the Willis tool for the few belted magnums the SB 300 won’t handle. Don’t need it often, but sometimes it’s the only thing that will work.
 
boxhitch said:
can a body die for .308 group of cartridges be diy by cutting the top portion of a FL die off with a zip disc
to a suitable length so the full body is contacted but not the shoulder or neck, realizing there will be zero shoulder bump
Drawings look similar for 243 through 358

Along those lines, can a belted magnum body die be diy the same way with additional cut to the bottom to clear the belt?

These wouldn't be the same as a collet squeezing the body, but may be as good?
Click to expand...

Theoretically it's possible, and it's a neat idea - be fun to try it out. That said, there are dies out there that do exactly what you're describing. I'm not sure the experiment is worth the money savings, unless it's just for your own personal interest.
 
Canuck65 said:
Theoretically it's possible, and it's a neat idea - be fun to try it out. That said, there are dies out there that do exactly what you're describing. I'm not sure the experiment is worth the money savings, unless it's just for your own personal interest.
Click to expand...

Yep - I agree with that - but unless the OP has a specific issue to be resolved, going to be hard to know if that was a solution or not. I doubt that most of us could measure a correction - likely in the realm of 10,000 th's of an inch between "it fits" versus "it does not fit" - no doubt someone can measure that - I can not - I have to use "it fits" versus "it does not" - which means I needed to have an "issue" to resolve in the first place. Idea is very good - have that in the mental "tool box", as an option to deal with a future thing?
 
Canuck65 said:
Theoretically it's possible, and it's a neat idea - be fun to try it out. That said, there are dies out there that do exactly what you're describing. I'm not sure the experiment is worth the money savings, unless it's just for your own personal interest.
Click to expand...

Tough to find stock of what I need in Canada it seems, and happen to have extra dies in the junk drawer so will be a cheap try.
I suppose the ideal maximum benefit would be a collet to squeeze the body for max brass life instead of a die sliding down possibly moving things too much...
, but 'good enough' is fine with me

Test will be how much the base dia. is changed with a regular fl die modified, or whether a small base die is needed, we'll see
 
I am going to say... NOPE. reason, as you compress the lower portion of the case... this will allow the top, unsupported part of the case to move forward. Squeeze a toothpaste tube kind of situation.

A big part of getting the headspace precise and a close fit is controlling the entire case even though you really want to size a portion of it.

On the upside, if you get a 308win body die... it can be used for all in the family (for the most part)

Have fun with the test... hope it works for you.

Jerry
 
Mysticprecision said:
I am going to say... NOPE. reason, as you compress the lower portion of the case... this will allow the top, unsupported part of the case to move forward. Squeeze a toothpaste tube kind of situation.

A big part of getting the headspace precise and a close fit is controlling the entire case even though you really want to size a portion of it.

On the upside, if you get a 308win body die... it can be used for all in the family (for the most part)

Have fun with the test... hope it works for you.

Jerry
Click to expand...

thinking a 358 die might help keep the shoulder shape without any neck changes
 
That IS old...but good info thanks
now to find a 45 die that has this 'tube' shape, or another Hornady like I have and cut the top off , or one to drill out the top of,
 
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