Lee factory crimp die 9.3x62 modified to 9.3x57?

[Potashminer]

Decided to try to dismantle that 9.3x62 FCD into its components and see what is needed to change for use with 9.3x57. Had read on-line about pounding out the crimping insert - did not like that idea. I found that a 1/4" drive 13/32" socket fit reasonably snuggly into the top (open) end where the crimps are. Screwed the FCD into my Rockchucker press from underneath, so it was upside down. Laid a piece of flat bar on the top of the ram and set the socket and fed into that FCD - really surprised how moderate pressure required - am sure I have had to pull harder on the handle when reforming some brass - it just popped right out!!!



Next picture shows the inside part that will need to be shortened appropriately for 9.3x57 by cutting off some length from bottom, the FCD body, and that 13/32" socket that just nicely went in there to push out the inside part.

 

[Potashminer]

So, still trying to understand what dimensions to try to cut to. This is a once fired PPU 9.3x62 brass in that crimp - sitting on an RCBS #3 shell holder as it would be "in action" in the press. This piece of brass is exactly at the minimum length given in the Hornady 9th manual - 2.431". By eyeball, I would guesstimate it comes up about 1/3 of the way on the crimp faces - certainly less than half way. So, looks to me that the FCD would just so crimp the leading .035" (?) of that neck, and slightly longer brass would get a "longer" crimp - but the "start" edge of all the crimps (distance from case head to start of crimp) would be identical for all brass. What is odd (?), in this picture, there is about .070" of crimp edges still available, but a Max length case would only be .010" longer than this piece of brass, so it seems that Lee FCD wants to always have .060" or more crimp face sticking forward of the longest case?



And, to clarify - this is a once fired, not sized case - I expect it will lengthen somewhat when it is resized - but I picked it because it was exactly at the minimum case length for 9.3x62 and I wanted to see how that worked out in this die.

 

[Potashminer]

So, what size for 9.3x57? From Baribal, that I mentioned above, the longest "official" dimension appears to be Norma at 2.244". I started to convert 10 x 8x57 brass - wrecked 3 - so 7 are "successfully" converted - taken to straight wall, then sized back down to bring shoulder to just allow bolt in my action to close. Those converted brass measure from 2.211 (shortest) to 2.218 (longest). So, looks like .033" max spread, so far, from longest that I know of to be "allowed", to the shortest that I have actually got on hand. That is still only about 1/4 of the length of those crimp faces, if they are truly .125". Going to have to get that chamber cast done - like many other things - gotta listen to what the rifle says - not necessarily what some book says!!!

 

[Potashminer]

Chamber cast - Not one of my best, but it will do. Still waiting for the 60 minutes to take the diameters, but enough is obvious from the picture. Neck cut-out in this former Husqvarna chamber is .440" (at least so far - not sure if the Cerrosafe grows lengthwise as well?) ahead of the neck/shoulder junction - much, much longer than any of the brass that I made. A random one of the 7, that measures 2.213" over all, is about .285" from mouth to neck/shoulder junction - so that one, as is, would have .155" yet to grow - huge amount!! And the rifling does not start until about 1.020" ahead of the neck/shoulder junction - so quite a bit of "free bore" - .580" - that freebore diameter dimension and the case neck diameter dimension on the cast will come next, after it hits the one hour mark...

 

[Potashminer]

Diameters on the Cerrosafe casting - about 60 minutes have passed - so case neck - is measuring .392" -.393" - does not seem to matter whether closer to shoulder or closer to mouth - about the same - as i rotate to measure various diameters I get that .001" variation - could be me, the made-in-China calliper or "real" - do not know. But, that is exactly the same measurement that I get on the PPU converted case with a .368" cast bullet in it - so a "slip fit" - maybe even too "snug" - will have to fire some and see what the brass measures after.
That free-bore area comes out at .369" - .370", so a smidgeon of clearance for the nominally .368" sized cast bullets - Notice that the rear part of the bullet - the gas check, is going to be out of the case neck cut-out - into that free bore area, before that "fat" part of the bullet hits the rifling. If I seat that bullet so the cast check is just even with the case neck/shoulder junction - there will be about 1/4" "jump" before the nose "bore rider" will be touching the lands. Picture in next posting.

 

[Potashminer]

285 grain "punkins" that I plan to load for this 9.3x57. Going to have to be fussy on the actual length to have the fat part of this bullet started into the freebore, when the cartridge gets chambered!!!!

 

[Workin Man]

I had the same idea for disassembling the die, glad to hear it went easy. I have not done a chamber cast, but I did use a different method to measure the jump to the lands and it is a long one like yours. I am loading to the longest length I can feed from the mag, can't get closer than that. As for how much to shorten the die, what about flaring that 9.3x62 case, seating one of your cast bullets and seeing how it works with that works first? It might give you a better idea of how much you need to take off.

Jim

 

[Potashminer]

Okay, getting closer to "getting 'er dun" . That gismo for mounting my dremel type tool in a tool holder showed up - not exactly a "production" quality type set up, but will be quite an improvement for me to feed that little cutting wheel with the cross slide wheel, instead of "free handing" it. Gotta do a bit more "ciphering" to come up with a number for how much to actually slice off, but thought I would show the set up in the lathe: