Looking for someone with a lathe to shave a few thou off of my die (fixed)

M

matm

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Edmonton, AB
I just had a 6 dasher put together and it appears that the chamber is a little tighter than my die can get down to. I would really appreciate if someone with a lathe could help me out by trimming around 10-15 thou off of the die or shell holder. Of course i would pay for your time. Im local to Calgary but ill ship if necessary. Thank you

-mat
 
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the Redding comp shellholder set are deeper than standard 0.125” amd will give the opposite results to what you are looking for Unless I’ve completely misunderstood your post
 
rgv said:
the Redding comp shellholder set are deeper than standard 0.125” amd will give the opposite results to what you are looking for Unless I’ve completely misunderstood your post
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You are correct. Im looking to bump the shoulder back more than the die will allow. I need the case to advance into the die more.
 
I'd do it for you - assuming the die isn't hardened - but the postage back and forth would probably be at least $40.
Surely there must be someone local who would do this.
 
tiriaq said:
I'd do it for you - assuming the die isn't hardened - but the postage back and forth would probably be at least $40.
Surely there must be someone local who would do this.
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im not positive on the hardness of the die but i would think they are hardened? I did a quick search and dies can be a little tricky to machine because the outside is hard. I think the shell holders are too
 
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10 to 15 thou could be accomplished by sanding the die on some good quality 150 grit sandpaper. Sand back and forth, turn 90 degrees and sand bath and forth, repeat till 10 to 15 thou is gone. Clean all grit off after sanding and lube well. A person with a lathe is going to sand that small amount off if your not watching too!
If you were closer I would show your how to do it with a mini grinder.
 
I had a set of the LEE RGB dies in 6.5X55 that were not pushing the shoulder back far enough. I disassembled the die and with a set of calipers ground off .020 or .030. (I can't rember exactly how much, but it was around that ballpark)

I went carefully and slowly on a small belt sander and checked from side to side with the calipers to make sure I wasn't grinding the die lopsided.

I did send the dies back and get a full refund, but in a pinch, this will do.
 
I would sand, as well, even though I have a lathe. But on the shellholder, instead. That's cheaper to replace if it's screwed up. Or if you decide to sell the dies in the future.
 
You're in Calgary for goodness sake. It's full of machine shops. Talk to the fellow at the desk and likely they will only charge you the price of a few beers, if that.

Are you sure shortening the die will do what you need???? You may need a "small base" die or even special neck inserts, which won't work in your die. If the reamer was a bit on the small side, then you may need a custom sizing die or at the very least a custom neck sizing die.

This isn't an unusual problem with custom chambers. Whoever did the chamber for you may be able to cut you a new sizing die with the same reamer.

Please correct me if I'm wrong but the 6mm Dasher is a blown out 6PPC. You don't mention if this is for an AR build or a bolt rifle. A 6PPC sizing die would do everything you need without altering the sizing die you have. The dimensions are pretty much the same except that the Dasher has a shorter neck.
 
Taking some metal off the face of the shellholder would allow the case to enter the die further. Could certainly be worth trying. The OP wanted his die altered, so I responded to that.
The advantage of doing it on a lathe is that the material removal will be uniform. Could be done hand held against a belt sander. Even if the face of the die is no longer perpendicular to the axis, the shoulder can still be set back. Just polish the mouth of the die so that odd marks aren't left on the case.
 
OP what is the die made of and is it hardened.

I am in Calgary and have a lathe but won’t turn i if it is hardened.
 
Could be spun in the lathe while abrasive cloth is held against the die face with a backer. Tailstock ram could be used for pressure. Just put a cloth over your lathe to catch grit. High tech, a tool post grinder would do the job. Carbide tooling might cut harder steel.
 
Thanks everyone! I have a guy local who is going to help me out. We are going to start with the shell holder and an abrasive disc, using a lathe for uniformity. The barrel came of another action and was headspaced a little bigger than it currently is, hence why my current brass won't chamber super smoothly. All of the brass i have has been fired in this barrel on the old action. Its a bolt and 6 dasher is 6mm br with the shoulder blown forward kinda like an ackley improved.
 
Something that you can try that doesn't involve any machining is to slide a flat feeler gauge between the shellholder and case head when sizing. Remember to remove the decapping pin. After you've got them down to size once you could well be good to go after that.
 
Dogleg said:
Something that you can try that doesn't involve any machining is to slide a flat feeler gauge between the shellholder and case head when sizing. Remember to remove the decapping pin. After you've got them down to size once you could well be good to go after that.
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Hm that's a good call too! Ill give that a go tonight. There is a little wiggle room in the holder that may be enough
 
FWIW I was able to skim a few thou off a shellholder on my lathe to allow the die to go lower for bumping 6.5x55 necks.

It is hardened but still workable with carbide cutters.

Would not mess with the die. Shellholders are way cheaper......
 
It's a new 'build'. Why wouldn't you have the headspace corrected so the rifle ends up being within the standards rather than altering a die...?
 
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