Sizing Brass for a Rem 7600 in 35 whelen

powdergun

powdergun

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I was just wondering if anyone has had this issue to deal with.

Rifle: Rem 7600 pump action
Round 35 Whelen

I know that small base dies often solve the problem for semi auto and pump hunting rifles but I have not seen small base dies for the whelen.

Do regular full length sizing dies work for this particular rifle ?
Is there a hack to solve the problem ?

I do not have the rifle yet so I am just trying to see if there is a way to solve a potential issue as I do not want to shoot factory ammo.

Thanks
 
It might be a "spendy" problem to resolve. You can send 3 cases fired from your rifle to Huntington Die Specialties and they can make you a sizing die. You say that you don't have the rifle yet, so, don't panic. Your rifle might handle reloads from standard dies just fine.
Good luck!
 
You do not have the rifle yet and you are worried about a problem you do not have.

If your reloads chamber and the fired case extracts freely you don't have a problem.

In a semi-auto and pump actions the resized case body diameter needs to be .003 to .005 "SMALLER" than its fired diameter. This ensures the fired case springs back from the chamber walls and extracts reliably.

So again, do not worry about problems until you do have them.
 
Based on experiences with other similar rifles I had had to use a small base die for proper function. They were 308 and 30 06 so no problem finding a die but with the whelen not so easy. If there was a simple solution to the potential problem then I may go ahead and buy the rifle if not then I may just pass on it.

I know one cannot see the future so just trying to gather all the info I can.
 
Chambers and resizing dies vary in size, and the hardness of the brass can affect the amount it springs back after sizing. I have a standard Lee FL .223 die that reduces the case diameter more than my RCBS small base dies does.

Also loading "HOT" can affect case body diameter when fired.

For over 20 years I carried a Remington 760 Gamemaster pump in .270 Win and never had a problem reloading for it with standard full length dies. And the .270 Win has a much higher max chamber pressure than the 35 Whelen.

One of my biggest regrets was not buying a Remington 760 Gamemaster in 35 Rem when they made a special run of them in the 1970s.

NOTE, if brass spring back after sizing becomes a problem and the cases are hard to extract you can pause at the top of the ram stroke. Pausing for 4 to 5 seconds reduces brass springback and ensures more uniform case dimentions.

Again you are worried about a problem you do not have with a rifle you do not have yet. If you had a mail order bride and only seen a picture you should be worried.
 
Both my BIL and his Father have 7600/760 rifles and small base dies are not needed to load for them.
They are both 30-06's but the Whelen may well work fine with ordinary FL dies. Dave.
 
my "hack" is to keep your chamber spotless.....build yourself a proper 90 degree bronze brush and keep it clean....barrels are fairly easy to remove for a more complete cleaning but keep a chamber brush handy for field and range use....
 
Eagleye said:
Both my BIL and his Father have 7600/760 rifles and small base dies are not needed to load for them.
They are both 30-06's but the Whelen may well work fine with ordinary FL dies. Dave.
Click to expand...

Eagleye.

Very good answer Eagleye, you must be almost as smart, good looking, and modest as I am.

The only time I had a problem with my 760 Gamemaster pump was when I tried just neck sizing the cases. The second time I reloaded the cases they would not eject until the cases cooled off. The 760 and 7600 do not have the same primary extraction as a bolt action so the case body diameter and brass spring back are critical.

I think the Lee full length dies run a bit smaller in diameter so I would see if I could find a set for starters.

On my Lake City 7.62 cases fired in machine guns with fat chambers I would size the case first with a carbide .45 ACP die. This made sizing the bottom half of the case much easier. I'm not sure you could use the .45 ACP die as a small base die on a 35 Whelen. But a machinest could cut the top off a 30-06 small base die and use it to reduce the case body diameter. But again this is only if a standard FL die does not reduce the body diameter enough. And the OP does not know this yet until he sizes some cases and fires them in the rifle he does not have yet.
 
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I like the mail order bride analogy lol... It seems that it should be OK with a FL sizer but until I have the rifle and start shooting there is no for sure answers either way.

Thanks for all the info.
 
My 760 in .30-06 will require extra force to eject a fl sized handload that was first fired in a different rifle (range pick up) but has no issues after that. I use Lee dies with that rifle. Like stated above, try it and find out.
 
This is making me wanna get a 7600. Always like the platform. Specially high gloss, deep blueing and the fleur de lis stocks.

I realize this doesn’t help with your potential future problem, but still.
 
Here's the hack; whether you will need it or not awaits to be seen. My 7600 35 Whelen gets sticky with cases that have been fired more than a couple times with warm loads.

Take a 30-06 SB die, strip it down; then cut the neck portion off with a chop-saw. Clean up the burred edges with a Dremel, die grinder or whatever you have handy.

Red-neck body die. ;)
 
I had a 7600 35 Whelen and it cycled flawlessly with FL dies. Couldn’t get it to shoot worth a dang though. Shot head stamped 35 Whelen brass along with resized 30-06 Brass.
 
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