Small base reloading dies
- Thread starter hakx
- Start date
If you have a finnicky semi auto or lever action that doesn't feed properly with regularly sized dies, you'd need small base dies. That is the only real difference. As said, they just squeeze the base a little tighter during full length resizing.
gunrunner8
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Kamloops, B.C.
This is very, very bad advice. The moment you push case further up the die, you automaticly push shoulder back to create exesive head space. Also bad advice, is to grind off bottom of FL die. DO NOT DO THAT. Use SB dies.
Suit youself, but it has worked for me in the past. I had a rifle that had a small chamber and probably shorter headspace. I took VERY small amounts off the shell holder untill the case would fit into the chamber. Once I got to fit, I used a reg shell holder and FLR with no problems.
Not all chambers are created equally.
.
Innovative
Regular
- Location
- Casselberry, Florida
gunrunner8 ......
You're right. Few shooters really understand that chamber clearance (at the shoulder) needs to be kept to a minimum, like -.002" (or less). Pushing a FL die farther to the rear is not safe. It IS a very good idea to measure your chamber clearance at the shoulder. It's important to know how YOUR handloads fit in YOUR particular chamber. That's why I developed the Digital Headspace Gauge.
Many shooters rely on bumping the shellholder to get the correct headspace, and if their handloads don't fit, they grind their dies or shellholders to increase the travel of their dies. (Very bad idea.) Using a small base die is also a bad idea if you don't need to use one. Small base dies plow the brass back towards the case head where it builds up, often actually making cases even wider. This is especially a bad idea with belted magnum calibers.
Unlike the RCBS Precision Mic, our Digital Headspace Gauge works on ALL calibers. Unlike the Stoney Point tool (now Hornady) our gauge doesn't require using a collection of bushings to operate, and you also don't need to balance your cases on the blade of calipers to measure a case. Check it out on my website.
- Innovative
You're right. Few shooters really understand that chamber clearance (at the shoulder) needs to be kept to a minimum, like -.002" (or less). Pushing a FL die farther to the rear is not safe. It IS a very good idea to measure your chamber clearance at the shoulder. It's important to know how YOUR handloads fit in YOUR particular chamber. That's why I developed the Digital Headspace Gauge.
Many shooters rely on bumping the shellholder to get the correct headspace, and if their handloads don't fit, they grind their dies or shellholders to increase the travel of their dies. (Very bad idea.) Using a small base die is also a bad idea if you don't need to use one. Small base dies plow the brass back towards the case head where it builds up, often actually making cases even wider. This is especially a bad idea with belted magnum calibers.
Unlike the RCBS Precision Mic, our Digital Headspace Gauge works on ALL calibers. Unlike the Stoney Point tool (now Hornady) our gauge doesn't require using a collection of bushings to operate, and you also don't need to balance your cases on the blade of calipers to measure a case. Check it out on my website.
- Innovative
BattleRife
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- of No Fixed Address
I have a different take on the small base die thing.
I only know of two companies that make small base dies. Redding, who have a great reputation for accuracy and precision, and RCBS, whom I have firmly decided like to make things a lot more complicated than they need to be. Two decades of reloading has me convinced that avoiding RCBS equipment is the simplest answer to many problems.
If you are shooting a match rifle with a tight chamber, by all means buy the Redding. For everything else, buy Lee dies or Hornady and forget there is such a thing as small base dies.
I only know of two companies that make small base dies. Redding, who have a great reputation for accuracy and precision, and RCBS, whom I have firmly decided like to make things a lot more complicated than they need to be. Two decades of reloading has me convinced that avoiding RCBS equipment is the simplest answer to many problems.
If you are shooting a match rifle with a tight chamber, by all means buy the Redding. For everything else, buy Lee dies or Hornady and forget there is such a thing as small base dies.
