Source for .351 WSL dies

Walther_PPK said:
Is anyone on earth selling .351 WSL dies? Can't seem to find a set anywhere.
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Mine is made by Redding - not cheap and I don't know who might be carrying it.

If you've got some "MacGyver" in you, it's worth a try to see if 357 Mag dies would work. I use cut-down 357 Max brass and it's a bit thicker where it's cut than at its mouth. That and using bullets in the 0.353" range might help the 357 Mag dies size the brass enough to grip the bullet. You'll want to ensure neck clearance regardless of what bullet and brass you use. If it's still too loose, a 223 Rem F/L die could be used to size it down slightly - they are tapered from 0.376" to 0.354" so it comes down to how far you push it in to get the neck diameter you need.
 
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Andy said:
Mine is made by Redding - not cheap and I don't know who might be carrying it.

If you've got some "MacGyver" in you, it's worth a try to see if 357 Mag dies would work. I use cut-down 357 Max brass and it's a bit thicker where it's cut than at its mouth. That and using bullets in the 0.355" range might help the 357 Mag dies size the brass enough to grip the bullet. You'll want to ensure neck clearance regardless of what bullet and brass you use. If it's still too loose, a 223 Rem F/L die could be used to size it down slightly - they are tapered from 0.376" to 0.354" so it comes down to how far you push it in to get the neck diameter you need.
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Thanks! This might be helpful advice for me as I just can't locate dies at any price. I can get a bullet sizer from Lee to size down lead cast bullets but that's no good without dies.
 
I also have the Redding dies which work great for 351 cases, but I was also using cut down 357 max cases and used 357 dies for quite awhile before I found the Redding dies. I found a factory crimp die on Lee Precision’s website and was using and still use with the Redding dies.
Once in awhile Lee makes up the factory crimp dies and puts them on their site. Youcan call them and find out when they will be making more.
 
Is it better to size lead cast bullets to .352" and not .351"? Either sizer is available but I see most people using .352"
 
Walther_PPK said:
Is it better to size lead cast bullets to .352" and not .351"? Either sizer is available but I see most people using .352"
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Each gun is different and it depends on your bore dimensions and more importantly the case neck clearance. The supposed "rule" for cast bullets is to go 0.001" over groove dimension, but I've gone as high as 0.003" as have many others. Every bullet (jacketed and cast) is violently squeezed down on firing and many tests have been done to show that 2-3 thou over "correct" diameter has no measurable effect on pressure.

In my gun I sized them to 0.353" with a Lee Custom Sizer. I found that jacketed and cast bullets up to 0.358" could be sized down with moderate effort, but choose cast bullets with enough lube capacity in their grooves to sustain the diameter reduction (2.5 thou is lost all around).
 
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