Which Die Maker Says You Don't Need SB Dies If You Use Theirs?

6

600RemGuy

CGN Regular
GunNutz
Rating - 100%
86   0   0
Location
Woolwich Twp, SW Ontario
As the title says. I'm sure I remember from years ago that if you needed small base dies, one company use to state that if you use theirs for an auto-loader or lever, theirs were basically SB to start with in all their dies.
 
I full length resize all the once fired .223/5.56 brass I buy "ONCE" with a small base die, and thereafter use a standard full length die. Because the 5.56 chamber diameter is .002 larger in diameter and this makes the standard SAAMI .223 FL die a small base die.

"BUT" civilian SAAMI .223 cases are softer than military 5.56 cases so having a small base die doesn't hurt anything to have. We live in a plus and minus manufacturing world and my Lee .223 FL die makes the cases smaller in the base than my RCBS AR series dies. My RCBS AR series small base die only makes the diameter .0005 smaller than the standard RCSS full length die.

So never say never, and all you have to do is measure the base expansion of your fired cases before and after sizing. I also bought a special case gauge for the .223/5.56 to ensure I have the correct case diameter and shoulder location. Meaning every case gets the case "plop" test to make sure it falls into the gauge.

And one more time, my Lee 223 full length die sizes the case smaller in diameter than my small base dies do, so remember dies vary in size.
 
Suputin said:
You don't need small base dies because you don't need small base dies, regardless of the die manufacturer. I have loaded thousands of rounds for semi-auto's and NEVER had an issue with ammo. Never owned a set of small base dies.
Click to expand...

Same here and that is reloading for AR15's,M1 Garand, M305, and that includes resizing lots of US military surplus 5.56, 30-06 and 7.62X51 brass some of which may have been fired in a machinegun.
 
I have ran thousands of IVI cases thru a Lee FL die and a Dillon RT 1200 FL size die after cleaning the brass and separating out the steel belt links... Yup it was ran thru a MG, ya it's pretty tough brass... One trip thru my die and it drops into my case gauge perfectly... Same results with Hornady, FC, PPU, Win, Norc and probably a bunch of other misc kinds from range brass...
 
Dillon specifically list their carbide 223 die as undersized or small base..... I forget their actual wording, but they do the same job as my RCBS small base dies. The only thing I use the RCBS small base die for is when I am making 300 blackout as it brings the body in closer to the dimensions of the 300 blackout dies so I don't get any damage to brass when they go into the blackout trim dies
 
I didn't need a small base die in .308 Win until I started reloading for a current-product Browning Lever Rifle (BLR).

Incredibly tight chamber compared to my other long guns, and of course the lever action has limited camming action to force
a cartridge into the chamber.

I acquired the RCBS SB die and adapted the Redding carbide expander to it for the best of both worlds.

Problem solved...
 
You don't need small base dies; until you need them. Then guess what? You need them.

I use my small base dies in custom tight chambered rifles, and salvaging brass fired through rifles with over-sized chambers. Use for autoloaders with already over-sized chambers that will swallow any old crap ammo wrapped in a cow-hide isn't a factor.
 
sunray said:
Never seen any company claim that. Sounds like a typical BS marketing thing.
Click to expand...

I'm talking 30 years ago when I use to sell them. Both RCBS and Lyman had SB at that time. I just seem to remember (gettin harder to do that every year-even though I'm staying the same age!) someone stating what i said. Maybe not. I see Lee doesn't list SB that I can find.

I have a Rem 760 in 222. Haven't shot it yet. Never seen SB 222 dies even though Ruger had the Mini and the Browning 81 was chambered as such.
 
Redding 308 and 223 NM dies are supposed to size to small base specs. They are intentionally made for M14 and AR15 NM rifles that are often built with tight chambers. I have a set of each and the sized cases drop nicely into a Wilson case gauge. But then so do cases FL sized with my other dies.
 
I can use SB dies for 30-06 and they still won't fit in my buddys Ruger no matter what. But the rifles never been cleaned in over 30 years that I know of.
 
My dies in question are labelled as F.L. Die set .30-06 Springfield #80148 Series:A on box. Die is marked Redding 30-06 FL K6 if that means anything. Anyway that's the claim that I recall about Redding.
Cheers
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom