Die Question

[MT204]

Ok for the last 40 years have just used standard dies.
Time to move up in the world so decided to move up to bushing dies so I can turn the necks.
Bought Redding die (type s for .204) and the bushings to get the job done...sort of.
So to turn the necks first I need to resize the necks and I'm assuming from all the reading i have done that I have to resize necks down to the shoulder?
My Hornady die goes down to the shoulder and I can then turn them fine but no matter what I do I can not get the Redding die to neck size to the shoulder. I stops about .060" from the shoulder.
I have applied dye to a number of cases to check this but am wondering if I'm missing something or have a bad die?

The case on left is Redding case, one on right Hornady.
Case holder is touching bottom of die.
Decapping rod not hitting.
204 ruger

I guess I could continue to use the Hornady die prior to turning and the Redding after that.

[acloco]

Hmmm...got a picture?

Is your case holder hitting the bottom of your die?

Decapping rod adjusted too long? (hitting flash hole?)

What caliber? (just curious)

[Jim White]

MT204,

I don't have my dies right in front of me so I'm trying to recall this from memory so;

1. When you adjusted the die was the ram fully extended (raised) and if so, was it making contact with the shell holder?

2. With the die installed screw the decapping/expander rod assembly all the way down until it stops, then back it off (CCW) approx 1/16th of a turn.

3. Try another case, and check if the whole neck is sized. If it is, great, if its to far/close to the shoulder back the decapping/expander rod out and adjust as necessary. If its still not down all the way, screw the decapping/expander rod in (CW). If its bottomed out and the shell holder is contacting the bottom of the die and it's still not completly sizing the neck then I would call redding technical, they're pretty good about getting on the phone pretty quick.

? for anyone, does it really matter if the neck is completly resized, as long as of the case necks are the same/consistent?

[acloco]

Hmmm....with the Redding bushing adjustment ALL the way tight, turn the die over, reach in with a long pic (that won't damage the die/bushing) and see if the bushing is loose. If it is, you have a bum die. If not, you still have a bum die.

ALL of my bushing dies, regardless of manufacturer, will resize the entire neck.

[acloco]

Picture is worth a thousand words. Direct from Redding's site...

http://www.redding-reloading.com/pages/ ... lsets.html

Neck and seating die:


Full length, neck, and seating die (Redding did NOT take an actual rendition of a bushing neck sizing die)

[acloco]

Are you using shell holder #10????

Found it....



http://www.redding-reloading.com/pages/ ... atdie.html

[MT204]

Well I just got off the phone with one of the great tecs at Redding.
He knew exactly what was going on. Seems I figured it out already.
Reddings neck bushing dies "do not" (at least for 204) go all the way to the shoulder.
He said it goes about 90 % of the way down the neck.
His answer was that in fact to size the cases to turn the necks I should use a standard resizing die which will go all the way to the shoulder.
After the necks have been turned (usually once) I could then use the Redding neck bushing dies.
If one is to look closely at picture (arrow) you can actually see that there is a small area in the die between the shoulder and the bushing that does not size the neck.

Live and learn.

[Jim White]

Interesting....

I have several sets here including 204 but thats the one caliber I haven't tried them on. I wonder if one wasn't neck turning then would it make a difference? Hopefully, they will come up with a fix for this one.

Jim

[Wrangler John]

What you need is a Forster .204 Ruger - Bushing Bump Neck Sizing Die http://www.forsterproducts.com/catalog. ... prevnext=1

This die is designed to use bushings and bump the neck all the way to the shoulder. I use Forster products for specialty uses and they are as good as any. They also offer a Bushing Bump Neck Sizing Die Kit that includes 3 bushings: http://www.forsterproducts.com/index.as ... atid=19938

Some folks don't size to the shoulder because turning and forming create a little donut of brass inside the junction that messes up accuracy. I have to inside neck ream that little donut away in some cartridges before I can size the neck closer to the shoulder. It can be felt when seating a long bullet past the shoulder junction, when seating force increases.

[MT204]

What you need is a Forster .204 Ruger - Bushing Bump Neck Sizing Die http://www.forsterproducts.com/catalog. ... prevnext=1

This die is designed to use bushings and bump the neck all the way to the shoulder. I use Forster products for specialty uses and they are as good as any. They also offer a Bushing Bump Neck Sizing Die Kit that includes 3 bushings: http://www.forsterproducts.com/index.as ... atid=19938

Some folks don't size to the shoulder because turning and forming create a little donut of brass inside the junction that messes up accuracy. I have to inside neck ream that little donut away in some cartridges before I can size the neck closer to the shoulder. It can be felt when seating a long bullet past the shoulder junction, when seating force increases.

Yep that's what I should have gotten. It seems a guy can read and study and read some more and then along comes just what he needed in the first place. The Forster even comes as a set with 3 bushings.

[Wrangler John]

What you need is a Forster .204 Ruger - Bushing Bump Neck Sizing Die http://www.forsterproducts.com/catalog. ... prevnext=1

This die is designed to use bushings and bump the neck all the way to the shoulder. I use Forster products for specialty uses and they are as good as any. They also offer a Bushing Bump Neck Sizing Die Kit that includes 3 bushings: http://www.forsterproducts.com/index.as ... atid=19938

Some folks don't size to the shoulder because turning and forming create a little donut of brass inside the junction that messes up accuracy. I have to inside neck ream that little donut away in some cartridges before I can size the neck closer to the shoulder. It can be felt when seating a long bullet past the shoulder junction, when seating force increases.

Yep that's what I should have gotten. It seems a guy can read and study and read some more and then along comes just what he needed in the first place. The Forster even comes as a set with 3 bushings.

Boy! Are you right about that - or the thing you really needed wasn't available on the market, until just after you bought something make-do! I'm an old guy with a more or less photographic memory, glad I could help.