Reloading question.....Die setup

B

bacova

New member
I have just received a brand new set of RCBS 6mm Rem dies. I want to load some cartridges for my brother who'll be visiting me in about 3 weeks. I have all the components necessary to load several combinations of bullets and powder for us to try out in his rifle, including new brass.

My question is this. I have all the components, but I don't have his rifle, he's bringing it with him. I do however, have a couple fire formed cases from his gun. Can I set up the new sizing die, and be sure the cartridge will fit his rifle, by using the old cases I have? If so, how do I do it?

Or do I need to wait til he gets here with the rifle? I'd like to get a jump on loading some test cartridges, as he only has a limited time to hang around.

Thanks, Bacova
 
Set up as per RCBS instructions. With new brass that is the only safe way to do it. In fact with any brass that is the only safe way to do it.
 
I understand the importance of safety as well as anyone. What I'm trying to do is avoid excessive headspace in my brother's gun. I can follow generic RCBS instructions for reloading, I may very well be wrong, but I feel like I could be wasting my time by not loading a case that fits his rifle. May as well wait til he gets here with it.

I've been following 17shooter's "reloading 101" post from a few weeks ago. In it he explains setting up a die to fit your specific rifle. Here's a C&P of that section...

SETTING UP THE SIZING DIE
Step one. Take that new sizing die and remove the expander plug. loosen the lock ring and look for the vent hole up around where the shoulder area is. There is probably some grinding compound in that hole from the polishing process. Use a paper clip and clean that hole out. This lets the air escape when sizing and prevents dents in the shoulder area.Use a bore patch on a chamber mop lightly wetted with HOPPES 9 or similar cleaner and clean inside of die. Dry inside. now with the expander still removed and shell holder in the ram, lower handle to the bottom of the stroke. screw sizing die in till light contact is made. Do not set lock screw in lock ring. I use a pair of channel lock pliers to lightly set lock ring against top of press. This will enable us to move it as we find the correct setting for the sizing die.
Step 2.Put about 5 drops of sizing lube on the pad, using an old credit card as a trowel spread the sizing lube into the pad. there should be just enough lube to cover the pad. It should not be visable as a shiny substance but rather squeezed into the material of the pad. Unlubed cases will stick and break the rim off and then you will need a case remover. Too much lube and you will dent the cases. Using this method I never have dented or stuck cases. Trust me I have done both in the past. These are the tricks I learned from trial and error.
Take one case and with the shoulder hanging off the pad, roll the case across the pad about two revolutions. This lubes the body of the case and not the shoulder and neck. We don't want any lube there.
Put this shell into the shell holder and run into Die. Take it out and wipe lube from case. Put this case in the rifle and close bolt. The bolt should not close. We have squeezed the sides in and that in turn moved the shoulder forward which makes the headspace too long to fit in your chamber.
Continue this process tightening the sizing die down each time about 1/8 of a turn. When the case will chamber with light pressure on the bolt, The die is set. This process makes the case fit into YOUR chamber. It may not fit in someone elses chamber, but with this process you have all but eliminated any case head seperation from Excessive head space.


I'm wondering if I can achieve the same results, SAFELY, by using a fire formed case from the rifle I'll be loading for.

Maybe I need 17shooter to answer the question. If it can't be done safely and reliably then I'll either follow the RCBS instructions and load up some "fits all" 6mm rounds, or just wait for the rifle to arrive.

Thanks for the replies guys. I'm not trying to cut corners. But at the same time, I don't want to waste time and components loading rounds that aren't going to show me a thing as far as the intended rifle goes.
 
You should be okay here. Screw the sizing die down intil it touches the shell holder. Now loosen the stem and turn the stem down until you feel it make contact with the case shoulder. Now lower it about 1/8th of a turn more. This is to bump your shoulder back when you resize. You should be good to go, but you might be wise to test this case in the rifle to make sure the bolt closes smoothly on it. Best wishes.

Cal - Montreal
 
I notice you are talking about setting up the dies for "new brass". You also mention that you have a couple of fired cases from his rifle. I'm willing to bet that if you take your callipers and measure them both you'll find that the fired brass is larger in all respects and are expanded to a replica of the gun's chamber dimentions.

Your full length sizing die will reduce fired brass to close to factory dimensions but it won't make it bigger so following RCBS's setup directions for the new brass will be perfectly safe. The directions that come with the dies are designed to allow for loading ammo for more that one rifle of the same caliber without changing the dies.

Once the brass has been fired in his rifle then you can reset the dies for "that particular gun" using using 17 Shooters instructions. If you do reset them for his rifle just make sure that you reset them if you load that caliber for a diffrent rifle or you may end up with a partially chambered cartridge stuck in the camber..
 
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I agree, if you set the dies up to load factory spec. ammo, you won't have any problems firing them in his rifle, then, while he's there, you can back the die off until you're not over-resizing the once-fired brass and also set the bullet out a little to match his chamber, if necessary. New brass, you always want to full-length resize the first time because it exceeds maximum specs. You'll probably want to check the overall case length after you size them and trim them back so they're all equal. New brass will vary in length after the initial sizing, since that's where the excess brass is "squeezed" to. Check the primer pocets/flash hole for residue after trimming, sometimes you get chips in there when trimming. Hope this helps, it's how I always proceed.
 
yes for new unfired brass, you can set up with light contact on the shell holder and not have a problem. Where the headspace problems come in is when you are resizing fired brass. Upon resizing fired brass, you are squeezing in the sides of the brass where it was blown out to fit the chamber. when you squeeze that in, the brass has to go somewhere and in the process it pushes the shoulder forward. with unfired new brass that wont be a problem. running new brass through the dies you are just taking out the dents and flaws that were caused by the shipping and handling process. Hope this helps and have fun with shooting your own ammo. Randy
 


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