Has anybody had issues with RCBS dies being out of spec? I have a 26 Nosler that after running through the RCBS dies, the shoulder actually gets longer. Press cams over so there is no way to get the shoulder bump. Had a friend run my once fired brass through his dies and get a perfect 2 thou shoulder bump (like I was expecting). Called RCBS and they act like every die they ever made brings it back to SAMMI spec and my chamber is the issue. Anybody have thoughts on this?
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RCBS out of spec
- Thread starter ironsights
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Have had this issue with 257 AI and 25-06 AI redding dies… grind the shell holder down or get some Redding competiton shells holders and give it a whirl
Redding competition shell holders will NOT give you more shoulder bump. They work the opposite direction. They give you less bump.
For getting more shoulder bump, you will need to grind off a few thousandths off of a shell holder or off of the bottom of the die.
For getting more shoulder bump, you will need to grind off a few thousandths off of a shell holder or off of the bottom of the die.
In a pinch situation... where you are not in a well equipped shop.... here is a suggestion to think about.
If you own the GoGage... gut the die and place the go gage into it, then measure how far the base of the gage protrudes from the bottom of the die. Since the nominal height of a shell plate is supposed to be 0.125", we can tell how much potential bump there would be by the stick-out of the gage.
If the gage doesn't stick out beyond 0.125" then the die is out of spec but can be remedied by a grind to remove enough material to get the bump you need.
Another method is to take a Cerro-Safe casting of the gutted die and allow enough extra material to mushroom on the end to locate the end of the die body, then take a measurement from the base of the die to the headspace datum.
You have to have some skills and at least a caliper to nail this method down because you are trying to resolve a value that is on the order of less than 0.010".
If you own the GoGage... gut the die and place the go gage into it, then measure how far the base of the gage protrudes from the bottom of the die. Since the nominal height of a shell plate is supposed to be 0.125", we can tell how much potential bump there would be by the stick-out of the gage.
If the gage doesn't stick out beyond 0.125" then the die is out of spec but can be remedied by a grind to remove enough material to get the bump you need.
Another method is to take a Cerro-Safe casting of the gutted die and allow enough extra material to mushroom on the end to locate the end of the die body, then take a measurement from the base of the die to the headspace datum.
You have to have some skills and at least a caliper to nail this method down because you are trying to resolve a value that is on the order of less than 0.010".
This is what i had to do with 2 forester dies. Then i used the competition shell holder to fenesse the shoulder to where i wanted while still caming over.
David
I had the same experience with a Hornady 308 die and eventually went with a Forster bushing due that works great. You would think they could get a 308 die right, but it wouldn’t bump the case back enough.
I could also, as probably mentioned above, be a slightly tight chamber. That was likely my issue with the Hornady die as it worked on all my 308’s fine except a Savage. That Savage would chamber factory ammo fine, but not my reloads with that die.
I could also, as probably mentioned above, be a slightly tight chamber. That was likely my issue with the Hornady die as it worked on all my 308’s fine except a Savage. That Savage would chamber factory ammo fine, but not my reloads with that die.
Just cut .004" off the bottom of the die in the lathe with a carbide cutting tool.
Anyone with a lathe can help you. A 2 minute job.
Anneal your brass, first to see if it's a brass spring back problem.
Different die brands and in the same brand will size cases slightly different, because if tolerance, material, finish, etc.
Anyone with a lathe can help you. A 2 minute job.
Anneal your brass, first to see if it's a brass spring back problem.
Different die brands and in the same brand will size cases slightly different, because if tolerance, material, finish, etc.
The cases and base-to-shoulder dimension get longer because they're being squeezed to a smaller diameter -- think rolling a play-doh snake so it gets skinnier and longer.
The shoulder is not being pushed back down because the die is not adjusted far enough down. You wrote the press cams over. The die probably touches the shell holder also, but not with the brass in it. Put a piece of brass in the shell holder. Adjust the die by screwing it farther in. Press the shell holder and die together until you see them touching with the brass in there. Adjust from there.
could still be a bad die. I have a redding comp type s die in 6.5 cm and it will not size the case enough no matter what. My RCBS matchmaster no problem. I contacted reddign they said they don't believe in making good dies and don't care if the cases will fit in a case gauge. They (redding said "if it chambers it's fine and stop wasting time with case gauges". But I own a few 6.5 cm.....I want them sized to sammi not my chamber but that's just me
Sounds like your RCBS dies might be out of spec for your 26 Nosler. If your press is camming over and you still can't get the shoulder bump, it could be the dies. Your friend's dies worked fine, so maybe try a different brand or another set of RCBS dies. RCBS is saying their dies are to SAMMI spec, so maybe check if your chamber is slightly different. Good luck!
could still be a bad die. I have a redding comp type s die in 6.5 cm and it will not size the case enough no matter what. My RCBS matchmaster no problem. I contacted reddign they said they don't believe in making good dies and don't care if the cases will fit in a case gauge. They (redding said "if it chambers it's fine and stop wasting time with case gauges". But I own a few 6.5 cm.....I want them sized to sammi not my chamber but that's just me
How can you tell if your case gauge is correct?
Maybe it is the problem and not your dies.
when the new hornady and new alpha brass (among others) fit the case gauge perfectly and my sized brass from my RCBS Matchmaster dies fits the case perfectly and the rcbs sized cases fit all of my 6.5cm rifles and the redding sized case that doesn't fit in the gauge will only chamber in some of my rifles......I will trust the gauge. But thanks for playing.
I can relate to the issue you saw with the Redding die. I have a Redding die that worked fine in a factory chamber but when I replaced the barrel with a non-factory chamber the brass was too large. Cases sized with this die would never fit in a case gauge. Redding CS was not concerned with the issue. I switched dies and the issue went away and the cases fit in a case gauge.could still be a bad die. I have a redding comp type s die in 6.5 cm and it will not size the case enough no matter what. My RCBS matchmaster no problem. I contacted reddign they said they don't believe in making good dies and don't care if the cases will fit in a case gauge. They (redding said "if it chambers it's fine and stop wasting time with case gauges". But I own a few 6.5 cm.....I want them sized to sammi not my chamber but that's just me
I ended up with a Whidden die and haven't purchased a Redding die since. But that's just me.
