Need some advice on equipment and proper die ...

[Jumper]

setup.

I need to tap the Hide's brain trust. I need recommendations for equipment to properly adjust headspace for 2 different 308 rifles, and an Armalite A4 .223REM. The 308 rifles I have are a CZ550 bolt rifle and an Armalite AR10T.

I assume that first I will need to measure the headspace and then I'll need to adjust the dies. What is the simplest way to do this for the two different rifles? What measuring tools do you recommend? I have Redding's type "S" full length bushing dies for the 308's and Forster Benchrest dies for the 223. I will be changing over my press to reload for each rifle so being able to re-adjust headspace to a known length will be important. I have been looking at Hornady's Headspace gauge tool but it appears to only measures changes in headspace from fired and unfired cartridges. And, the Redding instant indicator tool also looks like it would be good tool get back to a known length. Any advice?

 

[treebasher]

Re: Need some advice on equipment and proper die ...

Simpler solution, use Redding competition shell holders.

http://www.sinclairintl.com/product/11370/s

After initial set-up for each rifle all you have to do switch the shell holder to the thickness determined for the rifle you are loading for and viola' your in business.

 

[Hummer]

Re: Need some advice on equipment and proper die ...

Call Sinclair and order a L.E. Wilson case gage for the calibers you plan to load. Run die down to about .015" above shell holder, size a case and drop in Wilson gage. If case head stops above highest part of gage, loosen die and give it a 1/8th turn and repeat. Do this till the case comes level with or between the two rear surfaces. In cases sized to this gage should go in any rifle.

If you run die all the way to the shell holder and the case head is still above the shell holder the die is improperly chambered. If you have this you have two choices, send it back to maker or get a friend with a lathe to cut off about .015" from the bottom of the FL die and re-radius the bottom like it was new.

I have had to adjust about 20 sets of dies like this by various manufacturers so the problem is not unique to any one vendor.

This turning off the bottom is what the factory should have done to qualify it to SAAMI case standards but alas they don't.

I have had maybe two dies I wound up taking off .025" in order for the die to come down far enough to touch the shoulder.

A visual sign of this can be seen with a good glass by looking at base of case neck. You will see the die sizes 95% of the neck but does not touch the shoulder to bump it back to new case specs.

 

[Jumper]

Re: Need some advice on equipment and proper die ...

I can resize so all my cases fit in my chamber so I don't think I need a case gauge. And I would rather be able to set headspace specific for each rifle. So just to clarify, How do I measure headspace in the rifle and how do I change die adjustment from one rifle to the other?

Treebasher: That is probably a good solution. I had seen those before but I didn't have 2 different rifles at the time.

 

[Winchester 69]

Re: Need some advice on equipment and proper die .

There are two simple ways to adjust your sizing die for different chambers:

1. The aforementioned Redding shell holder set

2. Using shims under the lock ring