A little puzzled...

[MarkR]

I bought a FL sizing die that uses neck bushing in 6PPC from one the more popular sources, it is a #3. I have adjusted it as told trying to move/bump the shoulder about .001. With the die base touching the shell holder it is still not moving the shoulder back. I am measuring with both the brass bump guage that came with the die and also using a Sinclair shoulder bump guage on my calipers. I'm just not reading any movement. Should I alter the shellholder face or trim the bottom of the die, neither or both?

 

[SGS]

Quote: "Should I alter the shellholder face or trim the bottom of the die, neither or both?"

Once you have tried adjusting the press so that the shell holder bumps hard against the bottom of the die and still get no setback, It may be necessary to do one or the other. I prefer to alter the die because an altered shellholder is an opportunity to over shorten a case if it is inadvertantly used with the wrong die, which would cause a potentially dangerous situation. If your die is a Harrels, I suggest you call him and explain your difficulty. Most die makers will adjust their dies for free if you send them the die and some fired cases.

This is not uncommon as PPCs tend to be headspaced pretty tight for best fireforming.

Scott Roeder

 

[mikeearly]

I have also found ....

that trying a different shell holder has worked..... I am not sure that the shell holders are all built to the same tolerance levels and going to a new shell holder solved this problem once for me ...... your milage may vary .....

 

[Boyd Allen]

One more thing...
Sometimes when shooters say that they have adjusted their die so that it touches the shell holder, they are talking about an adjustment made with no case in the holder or die. I have seen that if you have a fully fire formed case in the shell holder, if you lube it and run the ram up to the top or its stroke, that there will be a slight gap where there was none before. Doing this, years ago, with a .220 Swift die and case, the difference was .006. Another issue is whether the case has reached its maximum head to shoulder measurement. This usually takes a few firings, and it is from this length that bump should be set.

 

[dpapadimitrio@g]

Redding Competition Shell Holder

You may want to also look at the shell holders Redding makes that allow you to change the distance the case goes into the die. They make the set in a #12 shell holder, the set "packaged in five piece sets in .002” increments (+.002”, +.004”. +.006”, +.008” and +.010”). Each shellholder has a distinct black oxide finish and is clearly marked to indicate the amount it will decrease case-to-chamber headspace" (From Redding website).

May be another alternative to gain the addition shoulder bump you are looking for.

 

[MarkR]

Thanks for the replys so far. Boyd, the cases have been fired for the third time. I was a little surprised that on this last firing, the bolt lift was a little heavier than normal with a light "click" at the top. I have not been firing loads that I would call excessive at 27.5 to 28.5 grains of 133 or 29.o to 30.5 grains of 8208, 68 gr Ultras seated .005 off of touch. I just had my bolt bushed and a small diameter (.062) light firing pin installed by Gre-Tan to alleviate cratering problems in this 40XBR.

Update: Guys I have to admit how dumb I was here ! I was loading in the comfort of my computer room using my trusty Lee hand tool. After putting my "eyes" on and running a piece of brass into the die, I noticed that there are several thousanths between the shell holder and the die base... The Lee hand press doesn't have the "oomph" needed to drive the brass in for a full length resize, the handle was moving instead of the brass...
I'll take it out to my garage loading room, re-adjust the die and try it in my Forester...

 

[Boyd Allen]

Just a little Redding info:
The shell holders that were mentioned in an earlier post are all taller than "stock", by the amount indicated (thousandths). If set to the same degree of die touch, they all INCREASE the base to shoulder measurement by the stated amount, from from what would be obtained with a "stock" shell holder. The main advantage of such a set is to set up the die so that instead of missing the shell holder entirely when set for the correct amount of bump, there will be a slight interference, or toggling, that contributes to uniformity in shoulder set back during sizing.

 

[Jay Idaho]

The Redding "special" shellholders will INCREASE the case to chamber dimension. They are thicker than normal and hold the cartridge case back from what a regular shellholder allows it to enter the die.