Die sizes

Pete Wass

Pete Wass

Well-known member
Can someone tell me how much smaller a Small Base die is from a Standard reloading die? I need to shrink some cases a couple of thou @ the base and wondered if a small base die might do the trick.

Thanks,

Pete
 
Pete,

I make my own dies and chambers referencing the brass. My chambers are right on the bag brass size at the base. A new unsized brass will not go in the gun. I then have the base of my die (at the case head) 1.5 - 3 under that dimension. At 4 under, I've had D2 dies split after a few years of service. 2 under is plenty if you have a 1-1/4" die that's hard.
 
How about - -

Curttng enough off a longer die with the same base size to begin with to be able to reduce the size of the cases. I am working with a 300 Savage case shortenrd up .060. Can I simply shorten a 300 savage die by the .040. Is there enough taper in the die to be able to accomplish what I want to do?
 
Pete,

I don't have the 300 Savage case dimensions in front of me but I'm thinking from memory just eyeballing that it has about 30 or 40 thou of total taper. That over an inch and a half would be just over .001 per every .050 of length. I don't think it will be enough unless you cut the top off the die and go a little more. However, if you're doing it yourself, it certainly can't hurt to try taking .050 off and seeing if it gets you what you're looking for. I don't think you need much more than .100 unless the die was a bit loose to begin with.
 
Pete, I have a 308 Win small base die made by RCBS. It is 0.002" smaller at the base than a 308 Win Redding die I have. It appears that a small base die is just that, it makes a smaller base. The diameter at the shoulder measure the same on both dies measuring with a telescope gage.

One of the old reloading catalogs said that small base dies were intended to make brass feed better in semi-autos by reducing the cartridge case base.
 
Thanks Jerry

This is exactly the information I was looking for. I think the small base die will give me what I need. Thanks. Pete
 
Sort of - - -

I have a couple of 30-44's that are essentially a 300 Savage with a longer neck. They are also cut off .040 or so. They are the minimum Case capacity for an HBR rifle. The chambers in the two new barrels I just got are smaller than the ones I was shooting the past couple of years so I am going to try to shrink my brass to fit the chambers better. Guess my reamer shrunk over the years. :mad:

PS, Thanks for the info.
 
Pete, I don't know if you have or have access to a lathe. Polishing 0.002" out of the base of a chamber takes just a few minutes and you end up with those chambers the same size as the ones you already have.
 
I sort of do

I have a lathe which is in a cold shop. I will be able to use it in a few weeks when it warms up. I could also get a local Smith to open it up I guess. There is one not far away from here. Thanks, I wouldn't have thought to do that. P
 
Pete, you can polish out the couple thou with a drill press and a dremel or hand drill, don't even need a lathe. :)


al
 
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