My new lee body die....sort of..

[kraky]

Well I decided I was gonna dedicate my old tikka 3006 as my practice hunting rifle. Its the pre t3 model and a good shooter.
I've got a FL die set, a redding body die, and a lee collect neck sizer. The body die/collect do a great job of sizing cases w/minimal run out but I like a little more neck tension than I get w/the collect die. The FL die does OK but I get varied run out.
For giggles I picked up a lee rgb die set for under $20. It didn't do good at run out as it came and lots of fiddlng w/the expander stem didn't fix it.
So I pulled the stem and ground down the expander till it no longer worked. Now when I size it knocks out the primer but leaves the neck not expanded. Run out is basically zero on these cases. I lube the inside of the necks w/dry lube and plunge them w/a hornady eliptical expander....when done the needle barely wiggles on my run out gauge. Yes its a two stage sizing but so is a collect/body die and the result is perfect.
And because its a cheap die I've been using it on non clean brass covered w/hornady one shot lube and then hit the sonic cleaner after sizing.
None of this is earth shattering and just another way to skin the "run out" cat.
I guess what I'm saying....I think if i had to do it over id probably avoid buying a $25 body die and $18 collect die.
I thing I'll pick up a 300 win mag rgb set and do the same thing....wish they made em in 7-08!

 

[desertcj]

I'm sure you know this, but you can also polish/sand down the mandrel in the collet die to get a little more neck tension. Or have it machined down a couple thousands, or you can get custom sizes from Lee as well.

 

[kraky]

I've sanded mandrels w/mixed results (my poor workmansip) and bought a few undersized mandrels and yes they work. I can't bring myself to run gunky unclean brass through the redding body die but I feel OK about doing it to the lee rgb die.
For some reason the rgb die seems to minimally size the casings out of my gun....less effort than my hornady FL die and the body die. Even dirty brass w/one shot goes through really ez. Maybe if i keep doing it my luck will change.....lol.

 

[desertcj]

Lot's of ways to skin a cat. I tumble my brass before decapping. Of course, that means I have to use a brush to clean the primer pockets. If I'm doing several hundred at a time, a universal decaping die is nice to run em through before tumbling. I agree, I don't size dirty cases.

 

[kraky]

I guess the point of my rambling post was.....so many people fight FL dies for zero run out....here's a way to do it for about $20. Its pretty much a sure bet ....but its a two step process.
I really like "seasoning" the inside of the neck w/dry lube too. I really believe the bullets seat nicer w/more consistant feeling of effort....I hope they "release" better at primer ignition. I've seen some pretty believable posts from guys w/ ultra clean necks losing accuracy on previously accurate loads. Goes for ultrasonic cleaning and pin/solution cleaning.

 

[Darkhorse]

I do it a little different. Sometimes you have to think outside the box.
I remove the expansion stem completely and decap off the press. After truing my RCBS FL die I size all my cases. Then I use my Hornady FL die with the expansion stem inserted pretty deep, more than normal. I DO NOT tighten the die. Just let it float. The shellholder and ram has been cleaned thouroughly and the shellholder is loose, allowing it to float also. Then using Mica as neck lube I run each case into the die to size the neck.
Both the case and the expansion mandrel are allowed to float and find center.
Works real well though some think it's too much trouble.

 

[kraky]

After I started the post I set a record (for me) match prepping and cleaning 100 brass in about an hour.
Soaked down 100 once fired cases w/hornady one shot.
Sized and double plunged the necks. (Virtual zero run out on all)
Into the sonic cleaner w/hot water, a drizzle of hornady cleaner, and a sprinkle of lemishine.
2 cycles of cleaning (16 mins total).
100 sparkling cases ready to load...probably under an hour.
This is too easy!