How DO you wildcatters do it ??

[Jack Stanley]

I don't think I've ever stepped off the reservation into the wild world of wildcatting ..... though the thought has crossed my mind . About a close as I get is trying to adjust my dies to work the brass as little as I can and that is what brings me here now .

I thought I had the sizer die for my 32-20 set pretty close to the chamber of my rifle . Today , since it was raining I had some time and was fooling around with an old casing that had been fired . The thought came to mind that if I tried , I could push an eight M/M jacketed bullet into the case to enlarge it some . Then I could back out the sizer die and adjust it down little by little untill the bolt on the rifle would just barely close .

The thought here being that I might be able to increase case life a bit for a batch of cases I want to load to the old high velocity level . So if I'm just barking at the moon here just say so and I'll find something else to do [smilie=f:

The cases I want to work with is a batch of five hundred Starline brand I bought several years ago . What looks like the problem here is the shoulders on all of these new cases look to far back compared to the case I fitted to my rifle . I need to find an easy way to move the shoulder forward without weakening the cases and encouraging separations . I'm thinking that pushing an eight M/M bullet into each and extracting it with a impact puller is more fun than I have a right to . So , with that in mind , how DO I move the shoulder ahead :?:

The rifle these cases are for is a Browning model 53 .

Thanks , Jack

[Von Gruff]

An easier way would be to just get an 8mm expander button and screw it onto the expander stem in place of your 32-20 expander. Set the stem long in you FLS die so you can run it into the case without the case being sized. I would dip the case neck in powdered graphite first. If you dont have powdered graphite just get a pencil, ( a carpenters pencil is good ) strip the wood off and rub the lead onto about 100 grit sand paper until you get enough in a small container ( like an old 35mm film container) to dip the necks in.

Once the cases are all run through and expanded you can replace the 8mm expander with the correct 32-20 unit and carefully size for a crush fit as you intended.

Von Gruff.

[scb]

Tapered expander plugs.

http://i487.photobucket.com/albums/rr236/scb2008/100_1094.jpg

[Jack Stanley]

OK then .... there's a couple of ideas to start with . My dies are Redding and the sizer does just that size . The second die does the decapping expanding and with that I will have to check and see if my .317" expander plug will thread in .

Thanks guys , Jack

[canyon-ghost]

If you look closely in the light, you can see where the sizing die contacts the case. For a while now, I've been running mine high. I don't like sizing the case head web where the brass thickens at the base. I just back the sizing die off by 3/16" or so, and fireform. I use Redding dies in 32-20 too. Of course, the application is different, a TC Contender.
I usually fireform with maybe 1/10th grain less powder, sometimes the full load. I think it lets the case puff out to the chamber walls. I don't get real picky with the shoulder though.

[Jack Stanley]

Well it wasn't a fun job but I think I got it done . I didn't have an expander plug that would fit the Redding die so I think I ended up following Von Gruffs idea ... sorta .

When the plug idea wasn't going to work I sat there thinking ..... something my former employer never wanted me to do by the way . That's when I said to my self "Hey dummy , how about them 8X57 dies " . Well they were already adjusted for the Co-Ax press and all I had to do was slide the die into the press and adjust the expander a little .

Lube was giving me fits untill I learned what to use and how much . I tried Imperial dry neck lube , Imperial die wax and Redding case lube at one time or another . I ended up using Redding lube inside and outside in a normal fashion and I would give the sizer die a tiny squirt of Hornady "One Shot" gun cleaner and lube about every fifteen cases .

I started the process by running the case into the 8X57 die over the expander . Only contact was with the expander since the case would rattle loose in a die that size . This opened the neck about what I needed so I could put the case into the adjusted sizer next . Running the case into the sizer made a new shoulder closer to the mouth of the case . It's my hope that this will help the cases last longer and since this is the only 32-20 I have it shouldn't be a problem .


Next question is what kind of pressure is needed to form these Starline cases ? Just got a new bullet mold and I wanted to start load developement with this RCBS 32-94-SWC ..... any ideas for about sixteen hundred feet per second ?

Thanks Von Gruff your idea helped .

Jack

[Von Gruff]

Glad to hear you got it done Jack. The only data I have is from the RCBS cast boolit book and they show for the 32.20 that for a 115gn GC FN boolit in 1-20 twist x 22 1/2 in barrel

2400 10gn 1537fps 11gn 1670fps
Unique 5 gn 1281 5.5gn 1395
sr7625 5 gn 1262 5.5gn 1385
PB, Green Dot, HP38, 231m and Red Dot all in the 1000 - 1300fps.

Von Gruff.

[Nobade]

My question is, why worry about it? 32-20 headspaces on the rim so case shape isn't important. Just load and fire, and they will come out fitting the chamber. Back off the die a turn or so to resize, and the cases should hold up well. If they eventually get sticky you can turn the die down to resize the whole case.

[canyon-ghost]

RCBS 32-098-FP @ 7.3 grains of 2400 for 100 meters from the 10" barrel. http://i758.photobucket.com/albums/xx228/3rdshooter/contenders/32-20WCF800x6002.jpg

[Jack Stanley]

It's not really a matter of worry about it , more like I'm being fussy to get a particular result . While knowing the case will headspace on the rim , the goal here when done is to have the dies in harmony with the chamber of the rifle . My thoughts are to extend case life as much as possible .

I think this is possible without much fuss other than having to fit the cases and like removing primer crimp or deburring flash holes , it only need be done once . Starline cases are supposed to be stronger than others and I'd like to make up a load for this batch of cases that run a bit hotter than standard velocity . I think minimal working of cases may help keep things safe .

Canyon Ghost I may just try that load to blow the shoulder forward a little , thanks .

Jack

[canyon-ghost]

It may be a tad hot in a full lenght rifle barrel but, you're certainly welcome, sir.

[Jack Stanley]

My "other " bullet for the 32-20 is a H&G number sixty-seven . So far , I've driven that with seven point one grains of Blue dot . That was with cases other than Starline though , If the loads is accurate in the rifle and fills out the chamber nice I will be tickled .


I warmed up the new RCBS mold this evening , it drops bullets just under .315" and both cavities measure as alike as I can tell with a micrometer . Now to get a supply made for testing .


Jack