30/40 neck size in 303 brit................

[leadhead]

Hi Guys,
Seeing that lee doesn't make a collet die for 30/40 krag, would it be fesable
to use the 303 british collet die to just neck size the 30/40?
All opinons are welcome.
Thanks,
Denny

[curator]

The .30-40 case is about .010" longer than the .303 british but if you can can find a .010" thick washer to slide over the case, you may be able to use the Lee collet die to neck size. Of course it will only size about 3/8 of an inch but may be good enough. It is the shell holder contacting the bottom of the collet that actuates the sizing "fingers." The wahser acts as a spacer equalizing the Krag's longer (2.315") case with the .303 British (2.222")

[sundog]

Partial full length size. Years ago we used to set distributor points with a match book cover (telling my age here?) when a feeler guage was not handy. Find a hard cardboard writing tablet backer and use a piece for a 'feeler guage' in between the full length sizer die and the shell holder. If you have any match books, the cover would work okay, too, BUT, not too many folks have match books any more.

Anyone remember when you got matches when you bought cigs?

So, lacking match book covers and writing tablet backers to use as a 'feeler guage', run the ram up with the shell holder in place, set the fls die to touch and then back the die off 1/3 turn or so.

[JeffinNZ]

Lee will make any collet die set you like for USD55.00.

Curator's trick with the washer would work though you may have to spin a couple of thou inch of the mandrel to get correct .30cal neck tension.

[madsenshooter]

If I want to neck size only my 30/40, I either use a .308 Winchester die, or a 7.5x55. I generally don't neck size. Lee dies size cases less than other brands, and they really don't push the shoulder back much, if any. I've seen some dies, for example I have an old Pacific file trim die, that push the shoulder back to the original rounded shoulder it had before firing.

[leadhead]

Thanks for the replies. I'm going to try out a few of them later.
I've been getting some of my cases splitting "around" the base of the
neck. It could be that the brass is just to old.
Thanks,
Denny

[HORNET]

Why would you need a .010" washer? There used to be a couple of members here that suggested taking .060" off the end of the collet to leave the very end of the case unsized so that you didn't need to use an M-die. You might have to polish the mandrel down a little to get the correct neck tension. That seems to be a fairly consistent issue with the Lee collet dies. New mandrels are cheap, though.

[clearwater]

I use a RCBS 308 neck die on my 30-40. Just adjust the die height. It doesn't mess with with
the body at all.

[BerdanIII]

Try a .308 WCF trim die (if you have one) for sizing the neck if you are using 0.314" or larger bullets, then flare the case mouth with a Lyman 31R or RCBS .311" tapered expander.

[4570guy]

I use the .303 Brit collet die to neck size my Krag brass - but then I'm loading a .312 sized bullet as the bore on my Krag is over-sized. You can get away with using the .303 die so long as you're using a fat bullet.