Case Forming Question??

I form a fair amount of wildcats. But for this application let's use my favorite. The 219 Donaldson Wasp. I first cut with jig in a chop saw, then chamfer and deburr. Now comes the time consuming part. I use a 30/30 size die to true the neck, then #1 form die, then #2 form die, then final form and trim die, before finishing up with the 219 Wasp full size die. Used to do this all in separate steps in a single stage press. Last time I did it with my Redding T-7 and rotated the turret four times before removing each case from the shell holder. Still time consuming.

Now for my Inquiry. I have acquired a RCBS Pro 2000 progressive press. It is tight as a tick and built like a tank. My plan was to set it up for 357 Mag, but I really don't shoot enough 357 to justify it. Was thinking about selling but then I had a Thought (I know STRANGE ISN'T it). Why not set up a top plate for each wildcat I form that requires enough steps. Then after the 4th pull of the handle a finished case would result. If lubed properly a case makes it through all the dies in the T-7 without re-lubing. Once the dies were mounted in the top plate, no more adjustment would be needed. Just pull a pin and replace with the next top plate. I understand bottom shell plate would also have to be changed OR maybe not my two major wildcats are both based on 30/30 brass. One the 219 Wasp and the other the 6.5BB. I do love 30/30 based wildcats for my Contender.

Surely someone has tried or done this before. If not what are your opinions good or bad. The press is like a tank so I don't think leverage would be a problem. Am I over looking something or do you think this might work.

Going to be out of town for the weekend so not ignoring if i don't reply be patient I will.

Thanks for reading and in advance for all input
Doug

Unless you get all crazy and start doing 4 at a time ..... Actually you may need to feed it that way to keep it balanced . Forming 30-30 into anything shouldn't take much leverage .......says the guy with all the RockChuckers and a big max just in case the 222 from 223 start getting mouthy . I think you'll be ok as long as you don't run into lube issues which if you're wet lubing will track all the way around anyway .

I do a similar thing making several straight walled wildcats from bottleneck cases. Initial trim, anneal, lube the case mouths real good and run them through a old Hornady Projector press with several expanders to bring the case bodies up to basically fired size, then a sizer die on the last station. Almost 10 years of forming cases like that and haven't noticed anything wearing any faster than the first first 15 years I've had that press. They don't require tons of force to form, but something that takes a decent amount of force like swaging a belt into a case I wouldn't do on my progressive press.

Tons of commercial processors turn 5.56 into 300blackout on dillon 1050s like this. For that matter, lots of them reform bunches of calibers into others like this.

I turn 7.63x39 into 6.5 grendel (not commercial, just for me) using an automated 1050 (mark 7 pro). First, I dump 7.62x39 cases into the feeder and spray liberally with case lube, then hit the "Start" button: Position 1: decap/full length size w/7.62x39 die, Position 2 and 3 blank (normally swage and primer insertion), Position 4 size neck down to 7mm, Position 5 size neck down to 6.5mm.

I'm about to build a 6mm grendel, and will simply add a 6mm die to Position 6.

When using a turret press, I go directly from 7.62 to 6.5, but since I have the space on the 1050 toolhead, I do it in 2 steps to avoid the 1:100 or so times the 1.62mm size drop pushes neck into the shoulder.

No reason you couldn't do it easily on your 2000.

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Originally Posted by rmantoo

Tons of commercial processors turn 5.56 into 300blackout on dillon 1050s like this. For that matter, lots of them reform bunches of calibers into others like this.

I turn 7.63x39 into 6.5 grendel (not commercial, just for me) using an automated 1050 (mark 7 pro). First, I dump 7.62x39 cases into the feeder and spray liberally with case lube, then hit the "Start" button: Position 1: decap/full length size w/7.62x39 die, Position 2 and 3 blank (normally swage and primer insertion), Position 4 size neck down to 7mm, Position 5 size neck down to 6.5mm.

I'm about to build a 6mm grendel, and will simply add a 6mm die to Position 6.

When using a turret press, I go directly from 7.62 to 6.5, but since I have the space on the 1050 toolhead, I do it in 2 steps to avoid the 1:100 or so times the 1.62mm size drop pushes neck into the shoulder.

No reason you couldn't do it easily on your 2000.

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Processing 223's or 5.56's to 300 blackout would require a trimmer if your trying to start from scratch with a case that hasn't been cut back.

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Originally Posted by 6bg6ga

Processing 223's or 5.56's to 300 blackout would require a trimmer if your trying to start from scratch with a case that hasn't been cut back.

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Yep. Station 1 is normally a trimmer, station 2 is normally either a clean up (chamfer/debur) or resize... either way, again, there are a LOT of guys who do exactly this, mostly on 1050s, all the time.

If you plan to routinely load using a single stage press you might want to do your final f/l sizing on the single stage rather than the progressive just for consistencies sake. Consistency of the loaded ammo, not the process.

I’ve never converted a case more complicated than 5.56 to 300blk, but am surprised that your process doesn’t need to incorporate annealing before the final f/l sizing.

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Originally Posted by JimB..

If you plan to routinely load using a single stage press you might want to do your final f/l sizing on the single stage rather than the progressive just for consistencies sake. Consistency of the loaded ammo, not the process.

I’ve never converted a case more complicated than 5.56 to 300blk, but am surprised that your process doesn’t need to incorporate annealing before the final f/l sizing.

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I anneal after wet tumbling, before any sizing or press processes.

4 actual sizing steps may get tiresome and require extra force. In a progressive loading ammo the sizer is the most force belling expanding isn't much and seating crimping isn't a lot. But the accumulated force of 4 different sizing / forming operations at the same time may be. Another Issue may be case lube getting thin by the last form size. This may be a problem to over come also. Last I can think of is running as a progressive feeling what each case is doing will be harder

The issue not brought up is the idea of redistributing the lube between die operations.

On a progressive you are going to squeeze/scrape lube away from areas you want to be and deposit onto areas where it is less advangeous or even detrimental just like with a single stage. The difference is that with the progressive the casing stays in the “loop” so to speak and there is no opportunity to redistribute the used lube or add new in between steps.

Three44s