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Hoping someone can educate me on what I have here. No clue where I got it from though.
The letters RCBS are vertical on the left side. Reading counter clockwise from the bottom it says: "WIN. FORM #1 69"
I think it is a brass forming die, but for what I have no clue. I have searched based on what is written on the die but I am coming up with nothing. If someone knows what this is, please educate me.
rdwarrior
The '1 69' states it was made in January of 1969.
Not sure exactly what your die is specifically for, however:
Forming dies are for changing one case to another such as .30-06 cases to .308 and trimming the case to length
when just neck sizing isn't enough like .30-06 to .270.
The top of yours provides a 'trim to length' guage (for lack of a better word),
and shouldn't have the threaded hole for a de-cap rod.
Otherwise, it'd more or less look like a regular sizing die.
Run a well lubed piece of brass into it and see what comes out. The #1 tells me that it is the first in possibly a series of dies to reform into another cartridge.
You may need an extended shellholder to make everything work right.
Are you sure there isn't anything before the WIN?
Robert
Nothing in front of the WIN. I put a 30-06 brass in it and it went flush with the bottom of the die and stuck out the top just tad bit. .308 and 30-30 brass went far inside the die but did not make it out the top. That is why I have no clue what it brass it changes into what.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mk42gunner
I'd be courious enough to do a chamber cast on it.Quote:
Originally Posted by rdwarrior
Maybe even with just candle wax, that you could make it turn loose and get back out with hot water.
That'd be the redneck version of one, but it'd give you a good idea of what it is.
It might be for some old BP case or a belted Magnum to go down to a smaller one.
Call RCBS?
Oh no!,,,,, that's cheating.Quote:
Originally Posted by Geezer in NH
+1Quote:
Originally Posted by Geezer in NH
Email a picture
Does the die have a belt recess?
Maybe it is a 300 Win form die #1
Mike
All good ideas guys. I did a cerosafe (?) casting of it this morning. I cant match it to anything. It appears to be a belted cartridge. All measurements under 1 " was with a micrometer and all over 1" with calipers.
It is tapered from the shoulder to what I think is a belt.
Die overall length is 2.412"
The very tip of the throat is .355
Right behind the shoulder the width is .4465
Right in front of the belt the width is .510
The belt (if it is a belt) is .5452
Length from back of shoulder to front of belt is 1.960
Went through all the specs I could find and I am now thinking that Mk42gunner is right, that this is the first in a series of dies.
I would attach a picture but have yet to figure out how to do that. I could email a pic if anyone wants that.
rdwarrior.
I long ago had a set(4?5?) of RCBS base forming dies, in the 7,62x39 forming days('70-'75).
They had a recess at the bottom for any brass 'shoved' ahead of insertion in die.
I do not remember what steps they were designed to size cases down by (3-4 thousands per die?).
They were cylindrical in shape over length of die, no shoulder.
The die would make you believe it was for a belted case, but as stated was designed as to have a place for scraped brass to accumulate.
Very much akin to the old Lyman solid sizing dies, only in a non caliber specific(ie. base) progressive set.
This is memory from many years ago, so use what you can from it.
RCBS also did number their form die sets in manner you detail.
69 is indeed the year of manufacture, but the 1 is the first die in a set.
An older 'Cartridges of the World' book might help.
It has listings of older African big game cartridges and ones we don't see in our modern reloading books.
I love those grab bag boxes of dies at gun shows. Ran into a gunshop one time that had half an Army footlocker full of dies. Mostly RCBS. Dollar a piece in those days. I had a ball scratching through them./beagle
I don't have my books here to compare measurements, but if you add the 0.125 depth of a shellholder.....
My guess is a forming die to make either the .300 Win Mag from full length H&H brass, or long shot here, the .30-.338.
Robert
My bet is on the 300 Win Magnum introduced in 1963.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mk42gunner
In my experience, the #1 caseforming die sets the shoulder back, the #2 necks it down. Other included dies are marked “Trim” or have reamers sticking out the tops.
So if you have the #1, the height to the shoulder and the base diameter would probably be the best clues to the final shell dimensions, with possible rim, neck diameter and length being an educated best guess from the cartridge dimension charts.
All my RCBS caseforming dies have some indication of the name of the formed cartridge on them.
I sent my info to RCBS and here is their answer:
Quote
I sent your information to our Die Technician, and we cannot find any records for your specific die. I would suggest that it was a custom die that we made per a customer’s instructions. More of a one off. I wish I had better news. The “69” represents 1969 year of manufacture.
Unquote