I have a 7.62x54R case sizing die thats squeezing my necks
down to a .306" inside diametere. As I am loading bullets
out around .312-.314" that is a problem!
I think I need to open it up a bit, and surely polish it as well.
My thoughts..... a wooden dowel with emery cloth spun on a drill.
Does anyone have a better idea?
You could try a larger expander plug. I would think that would be the easier way to go.
R.M.
I'd just order a collet-type sizing die from Lee. Not much money and works great for the 7.62x54R!
That being said, your idea will certainly work but you have a fair amount to open her up! If Buckshot isn't too busy i think he does this type of work and he is dead accurate and not too pricy!
Dan, did you pay to have a custom die made or are you using a different caliber die on the 7.62x54R?Originally Posted by trooperdan
Agreed, you need a different size expander. If you have the RCBS die it should have come with both, if you have the Redding it would have come with the smaller expander and a quick e-mail to them will result in them sending you the larger expander right away. I have the Redding two die set and they sent me the larger expander no questions asked and I have the RCBS neck die and that came with both.
Last edited by Hip's Ax; 11-08-2006 at 11:49 AM.
A larger die is the long term answer, however you accomplish that. Constant oversizing and then re-expanding will drastically shorten case life.
Ditto what 454 says. The less you work the brass the less you need to trim, anneal, etc.
You could use a metal rod, the emory and some tape. I've done my Lee 32mag seater die, and several boolit sizing dies. Start fine, like 320 or 400 to knock the high spots off and then measure. When you're taking out the tooling marks, the first bit comes off easy. If the process is going way too slow after that, you can switch to 220 and then back up to 400 and 600 to finish.
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If you put the die on the drill and keep at rest the rod, you'll have a concentric opened die.
Ok, I know, you need a very big drill to keep a die; best would be to use a lathe (still with metal rod and emery).
Look around in the auto repair shops for a lathe and don't hesitate to ask; frequently the mechanics have a small one they use to 'reduce the copper condenser' (?? I don't know exactly!) and they're more prone to let/help you to enlarge a die (something new) than a machinist (every day's work).
Lee collet sizing die! Not many bucks and problem solved.
Can you use a slightly bigger sizing rod in these?
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Hips' Ax, I am using a .308 die with a fat fender washer over the shell holder to take up about .090" in length. It leaves a bit of the neck unsized but seems to work OK in my guns. Lee will make a custom die for $50 if you send in a couple of fired cases and a boolit. The .308 mandrel mikes about .305, too tight for a REAL boolit, IE lead. Lee doesn't make a collet die for 7.62x54R but I'm going to use the mandrel, collet and collet sleeve from a .303 Br set to try loading lead boolits. The .303 mandrel mikes .308 amd should work for a .311 - .312 boolit. All you need to change calibers with these dies are those three parts and they only cost about $17 direct from Lee.
Mick, the mandrel is a slip fit in the collet sleeve so if you want to use a bigger one you'd need to open up the guide hole.
The mandrel is only $4.00 so you could get a .303 Br that is about .003 larger.. Or you could get a 8x57 one and turn it down to the size you want. The mandrel seems to run about .003 smaller than the boolit you intend to use, due to spring-back.
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