Looking for a die

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Last Post 09 July 2024

CBA Regional Director

Tom Acheson posted this 04 July 2024

Thought maybe I'd try this here.

I have a modern reproduction Model 74 Sharps BPCR, made by CSA. It is chambered in 40 cal 2 1/2, aka 40-70 Sharps Straight. I have lot of (150) Hornady 405 Winch cases that I've been shooting since 2010. Over time the cases have changed slightly to the extent that some are difficult to chamber. Every fall I clean, anneal and trim them. I borrowed a RCBS full length sizing die but it doesn't contact the case enough to change the case.

Lyman no longer makes one, CH4D could make one in about 29-months. Redding is out of stock with a 5-9 month wait. Forester doen't make dies that large.

So I'm "hunting" for a FL die. I'd like a Redding but if someone out there has one (besides RCBS) that they'd consider selling, I'm all ears.

Thanks!

Tom

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CBA Member

Ken Campbell Iowa posted this 06 July 2024

Tom ... sometimes you only need to resize part of a case to get it to fit.

it is pretty easy to make a " stubby " sizer to do that ... if you think a simple straight or tapered die might work, it is easy to toss one out .. pm me if .

love those old guns, gotta keep'em shootin ...

ken

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CBA Member

Premod70 posted this 06 July 2024

Is the shell holder a RCBS make as well, sometimes a different one will not push the brass far enough in the die. Also a little metal removed from the base of the die will increase the squeeze of the brass.

Forrest Gump is my smarter brother.

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CBA Regional Director

Tom Acheson posted this 07 July 2024

Remember....I said a borrowed RCBS die. I no longer have access to the die.

Duane in a PM had an interesting suggestion, as did the rest of you. My shell holder is a Redding. I posted this request over on the Shiloh Rifke and ASSRA forums.

Flea Bay has several RCBS sets for sale. Makes you wonder if there were different generations" of RCBS FL dies?

I'll keep hunting!

Thanks for the help and suggestions!

Tom

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CBA Member

Duane Mellenbruch posted this 07 July 2024

Not being familiar with your particular case I had made a suggestion to just apply a small strip of tape to try reducing the case diameter with a temporary alteration of the die.

I did have a small amount of the end of a size die used for the 30 Herrett and it was too much. I think next time I would either thin the top of a shell holder to allow the case to enter the die a little further which would set back the shoulder as needed. For a straight wall case, I think it might be better to just remove the deprime rod and use an arbor press to size the case a little deeper as one would with the Lee "Whack-a-mole" die.

Perhaps a fine adjustment can be made by using a RCBS small primer pocket swage for a case with a large primer pocket. There would be no contact with the primer pocket that way. Just adjust the die body until you get a reduced diameter that fits the chamber and then process all the remaining cases.

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CBA Regional Director

Tom Acheson posted this 09 July 2024

This is strange....

When I bought the rifle in 2009, I ordered it in .40-65. But for some reason I decided I had to have a chambering that was in the original Sharps line-up. So back to the factory for the 40 cal 2 1/2 (40-70 Sharps Straight) in a new Badger 1:16 barrel in 2010. While I had the 40-65 I bought a Redding .40-65 competition seating die. The expander button size (from BACO) was recommended by a friend, at 0.476". After getting the 40 cal 2 1/2 barrel, I kept using the BACO expander button....for over 14 years.

But with the recent emergence of some cases being difficult to chamber and not having a FL case sizing die, I had a brain fart. Maybe the recalitrant part of the case is in the upper inch+ or so? Here's this Redding Competition bullet seating die on shelf...what if....

Removed the guts of the die, tried a known problem case in the rifle, lubed the case and passed it through the Redding die body. Tried the case in the rifle and it went right into the chamber. More farts....maybe the BACO expander button is a bit large, even though I have two other Redding expander buttons, 0.406" and 0.4065".

Tried both Redding buttons after going through the Redding seating die body and they both worked (but so does the original BACO button). Maybe the BACO expander button is increasing the OD of the upper part of the case just enough to produce difficult chambering?

So the current plan is....

Use the Redding seating die body, then use the Redding 0.406" expander button and load some up to see how they chamber. If they chamber OK shoot them. In the meantime get a Redding FL sizing die on order. They are out quite far today.

Tom