Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles Redding body die help

I got one of these to go with the Lee collet that I use for neck sizing. I am having trouble setting up the body die. I set it up like I do my full length die and it takes an unbelievable amount of force to size. I use hornady one shot lube. Cleaned the die before use. What am I doing wrong? The cases size just fine in the full length die without any issues. This is for a 30-06 in a rem 700. Factory chamber.

Craig.

Please elaborate on your set up.

I first set it up to touch the shell holder and ran a case through it. No change and required a lot of force. Then turned it down about a 1/4 turn or less and had the same results. Also the case is still a very tight fit in the chamber. There were basically no instructions with the body die hence the reason I went with this method.

Craig

I would try a different lube to see if you can reduce the effort required. Just as importantly I would be employing some method of monitoring shoulder setback. You may be setting the shoulder back far more than necessary or desirable, and that might have something to do with how much elbow grease you're having to apply.

I’m open to suggestions on new lubricants. An internet search suggests imperial sizing wax. I’ve used the one shot for years and before that was the Lee stuff on a pad which I hated.

Craig

Not real sure about this but. I got a Lee collet die and it takes a lot more pressure to size with it. Reason is you are not pushing the neck through a slightly smaller hole but around a rod the proper size and then squashing it down to the proper size. Don't push hard enough and you'll be able to drop a bullet into the case that you though you'd just sized!

Look up my instructions for the Lee collet die.

I have no issues with the collet die. Works great. Need help with the body die

If you don’t have a set of gauges to see how much you’re bumping the shoulder back, you are pissing in the wind.

My first one I had the same issues... until I cleaned it with Brake Cleaner

For lube, I use Amzoil Spray Lube into a blue camping skillet.. I apply it on a bore cleaning cloth, and lube the pan, then put 3 to 5 pieces in the pan
and shake it around like Jiffy Pop....

To set up the Die, tighten it down until it makes contact with the ram, while the ram is raised...

if it still is tight in your chamber, turn it down a hair more... like 1/16th of a turn until it chambers..

Think of the Redding Body dies like a Small base die..

I've heard of some folks having to return them when new, being too undersized...

none of mine I've had to do that to tho..

I have them in 204, 223, 22.250, 6.5 Grendal and 7/08....

THIS^^^^

Give them a call at Redding very helpful people there. Imperial is really good stuff and lasts a long time.

1089 Starr Road
Cortland, NY 13045
1
Phone:
(607) 753-3331

Good luck and shoot straight y'all

Or just get a piece of handgun brass that will center on the rifle brass shoulder. Put the mouth of the pistol brass over the mouth of the rifle brass. Now put both on your caliper.

You can zero out the caliper on an unsized piece of rifle brass. Now resize and measure again to see how the shoulder moved.

Actually you do have a custom gauge, it's your rifle chamber, adjust your die in small steps, until you have the bolt closing 'feel' that you want on your brass.

Yes plus candle smoke or felt pen on shoulder to see if you are at shoulder bump or past.

Yep...this is the low-tech way of getting your FL die set to a rifle and it works more often than not.




I am not a fan of the spray lubes. Hornady One Shot was the only case lube that I ever had stuck cases with. I have been using Imperial Sizing Wax for years and will not be changing any time soon. A little goes a LONG way and in my experience is a much smoother sizing feel compared to the spray lubes.


Also, I did have one Redding body die that just would not size the case enough to chamber a case without excessive force to close the bolt...this was with the dies screwed down, contacting the shell holder and significant cam-over force on the press. This rifle had a pretty tight chamber. I ended up filing down the top of a shell holder to allow for more clearance. Didn't take a lot but made the issue go away. Your body die may be a little on the large end of the tolerance spectrum. It could be worth a call to Redding unless you want to tinker with different shell holders.

Yes , you can measure a fired case from base to datum line or thereabouts, then by small increments screw the die down until it is bumped 1 or 2 thou or what ever you deem appropriate.

Or, run a fired case into the die and check the resistance to chamber, at first there will be little or no resistance then you will have resistance to a point of no resistance again as you chamber the piece of brass, you can decide where in the process you want to stop...some resistance , little resistance to none for the chambered brass.

Leave the die in the press loose, in other words do not lock it down during the this process. Only lock it down with the brass in the die with the ram in the up position.

A lot of words but pretty simple with or with out measuring.