Am I the only one??

[goodgrouper]

In talking to RCBS today about a re-occuring problem I have had over the years, they made it sound like I was the only person who had called them about it in the history of their company. I find that hard to believe.

The problem I'm talking about is the fact that out of the last 30 FL sizing dies I've used, more than 90% of them didn't touch the shoulder. They don't bump them back enough to make brass fit back in the chamber or in other words, the die body is too long. I have had to have Old Bear cut off more than half a dozen in as many months and just returned from his place today with another one that was probably .030" too long! That is ridiculous.

Although they were friendly about the inquery, RCBS said that their dies meet spec and variations of presses may cause FL die issues. But I don't buy that because I have used these dies on as many as four different presses and still no luck.

It boils down to the reality that many of you without headspace gauges might think you're bumping the shoulders back and truly you are not. Then one day (most likely while out hunting) you will go to fit a round in the chamber that used to work and now it won't chamber.

Why can't they get this right? I have seen way fewer problems with Redding but the majority of our clients have previously bought RCBS dies.

Either the gun companies are making shorter chambers, my whole collection of shellholders are too fat, or RCBS has let tolerances go.

I can't possibly be the only guy out there checking this. Anyone else ever run into this or called RCBS about it?

 

[Sendero_Man]

Had a 7mm die do the same thing... Went to reload once shot stuff and none of them would chamber... pulled the bullets, dumped the powder and tried empty cases and nada...

Took to Smith and he ground her down, resized and Sha-Zam they worked...

 

[7mmRHB]

GG, You are not alone. It's a little strange to keep setting your FL die lower and watch the case grow longer on the head space guage. The shoulder can extrude forward quite a bit when the dies are too long.

I've had more than a few RCBS dies shortened myself---7mmRHB

 

[Varmint Hunter]

I've never experienced that problem and I do measure my reloaded ammo with a StoneyPoint headspace gauge. I normally set shoulders back about .001".

Rather than cutting all those dies shorter wouldn't it be easier to use a set of Redding Comp shell holders? Although I doubt that you could get an additional .030" from a shell holder. That die should have gone back to RCBS so they could have seen the extent of the problem that you called them about.

 

[MagMan]

I've got one in 300 SAUM from Forster that is to long.

 

[CatShooter]

I can honestly say I have NEVER, EVER had this problem with RCBS dies.

-

The reason is... I haven't bought a set of RCBS does in over 25 years.

The phrase, "Within spec", leaves a lot of wiggle room.

The +/- of SAAMI spec chambers is kinda large, and RCBS is making their dies at the long end of the range.

Also consider that ALL shell holders are standardized at 0.125" +/- 0.001".

This allows you to use a Redding shell holder with Lyman dies (why would you want to use Lyman dies /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif ), in a C-H or RCBS press. In other words, the nice man at RCBS LIED TO YOU!!

And it is because RCBS is now a shadow of the company they were in years past. Now, most products are outsourced - presses are made in China, dies and other parts are made by job shops around the country... RCBS is a group of offices and a warehouse for shipping. The customer service folks are no longer shooters, and they answer your questions from a printed F.A.Q. sheet.

The RCBS of today is living on the Reputation of a company that died many years ago.

If you want "customer service", get Redding, Foster or CH4D stuff. If you have a problem with your dies from ANY of these companies, you send the dies back, and fired cases, and even if your chamber is BAD, they will make the dies work with it.

.

 

[blackco]

THAT EXPLAINS WHY 6MM BRASS FIRED IN MY GUN DOESN'T CHAMBER IN MY DAUGHTERS RIFLE. DUH to me. I have had a problem since I got my daughters 6mm; if I fire brass in my R700 it will never chamber well in her R788. Even if I FL resize it. I just figured my chamber was so oversized the brass would't be resized enough. I never thought to look for the obvious.

Regardless of the problem, it will be fixed soon. I'm having both of them reamed to Ackley Improved. Identical chambers and new dies.

 

[royinidaho]

Well I'll be darn'd, now that you mention it!! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif

I may have been inaccurately attributing the problem to "belted" cases. We'll see.

Also thanks for letting the cat out of the bag. Does Old Bear take outside orders for strange things /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Ahab]

Never had that problem with my Lee's. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[jb1000br]

[ QUOTE ]
I've never experienced that problem and I do measure my reloaded ammo with a StoneyPoint headspace gauge. I normally set shoulders back about .001".

Rather than cutting all those dies shorter wouldn't it be easier to use a set of Redding Comp shell holders? Although I doubt that you could get an additional .030" from a shell holder. That die should have gone back to RCBS so they could have seen the extent of the problem that you called them about.

[/ QUOTE ]

VH, you got it back'ards...the Comp. SH's DROP the case further from the die. GG needs the case moved CLOSER to the die...that said, out of maybe 20 sets RCBS/Redding I have not had this problem once...

YMMV,
JB

 

[Fiftydriver]

GG,

TO be honest, I have not run into this specific problem with the RCBS dies. I have however had three sets of dies that would not size the case necks down anough to prevent me from pushing a seated bullet deeper in the case by hand.

There is a reason why 90% of my dies have redding engraved on them instead of RCBS!!!

Kirby Allen(50)

 

[Black Diamond 408]

I have a set of RCBS 308 dies on the shelf, after resizing the bullet falls into the case, even with the expander ball removed! They are going back soon. I have trimed off the bottom of a 7mm mag sizer die, it would not bump the shoulder either. Then i had a set of 338 Win dies that crushed the shoulders .030 ''''now this is shoulder bump! RCBS has some bad quality control. This is why i build all my own dies for my custom wildcat chambers. When i start a new wildcat i order the reamers for both chamber and sizer dies. It is more work and adds time to the builds...but you get a sizer that matches your rifle chamber.

Dave

 

[Buffalobob]

I have a RCBS neck sizer for 17 Rem that is too big

 

[sewwhat89]

The closest I have come to this 'phenomenon' with RCBS is a 708 die that needs a little extra camming action to get the shoulders bumped back. I got 35 or 40 FC cases from a good'ole boy at the range. After FL sizing them, they would not feed in the rifle. After bottoming out the die, I still had not bumped the shoulders back any. Another 1/4 turn more or less with some elbow grease on the lever . . . 0.002" shoulder bump and cases that feed everytime.

I have switched over to Redding on all my new die purchases, but with nearly 40 RCBS dies, there are not too many more standard rounds that I can buy dies for. Oh well! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif