Hard bolt Lift

[martyj]

Whidden will not get you correct dies, I've seen thousands of dollars of Whidden dies scrapped because they won't use the correct dimensions especially on the base.

Is Hornady any better or lee

 

[bigngreen]

When your going of the SAAMI reservation you need to have the reamer print for your base line, without it you end up doing experimental data gathering, which done right just takes some extra time and tinkering but done wrong can be catastrophic.

 

[bigngreen]

Is Hornady any better or lee

Hornady makes a good custom die. I based my reamers off the Redding dies when you could order Lapua Improved dies off the shelf, it was the easy button then. Now I'd have Hornady make them to my spec or make them myself and have them nitrided.

 

[RockyMtnMT]

If it's me & not the OP you're referring to about dies, I was a step ahead of you 10-12 years ago. I sent cases to Whidden myself, and use those now.

RCBS was making a die for my chambering way back in the stone age, but their sizer was over working the brass at the neck, and to compound that problem the only brass available at the time was formed far too thick. I was overpresssuring at those stiff, thick necks, plus suffering all the accuracy and consistency problems that arose through it ... then too, as brass was fired many multiples of times, I ran into case stretch, case thinning, and hard chambering. Just as I explained in my earlier post. Just like the OP seems to be getting around to finding out himself.

I personally turn necks now, anneal on each firing, and I size through my custom whidden's with bushings to get consistent seats and neck tensions. That tight RCBS sizer from the stone age I mentioned was since modified not-to do anything at all to the shoulder area or to the necks anymore, but instead only use around the 5th firing so it sizes the brass back down ahead of the case head (where I've explained they ALL eventually stretch, thin & then bulge at). That die now acts like a body-specific die only, and chambering is honky dory. By the 7th firing, primer pockets are loose and that case-head, lower end of the brass is thinned to where a bent paper clip will faintly hook it inside the case, so it all gets retired ... I would bet very large sums of money that every shooter shooting overbore cases in any caliber, (especially the wildcatted ones needing fire-forming and brass work in the first place to shoot their cartridge at all) will vouch for these same things. Some figure it out, some don't. But those are 100% the roots of the problem when these things arise.

I'm sure alot of readers will appreciate these pointers if they've become stumped at their own loading bench. Alot of this is overlooked by the majority of loaders and shooters out there.

Sorry. I was referring to the op.

 

[martyj]

I bought a set of Hornady dies Saturday and seem to help a little and in mean time had a lee full length ordered off ebay and it appears the Lee die sizes farther down than the Redding or Hornady.
Long story short Lee saved the day I can run the bolt with two fingers after resizing with lee die.
Hornady and Redding you would have to beat the bolt close.
Thanks for the help and guidance

 

[NW Hunter]

I bought a set of Hornady dies Saturday and seem to help a little and in mean time had a lee full length ordered off ebay and it appears the Lee die sizes farther down than the Redding or Hornady.
Long story short Lee saved the day I can run the bolt with two fingers after resizing with lee die.
Hornady and Redding you would have to beat the bolt close.
Thanks for the help and guidance

Now that's interesting!
Good to know, thanks.
I'm glad you got it figured out.

 

[Stonyman88]

Sounds like the chamber wasn't cut right. I assume you don't have a go or no go gauge. The fact it won't close on a factory round makes it seem like the chamber isn't right at all.

I know and what I think, but not my gun, and don't want to stick my nose in, and he has sent it back to who built it, and haven't heard what the issue was, he got it thru a dealer in Holland MI, and they sent it to the Manufacture .Keep you informed if you like.

 

[martyj]

Just gave up on it

I got down to 3100 fps with 180 gr bullet and still had bolt lift issues so I sent it away to gunsmith to be checked and re chambered.
The Lee die was great at getting fired brass back to size so it would chamber correctly.