Proper die set up

... you can with [the] firing pin out.
Yes, you can feel the lugs cam into place if you've got just a teeny-tiny bit of crush against the shoulder. You want it to be very slight; if you have to "muscle it" even a skosh, the shoulder is too high up the case. If it's really correct, you'll actually hear a slight "swishing," metal-on-metal sound as the lugs slide past each other and lock into place. It should never be very hard to do it. If it is you're buggering your lugs, and that may very well lead to your suicide once you understand what you did...
 
Thats the problem. You have to take the bolt apart. It just takes a second to measure your fired case with the gauge and you have an actual number. Screw the die down until you get where you want. The tool costs $35 bucks. Worth every penny.
 
That's the problem. You have to take the bolt apart.
The bolt out of my Montana Rifle Company M1999 came apart very easily; no tools required. I used a Kleinendorst tool to take down my M700 bolt. I think it was only about $25. Once I got it, I couldn't figger-out why I waited so long to get smart enough to buy one...
 
The bolt out of my Montana Rifle Company M1999 came apart very easily; no tools required. I used a Kleinendorst tool to take down my M700 bolt. I think it was only about $25. Once I got it, I couldn't figger-out why I waited so long to get smart enough to buy one...
Or a shoe string and a quarter to remove firing pin from m700 bolt.
 
I like the shoe string suggestion. Ive used the edge of my wood work bench to grab
& compress the spring until i got the quarter or nickel in place. Firing pin is not to hard to remove with out special tools on the 700 once you get the hang of it. That's the first thing I done when I bought my first 700 many moons ago. Had no reason for doing it then other than curiosity.
 
I don't know what kind of press you have, but one mistake I made when I started reloading was that I didn't set up my dies for the press to cam over. It made a huge difference for me in getting consistent results.
 
Thanks for the feedback y'all.

I did get the Hornady gauges and went to the reloading bench to size some 7 RM. using the Redding comp shell holders, I could not get the brass to bump any amount of shoulder back. I tried a normal shell holder and the same thing. Is it possible to not have any movement like that?
I don't know what kind of press you have, but one mistake I made when I started reloading was that I didn't set up my dies for the press to cam over. It made a huge difference for me in getting consistent results.
i have a rockchucker and I did adjust for cam over
 
I see a lot of unnecessary work for a simple procedure, $38 for a Hornady bump gage set or $1 for a box of matches,But to each their own
I've had a set of Hornady head space comparitor gauges since not too long after they started selling them. They are well worth the money. I check every single piece of new brass I buy with it. I usually only remove the firing pin when I'm putting a new barrel on. Then I use the brass I've checked with the hornady comparitor gauges to set my barrel headspace to the brass I've measured.
 
Thats the problem. You have to take the bolt apart. It just takes a second to measure your fired case with the gauge and you have an actual number. Screw the die down until you get where you want. The tool costs $35 bucks. Worth every penny.
It is no big deal to remove firing pin 15seconds. Either way works I also have Sinclair measuring tools but I like the free falling bolt to be the easier way. This is how I do all my benchrest rifles and the firing pin method is best for that. The way you are measuring is also good. Main thing is if you do either one you are way better off than doing it the way the instructions in die box tells you
 
Thanks for the feedback y'all.

I did get the Hornady gauges and went to the reloading bench to size some 7 RM. using the Redding comp shell holders, I could not get the brass to bump any amount of shoulder back. I tried a normal shell holder and the same thing. Is it possible to not have any movement like that?

i have a rockchucker and I did adjust for cam over
I've had several factory and rebarreled belted magnum rifles. What I have saw in many instances is: even if you have .000 to .004 headspace on the case belt to chamber belt recess (This is where belted magnums were originally intended to be headspaced) then you could and it's likely that you have alot more head space from the case shoulder to the Chambers shoulder. Up to .010 more. Some of the trouble can also be is that your case can blow out to a much larger diameter just below the shoulder than your resizing die is just below the shoulder. So you get into a situation where if you are not bumping the shoulder hard enough, the case actually gets longer head space at the shoulder because all you have done is sized the diameter of the case smaller just below the shoulder and it made it grow longer there. For that reason, I set the die up to bump the shoulder back farther than needed on the first case and then start backing the die out on the next case until I get the desired head space off the shoulder that I want. Saying all of that, I need to say that I only neck size with a Lee collet die for the first 2-3 firings on belted magnums, then I full length size to just bump the shoulder with the method mentioned on a Redding body die. I could bump it Everytime with the body die but I choose not to because even after one firing It still doesn't blow the case out enough and I still have a bit more headspace at the shoulder than I want. In some of my beltless cases, I bump shoulders ever time I size.
 
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Thanks for the feedback y'all.

I did get the Hornady gauges and went to the reloading bench to size some 7 RM. using the Redding comp shell holders, I could not get the brass to bump any amount of shoulder back. I tried a normal shell holder and the same thing. Is it possible to not have any movement like that?

i have a rockchucker and I did adjust for cam over

That is really odd. I have seen an individual die that wouldn't size a case but I would think with the redding set you should be able too. Make sure that you are talking all the slack out the press. Sometimes I have to move the die a 1/8 or 1/4 turn past contact with the shell holder. What is your measurement on your brass with the caliper zeroed on the tool.
 
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