Just read a lot of info on the Belted Magnum Collet Resizing Die. www.larrywillis.com Its sounds like a great idea. I just wonder what other people think of this die? Has anybody been using this die???

I just ordered one and will be able to tell you more later. I never thought I'd need one but I'm doing some reloading for a guy that has about 8 custom built weatherby's. For some reason several of his guns expand the area above the belt to about .514. (Saami is .512). Then it seems to get worse as I resize them--kinda like the die makes the bulge more pronounced. This guy has lots of money and shoots new weatherby cases like varmit ammo. So we're gonna try and salvage some of his hundreds of rounds of 1x fired weatherby. Seems like it would be easier to made a die that could go all the way the belt without the fancy collet but this seems to be the only one around!

Clark--The thing from experiences wildcatting belted cases,

is that the cases expanding, want to take a set or work harden.

The collet will squeeze them back, but in some cases they expand out again, especially at 60-70k loadings.They may

have to use it more than once on same case,or load down

to 50k, and it always worried me that the transition area from base to sides,

the corner might get weakened by this process, after to

many squeezes. While they are doing this thet need to section cases to see what is happening.

The brass I developed my

458 HE from was soft in the head area and expanded at 50

to 55k loads a little. What worked was to put cases on my case spinner/lathe and remove the excess 3

to 4 thousands.The sides were 45-50 thousands thick there above belt anyway.Only had to do it once and the heads hardened with firings and the brass went dozens of reloads.

It pays to section cases. Learn a lot.I wish them Good luck, and like them,

I would do about anything to save all that brass also.Ed.

Kraky, I'm thinking that any load that expands the belt area of the case is too hot. Are those custom Weatherbys of his short throated? That can run 'em way high with standard loads including factory ammo.

I remember taking dimensions off the belt and they were in spec with the drawings in the manuals. Alot of the problem is that he doesn't take care to keep brass separate in the guns he shoots them in. He gave me a full 1 gallon ziplock bag of 300 wby for instance. It all varies from .511 to .515 just ahead of the belt. My forster dies keep the dimension at what it was before sizing. On his 270 wby it's pretty much the same scenerio only sometimes my hornady die actually gets a .001 increase just ahead of the belt. I realize I shouldn't be messing with this stuff but he's also a good customer of my business as well as a personal friend. I wouldn't be screwing around with just anyones stuff. (plus he offered to buy the die when I told him it was the only thing around that i felt might solve the problem)

I laughed at that die when the guy first posted here, and everyone else did too. I had never, ever seen any problem like what the guy was touting in order to sell his die. I still haven't until this thread.

If a chamber is cut properly I fail to understand how the base of the die can expand so as to make the case unuseable. It's either that the sizing dies aren't right, or, what I believe, that the chamber is either cut incorrectly or eccentric. But I'm glad to see that at least one person has a real need for the die.

Ya, Bob--and it would have to be Kraky from Wisconsin too!!!
I'm sure you snickered. Anyhow, these guns are terrific shooters. CAn you believe a 300 wby that weighs just under 5 lbs. Maybe they figure by taking a little more metal out of the chamber they're helping get the weight down. Anyhow they are what they are and hopefully the die will be the answer. It's amazing how .001" in front of that belt stops a case from chambering in a different gun just like "right now" then you get the cleaning rod out and tap tap tap till you get it back out. I think the reason most of us haven't seen it is we don't have 5 guns of the same caliber sitting around and being we're reloaders we ALWAYS keep our brass segregated because if we don't it's OUR headache.

Yea Kraky, I have seen a few of those light loudenbookers that Z's has sold down here in Abby too. Dang thing has gotta kick like hell. Ruesch says his doesn't though and he only weighs about 175.

Kraky--It would help to check his freebore if he is loading
Weatherby heavy.As poster above says, regular freebore and high pressures can be problems.And on some Wea cases the belt is above the debth of the base thickness compared to
99% of H&H base cases.So even slightly high pressure will
expand front of belt and area in front of belt, making it hard to get them back to size.The collet usually gets them back. but overloads may push them out again.You should
section on that is expanded a lot and see where the top
of belt is in relation to base thickness.I know about this from building belted cases, and only settled on cases with belt at same height as base thickness, which makes it harder to expand from firing unless base is soft.Good
luck.Ed.

All my belted dies are cut to size down over the belt and so presumeably to it as well, to SAAMI standards.

THANKS HUBEL & Hot Core---Hot Core what can I say--you are right. Dumb of me. Hubel--you may also be right. Alot of the brass he's given me was actually reloaded by someone else who did use hotloads. Plenty of extractor marks. (And data is stiff) I'll try and get a grip on it as I go. I've tossed quite a bit of what he gave me just on the feel of the primer when seating it.
Just wanted others to know that there is a purpose for the die. I understand the originator of the die has lots of cost in his product and probably isn't getting rich at all--just supplying a guy like me with a solution.

I wish I had a friend who'd drop by and lay a gallon of .300 Weatherby brass on me!

This past summer I had a friend drop a gallon of mixed .308 brass military/comm, and he got it at a salvage yard of all places . Anyway, thanks for the replies on the collet die. From what it seems, if you need it-great, if not-great...thanks again

Steve-In theory all belted dies are supposed to bring expanded belts back to specs, but they never did for me,
or anyone I know.But there is nothing wrong with that,
for if you are getting greatly expanded belts, it is
a means to show you it is time to
back off loads, check freebore, etc..Ed.