Hi do you folks have recommendations for dies? Also will the dies be too large for my Lee Classic (heavier duty) Turret Press?

Thanks,

Chuck

Dies? Not real common. Bit of over kill for North America, but if you wish to stand behind this thing... Huntington Die Specialties, Huntingtons.com?, the RCBS custom shop should have or be able to make them. Another is ch4d.com. With this info will come the advice as to presses. I am sure any other brand, including LEE, might make you the dies... I don't want to know the cost of time frame... The rockchucker press and others have the adapter that can be taken out for dies that are made with 1 inch stock, not 7/8's I think. .50 Cal machine gun for sure and some shotgun die sets. Don't recall if LEE offers this feature. "Death and Destruction! You decide which end is which..." luck

I have RCBS dies and they work great. The Lee Classic (which is also what I use) works fine but you have to remove the bushing in the press and use an adapter bushing (that I bought from CH4D) since the .505 Gibbs dies are between the size of the die hole in the press with and without the bushing. In other words, with the standard bushing in the press for most dies, the hole is too small for the .505 Gibbs dies. If you remove the bushing for standard size dies, the hole is too big for .505 Gibbs dies (I think the hole is for .50 BMG dies). Hence the need for the adapter bushing.

You will need the larger bushing which RCBS or Lee will ship to you for your press.

Dirk

Thanks all, I plan to send my rifle in to be rebarreled/rechambered to 505 Gibbs right after Christmas. My reboring to 470 idea didn't pan out (screw depth) but I think a 505 Gibbs will scratch my itch.



Chuck

quote:

Originally posted by chuck375:
Thanks all, I plan to send my rifle in to be rebarreled/rechambered to 505 Gibbs right after Christmas. My reboring to 470 idea didn't pan out (screw depth) but I think a 505 Gibbs will scratch my itch.



Chuck

You can be sure it will scratch the itch! Way down deep.
Frank

I just bought a used set of 505 dies. They are RCBS and measuer 1.25 inches in diameter. They are as beautifully made as one would expect. The retail price is @ 450 so I lucked out. Thank goodness for AR!

What kind of brass does everyone recommend?

Chuck

My RCBS dies are 1"x14tpi for .505 Gibbs dies.
This is bigger than the more common 7/8"x14tpi dies in lesser calibers.

I use a bushing in the RCBS AmmoMaster to change the 1.5"x12tpi hole to 1"x14tpi, and a different bushing makes the 1.5"x12tpi hole into 7/8x14tpi.

RCBS 50BMG dies are 1.5"x12tpi.
Lee 50BMG dies are 1.25"x12tpi.

I have never found a bushing that will convert 1.5x12tpi to 1.25"x12tpi in the AmmoMaster.

The Lee Classic cast press has a bushing that does 1.25"x12tpi to 7/8"x14tpi.

I use the Lee Classic Cast press for 1.25"x12tpi.
It is big enough for 50BMG.

I am not aware of a 1.25"x12tpi to 1"x14tpi bushing for the lee press.
That would leave only 1/8" wall thickness to thread externally and internally.
Not possible. Nor is 1.5"x12tpi to 1.25"x12tpi in the AmmoMaster, same reason.

Why all this diameters-by-threads-per-inch stuff? Because I am puzzled by report of 1.25" RCBS dies that will not work in the RCBS AmmoMaster press.

When did RCBS start using 1.25"x12tpi for the .505 Gibbs?
I thought they were 1"x14tpi still, like mine.

What thread does CH4D use for their .505 Gibbs?


Now cutting to the chase:

My brass is Jamison.
My rifle is a factory CZ.
My dies are RCBS.
My shell holder is RCBS part# "505 G."
My press is RCBS AmmoMaster with bushing having 1.5"x12tpi external threads and 1"x14tpi internal threads.
This combination is trouble free.

Thanks Rip, since my rebore to 470 didn't work out (screw hole too deep), the thought occurred to me to see how much the CZ Custom shop wanted to rebarrel and convert my 375 to 505 Gibbs. I was pleasantly surprised. I plan to send the rifle in soon. I'll let you know how it works out. My rifle already has the dual crossbolts, was glass bedded by AHR etc.

Regards,
Chuck

I have a Redding Big Boss press, and I use CH4D dies for my 505 Gibbs. I had to get a larger threaded bush made to accept the 1" x 14 TPI thread on the CH4D dies, but that was no problem, the local machine shop did it for me, I just gave them the existing threaded bush (7/8" x 14 TPI), and they copied it except for the a bigger hole. I also got a CH4D large bushing neck sizer which is a 7/8" x 14 TPI die which enables me to better control the neck tension on different brands of cases (as they vary in neck thickness). I have used Bertram and Horneber brass and they are both good.

I had CH4d 505 dies (they were 1x14) and bushing that worked in a Lee classic cast single press. If you go to the ch4d web site and look under presses than press top bushing you will see item #03315-PTB which is a 1 1/4-18 x 1-14 bushing. Whether this is what you'd need, I don't know. I sent my dies to my rifle maker and he hasn't returned rifle or dies in over a year so can't check any specs

I'm using a set of CH4D dies {thankyou Idaho Sharpshooter}, Jamison brass, Ballard Rifle and Cartridge brass and a mixture of a few pieces of A-square and Bertrem brass. This is a fun cartridge to load for! Rodney.

Forgot to mention that I'm using a bushing on long past due loan from Jeffeosso to adapt the CH4D dies to an RCBS press which is not quite long enough for the Gibbs so I have to back out seater die to squeeze bullet under die to place into case. Doesn't matter for the moment because I do them slowly and one at a time. Rodney.