09 August 2004, 14:18
gsh284winRe: Reloading dies for my .22-250 varmint rig ???
In the above post, I should have said Redding Type S die, not Wilson type S die...Sorry about that.....
09 August 2004, 06:52
gsh284winLee collet dies: I thought I might share some thoughts on the disadvantages of the collet dies: they work great for a while and I think they are quality made dies.However, after the brass has been resized several time( 4-6 times) it begins to get a little hard, depending on brass quality, caliber, and many other factors, and therefore will begin to spring back more and more, giving inconsistent neck tension. If you are using bushing type dies, you can always go to another size bushing when this happens and continue to get good, consistent neck tension. On most varmint calibers, I have found that about .001 to .0015 neck tension is about right for giving the best neck tension for proper "burn" and allowing the bullet to seat straight in the case for best concentricity. I have also found that the more neck tension you have, the more difficult it is to seat bullets straight and completely concentric with the cartridge case. I have also found, though years of expermenting, that cartridges that have .0005 of bullet runout,or less, will group much tighter than cartridges with say, .002 runout or more. If you turn necks, then the regular bushing die is great, however, if you don't turn necks, then the Wilson type S die with the floating carbide expander button is appropriate. One more thing, Redding busings are great, however they are the same size on both sides, whereas the Wilson bushings are .0005 or 1/2 thousands smaller/larger on each side....For example, the side with the number on it, turned DOWN in the die, will size the case neck 1/2 thousands more,than if the number on the the bushing is turned UP. With these bushings, you can "tweak" your neck tension very closely. Just rambling thoughts that have helped me "shrink" groups over the past 45 years of reloading and since I'm one who loves to test and always expermenting with different techniques and methods, there are some things that I have come to realize that you can "carve in granite"! Hope this makes sense and helps a little. There are some other things that will contribute to tighter groups,but thats another story....Good luck..
09 August 2004, 14:52
gsh284winSharpsman,
Yes, the Wilson busings are exactly the same size, externally, as the Redding...I use them all the time in my Redding dies.....I think you'll like them....If I can help any further, please feel free to "holler" at me...
George
08 August 2004, 17:34
RareBearBeen using a Wilson neck die and seater die for every reload; a Redding body die to bump the shoulder (only) back every third firing or so.