300 WSM base sizing issue

[doverpack12]

I believe I am having an issue getting the base of my brass to size enough for chamber fit.
I was using some brass that wasn’t fired originally in my rifle. I checked chamber fit with a stripped bolt and had some I had to toss out because they wouldn’t chamber without resistance. That was after setting the shoulder back and then I kept going hoping I could hit the base about the. 0.2” line enough.
I managed to find some ADG new so I’ve been loading that for first firing and recording measurements.

If I get a sticky or stuck bolt the base measures 0.557, 0.556 clears, 0.555 is average or majority.
My die measures 0.555 at the base so I don’t believe I can size the base enough. Currently using a Redding body die with Redding stepped shell holder set.
Curious what dies others are using and if I can get a better die fit to my fired brass assuming they represent my chamber.
Rifle is a Tikka T3 Xlite.
My thought was to call Forster and see if they could make a die to my dimensions. I would rather use a body die or a type S Redding bushing die and put a SAC bushing in.
The searching I’ve done hasn’t turned up a small base die in production or uncovered another cartridge that I could use to hit the base diameter with sort of like a Lee factory crimp bulge busting pistol brass.

 

[Mag_7s]

I had somewhat of a similar situation with a 7RM built by MOA rifles, their chamber specs were a little different. My dies weren't sizing the case head enough. I originally thought the shoulder wasn't being pushed back enough until I realized there were scuff marks on the head. I was using a forster die at the time, I ran the brass through a fl redding die for another 7RM and that worked. I would call Forster and see what they say, they have awesome customer service and will likely have a good solution. Another option would be sending Widden a couple fired cases and have a custom sizing die made. Just pretty expensive to go that route.

 

[Wrench]

Measure a fired case at .2" from the case head.....repeat on the suspect brass.

The odds of your chamber being less than zero are low, but you could be at minimum spec and playing with brass that's a couple over.

How's factory ammo fit?

 

[Wrench]

Depending on the measurements you get, the cheapest route may be to grab a rum die and take material from the bottom till you get to the OD you need. You'll be miles away from kissing the neck by the time you stick the case head.

 

[doverpack12]

I’ve measured that particular spot, might not be exactly 0.2” but measuring on the visible line.
New Norma Bondstrike measures 0.553” once in awhile 0.5525, fired measures 0.555” and a few are 0.5545”.
New ADG brass measures 0.550”, fired measures 0.554-0.557”, the 0.557” was a sticky bolt and where I stopped with powder charge on a ladder.
Used Winchester that was mostly once fired before I acquired and sized per my first post, loaded and fired in my rifle. Fired measures 0.557” and one 0.5575” that stuck the bolt hard enough I packed up and let it cool on the way home thinking I might have to tap the bolt with a rubber mallet. Once home and cool I was able to extract by hand.
Winchester as sized prior to loading base measures 0.555-0.5565”.

My next step, I plan to size 5 or so pieces of each that have been fired in my rifle and check chamber fit with a stripped bolt. Looking to confirm my Redding body die doesn’t size the base enough particularly on brass pushed hard or with multiple firings that has expanded the base to 0.557”+

 

[doverpack12]

Depending on the measurements you get, the cheapest route may be to grab a rum die and take material from the bottom till you get to the OD you need. You'll be miles away from kissing the neck by the time you stick the case head.

That was my thought was to find a die that wouldn’t touch the rest of the WSM case and only hit the base. From the load manuals I have looked at and then once I found one that was close I pulled up Saami.
From what I found RUM would size the WSM shoulder area.

 

[Wrench]

Are the primers tight on the used brass? Have you dyed or smoked a case to see where the interference is?

If it's all from the case web, pulling about .3" should be way more than enough to jam the case head tight and effectively become a small base die.

 

[doverpack12]

Are the primers tight on the used brass? Have you dyed or smoked a case to see where the interference is?

If it's all from the case web, pulling about .3" should be way more than enough to jam the case head tight and effectively become a small base die.

Primers are tight on all brass.

I believe it is from the base. Body die with +0.006” shell holder gets 95% of brass to chamber with zero resistance. I went all the way down to a standard shell holder in the problem pieces and still had some tight ones. I then took some 1500 grit sandpaper to the base area with visibly enlarged dimension and got those pieces to fit. I don’t intend to shoot those but in my mind that confirmed the problem area as the base.

I turned one of those sanded pieces into a chamber length gauge so now I know the max brass length.
The others I’ll use to dummy up bullet seating depths or something.

I’m not following “pulling about 0.3””

 

[Wrench]

A 300wsm is a 300rum short. Same head diameter.

If you take material from the bottom of a rum die, the body taper will work in your favor.

I just took a 204ruger and made a 20tac by pulling material from the case base. It ends up tighter on the base.

 

[Wrench]

Your shell holder is telling you that the headspace is the culprit. If you ran the 6thou shell holder, the case head was not the issue as much as the shoulder.

Smoke a case with a candle and it'll show you where it's tight.

 

[wind gypsy]

My experience with cases that get tight at the web of your chamber has been that even if you can resize them to have plenty of clearance to fit nicely in the chamber, they are going to expand again and be tight once fired. That experience isn't with a bunch of different cartridges and brass and maybe some cases are different and that part of the brass hardens or does something to resist expanding that large again. My gut feeling is that in most cases, once a case gets sticky at the web in a given chamber, it's going to continue to be sticky every firing thereafter unless you significantly reduce chamber pressures. In that case your options are to get new brass or open up the chamber a bit larger.

 

[49ereric]

Use a shim under the case when resizing after the primer is out.
I used an older chevy starter shim on belted mag brass.
shim was 20 thou.

 

[doverpack12]

Use a shim under the case when resizing after the primer is out.
I used an older chevy starter shim on belted mag brass.
shim was 20 thou.

Issue is that pushes the shoulder back way farther than necessary. I’ve gone from +0.006 down to standard shell holder and still couldn’t get enough sizing at the base, meanwhile shoulder sized anymore than *0.006 holder will close with zero resistance if the base measures 0.555 or smaller.

Looking into 300 rum die to do just what you suggest but I believe it will size the shoulders to a smaller diameter. I might try it anyway for the $18 Lee sizing die.

 

[49ereric]

Issue is that pushes the shoulder back way farther than necessary. I’ve gone from +0.006 down to standard shell holder and still couldn’t get enough sizing at the base, meanwhile shoulder sized anymore than *0.006 holder will close with zero resistance if the base measures 0.555 or smaller.

Looking into 300 rum die to do just what you suggest but I believe it will size the shoulders to a smaller diameter. I might try it anyway for the $18 Lee sizing die.

I wasn’t worried about the shoulder of my 6.5 Remington mag & 8mm/338 wildcat brass.
just trying to save the brass in my case. Need a ball bearing yet to tighten the primer pocket.

 

[Piercision Rifles]

Bullet central dies will size the base more than any other 300 wsm die out there. I use em for all the cartridges I reload for. No bolt clicks. I have em on my website.

 

[doverpack12]

Bullet central dies will size the base more than any other 300 wsm die out there. I use em for all the cartridges I reload for. No bolt clicks. I have em on my website.

Thank you, do the micron dies only work with micron bushings or will the accommodate Redding, SAC, etc bushings?
I was having a hard time finding 300 WSM micron sizing dies but found them on your website.

I read a thread of yours about 300 WSM for an 800 yard and in do all rifle. That is a large part of why I chose the 300 WSM.

 

[Piercision Rifles]

Thank you, do the micron dies only work with micron bushings or will the accommodate Redding, SAC, etc bushings?
I was having a hard time finding 300 WSM micron sizing dies but found them on your website.

I read a thread of yours about 300 WSM for an 800 yard and in do all rifle. That is a large part of why I chose the 300 WSM.

theyll take redding bushings etc. ya for an all around setup the 300 wsm is hard to beat. stupid accurate and easy to tune. ADG brass will last forever. 2000+ round barrel life. not much recoil in a lightweight setup with a suppressor. zero problems spotting hits. enough energy to dump elk out 1000 no problem if conditions are right. i had 1/4 moa or better with 5 different powders and 205 elite hunters. Defiance ANTIX-XM, Manners LRH, 22" benchmark carbon sendero lite, detachable mag setup, TBAC Dominus SR, and a NF ATACR 4-20. My new wsm will be finished up next week on a long action ANTIX in the same setup except with a 9.0 tw. Gonna try the 208 and 215s in it.

 

[Mike D Texas]

Thank you, do the micron dies only work with micron bushings or will the accommodate Redding, SAC, etc bushings?
I was having a hard time finding 300 WSM micron sizing dies but found them on your website.

I read a thread of yours about 300 WSM for an 800 yard and in do all rifle. That is a large part of why I chose the 300 WSM.

SAC bushings will work in the Micron dies as well.


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[khuber84]

Rpierce is correct. Bullet central micron die is the tightest base 300wsm die that I have found. Had clickers on Norma brass with my redding type S die, switched to BC Micron and all was good. A thing to keep in mind, looking at a reamer print, the dimensions at 0.200 line, is 0.200 from the bolt face, with case head protrusion for the extractor to hook the rim, it's likely near the very bottom of the body that is true to the 200 line, not 0.200 above the base of the body, it 0.200 from case head.

 

[doverpack12]

Rpierce is correct. Bullet central micron die is the tightest base 300wsm die that I have found. Had clickers on Norma brass with my redding type S die, switched to BC Micron and all was good. A thing to keep in mind, looking at a reamer print, the dimensions at 0.200 line, is 0.200 from the bolt face, with case head protrusion for the extractor to hook the rim, it's likely near the very bottom of the body that is true to the 200 line, not 0.200 above the base of the body, it 0.200 from case head.

Thanks I’ll check how far above bottom of case my problem spot is located. When sizing a piece of brass the case head should be flush on the shell holder. 0.2 line was just an easy way to reference location of the problem spot.