small base die sets

[Kevin Stenberg]

I am very frugal (cheep) Recently i have had to buy a 223 small base sizing die for my AR. I have been putting off buying an RCBS sizing die or a sizing die and seating die combination.
Yesterday i found a Lyman MSR die set. It has the small base sizer / seating die / taper crimp die / plus it has a case gauge for the 223. Over all the Lyman price is more than the RCBS 2 die set. But if you figure the extra die and the case gauge, the price is actually less than the RCBS.

 

[Ian]

Cheaper than a proper chamber reamer and a Lee 2-die set, too.

 

[fiver]

I have heard of there being a need for small base dies, but I have never actually known anyone that needed one.

 

[Hawk]

I bought a small base die for the 270 Win. in the 80s.
My Dad and I both shot Remington pumps, apparently, with tight chambers.
The set of standard RCBS dies we had would cause newly reloaded and unfired rounds to jam in the chambers of both guns. It was not an issue of cleaning, as Dad taught us to keep our guns clean.
A bolt action might have extracted the rounds, but the pump action would not.
It might have been a defective sizing die in the original set. There was no Internet at the time to research it.
The LGS owner recommended the small base dies and they fixed the problem.

 

[popper]

Got some 30/30 cases from a guy at the range, new factory once fired stuff. Dang, won't chamber in my Marlin. Maybe the Hornady die will fix them or they go to recycle. Lee won't do it!

 

[Ian]

Popper, I just bought a breand-new RCBS 30-30 sizing die and it is much tighter than my Lee in the neck and shoulder. I can check the body near the case head and see what it puts them at compared to my recently bought Lee.

 

[fiver]

I've had a couple of LEE die sets on the generous end.
7.5 swiss, 7.65 argie are two that come to mind right off.
the argie set fits one of my three rifles, but not the other two.

 

[Ian]

that reminded me. The Lee die is .4175" at the entrance and the RCBS is .4170"

 

[RBHarter]

Popper I have a recycle bin you can toss those in if you decide to chuck those 30-30s . I have a moderately full figured 325 . No sense making scrap metal ......

I have had a match chambered 06' 760 .
What a "delightful specimen" that was . If it locked up the first time brass generally wasn't a problem but thoughout it's work ups more than once I had its own fired brass it wouldn't take back . I ended up with a paired shell holder and the tightest sizer of 3 set up far too tight and had to let the press rest full cam 10-30 seconds .