Accuracy
Loading Tip:
Squaring Your Dies
Rich Machholz
Squaring your dies - probably THE most overlooked facet of reloading!!
Alignment of the dies with the shell holder is critical to accuracy yet
easy to accomplish if done correctly. Once done, it need not be redone
unless additional adjustment is required. Follow the die makers instructions,
turning your die until it contacts the shell holder and then 1/8 to 1/4
turn past. This compresses the press linkage.
Leave pressure on the die (moderate), snug the lock ring to the press and tighten the lock ring set screw. This will preclude the possibility of die cant during setup caused by lock ring misalignment during the tightening. Both the sizing die body and seating die body shall be done in this manner. It is not uncommon for split lock rings to draw up crooked and set screw lock rings to torque during the tightening process causing misalignment of the die body. Although your die may feel frozen in the press, rest assured it isn't. That´s just the uneven drawing of the lock rings and thread compression.
To remove
the die, pad the jaws of a pair of pliers and apply pressure to the lock
ring, provide a light rap with the heel of your hand to the pliers, the
die will loosen and can be removed by hand. Your dies can be reinstalled
and will remain aligned if screwed in snugly.
Setting dies for your rifle: Minimal resizing.
Begin by removing the decapping assembly and turning your full length
die into the press until it contacts the shellholder at the rams highest
point of travel. Back the die out one and a half to two full revolutions.
Find a case that will not chamber easily in your rifle.
Resize it, and try it in your rifle. It probably won't chamber easily, so adjust the die down by another eighth turn. Resize it again, and try to chamber it in your rifle again. Continue this until the bolt will close with some pressure. Continue to adjust the die downward by a sixteenth of a turn at a time, until the bolt will close with a slight "feel." The ideal fit is achieved when we can close the bolt without feeling any resistance at all, but will feel some resistance if the die is backed off even a sixteenth of a turn. Each time you resize, and before you fire the rifle, the chamber should be cleaned of lube from cases.
Reinstall the expander assembly, square your die, and you're ready to load custom fitted cases in this rifle. They may not work in another rifle of the same caliber, but they are a true custom fit in your rifle. This procedure will yield maximum case life and provide accuracy potential superior to other methods. Should excessive resistance be encountered after resizing and expanding the necks when chambering, the probable cause is the expander ball is pulling the neck and a section of the shoulder forward. A light polishing of the leading edge of the expander ball and lubing the inside of the neck will ease passage.
