Myhandle87, yes I have, someone near Ft. Worth, TX ask the same question on another forum, he got the same answers, more opinions than answers, I contacted him outside the forum and offered to help him, I formed 60 cases and sent him 54, I kept 6 in case there was a question.
I used LC 68 Match unfired for 20, I used 20 Remington unfired (new cases) and 20 Winchester once fired cases.
I set the beginning of the shoulder on the LC cases at 1. 867, datum at 1.931 and told him he would be able to load, primer, powder and bullet, then chamber and fire.
I set the beginning of the shoulder on the Remington cases at 1.872, datum at 1.936 and told him he would be able to load, primer, powder and bullet then chamber with slight resistance.
I set the beginning of the shoulder on the Winchester cases at 1.877, datum at 1.941 and told him the cases would not chamber and would require full length sizing, that is the shoulder would have to be moved back at least .005 thousands. I did not say the shoulder would require 'bumbing' because bumping sounds too much like an accident, and to 'bump' requires a cam-over press.
I met him at the Market Hall Gun Show while visiting Don Wooldridge, by this time he had fired each case at least 5 times, The LC chambered, the Remington chambered with slight resistance and he had to size the the Winchesters as instructed. I told him I could have gotten all 54 cases alike if I had fired cases or started with the chamber.
I do not have a 7.7 forming die, I used an 8X57 by adjusting the gap between the shell holder and bottom of the die with a feeler gage.
The datum is not a line, it is a circle, a hole, a round hole, the datum for the 30/06 and 7.7 is the same, 3/8, .375, I measured the datum, the distance from the circle round hole of .375 with home made tools. I told Dale the LC were .005 under a go-gage, the Remington were go-gages and the Winchester were no-go gages.
Final sizing was accomplished with a set of C&H dies from El Monte, California.
When forming cases I prefer military because of the absence of a caliber specific head stamp.
F. Guffey