Need some help here...
Trying to setup my new RCBS FL sizing X-Die for my M1 Garand.
Here's how I do it on my Garand.
Measuring fired brass is useless because it's stretched a little long and won't fit back in the chamber.
I take the bolt out, pop out the ejector and springs and firing pin and just set the extractor back in (to help pull the cases back out after testing).
I also get my Sinclair bump gage (that will measure the case's shoulder) so that I can check each resized case and then I pop it into the Wilson Headspace gage to check to see if it falls in between the min/max steps.
I full-length size with the die a little loose, drop the case in the chamber, and see if the bolt closes. It won't all the way at first, so I advance the die again and try again. I do this until the bolt closes so the right hand lug is all the way down and I can feel a "click" when it bottoms out. I did this with several cases.
I then intended to adjust my die so that the shoulder ends up about 0.003 shorter than the longest case that closes the bolt completely. I do all of this simply for longer case life, since I highly doubt that the accuracy difference is enough to notice.
But here's the thing, when I finally get the bolt to close on the resized case, it's now below the minimum step on the Wilson headspace gauge, well below it , by about .003 thousands. The distance from the top of the max step to the minimum step is .006 thousands. My case is .003 thousands below that, meaning when I take a measurement, it's .009 thousands below the max step.
So if I size it to just the minimum Sammi spec, which is the minimum step on the Wilson headspace gage, then the bolt won't close.
1.9285 (bolt closes)
+.003
--------
1.9315 (bolt now does NOT close) - this is also the minimum step on the Wilson case gage.
What the heck ?? Do I just resize below the minimum step on the Wilson gage which is below the minimum Sammi spec ?
What am I missing here....
ps. this is HXP brass once fired from my M1. Length of case is below max, crimp has been removed so the little 'tabs' don't mess up any measurement.
Thanks for any help.
Ken
Trying to setup my new RCBS FL sizing X-Die for my M1 Garand.
Here's how I do it on my Garand.
Measuring fired brass is useless because it's stretched a little long and won't fit back in the chamber.
I take the bolt out, pop out the ejector and springs and firing pin and just set the extractor back in (to help pull the cases back out after testing).
I also get my Sinclair bump gage (that will measure the case's shoulder) so that I can check each resized case and then I pop it into the Wilson Headspace gage to check to see if it falls in between the min/max steps.
I full-length size with the die a little loose, drop the case in the chamber, and see if the bolt closes. It won't all the way at first, so I advance the die again and try again. I do this until the bolt closes so the right hand lug is all the way down and I can feel a "click" when it bottoms out. I did this with several cases.
I then intended to adjust my die so that the shoulder ends up about 0.003 shorter than the longest case that closes the bolt completely. I do all of this simply for longer case life, since I highly doubt that the accuracy difference is enough to notice.
But here's the thing, when I finally get the bolt to close on the resized case, it's now below the minimum step on the Wilson headspace gauge, well below it , by about .003 thousands. The distance from the top of the max step to the minimum step is .006 thousands. My case is .003 thousands below that, meaning when I take a measurement, it's .009 thousands below the max step.
So if I size it to just the minimum Sammi spec, which is the minimum step on the Wilson headspace gage, then the bolt won't close.
1.9285 (bolt closes)
+.003
--------
1.9315 (bolt now does NOT close) - this is also the minimum step on the Wilson case gage.
What the heck ?? Do I just resize below the minimum step on the Wilson gage which is below the minimum Sammi spec ?
What am I missing here....
ps. this is HXP brass once fired from my M1. Length of case is below max, crimp has been removed so the little 'tabs' don't mess up any measurement.
Thanks for any help.
Ken
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