RCBS 44spl/mag question before I get started.

[flomofo]

I'm about to seat the bullets on my first few rounds in .308 but next up is a hundred rounds of 44 magnum for my 29-2.

The set comes with a spacer for use with magnum cases....

The instuctions say it is not neccessary for the sizer die, but I don't why it is neccessary for the expander and seater dies. Why can't I just screw them out a little more?

And do I have to use a ring with one die and then I have to take out the die from turret press to use the spacer with my seater die too? If thats the case why not include two spacer rings?

 

[Steve in PA]

1) You don't need the spacer die for resizing because it doesn't matter how long the cases are (.44 Spec or 44 mag). They will all be resized the same.

2) Flaring the case mouth and seating the bullets need the die set up correctly for the proper case length (.44 Spec vs .44 Mag).

3) You could skip the spacer and adjust each die if all you are ever going to use it for is one or the other, .44 Spec or .44 Mag.

 

[JimKirk]

You don't! If you set the dies up for 44 mag and leave them set for 44mag. If you set them up for 44 SP, then you would have to place the spacer for the dies to work for 44 mag. The sizing die will size either with out changing it. The 44 mag case is longer by the thicknes of the spacer. Get out your calipers and measure a 44 mag case, then measure a 44 sp case write down the difference and then measure the thickness of the spacer. It should be close to the difference between cases.

Jimmy K

 

[flomofo]

...

Thanks for the quick replies, it did not seem neccessary and I just wanted to check before I continued.

On a side note for the .308, the COAL is 2.810 and the calipers tell me I'm at 2.808 and it closes but it can be hard to turn the bolt down, I closed on the first round a few times and the case is pretty scratched up on one side too...thinking of starting a new thread to make sure I did that first batch right too.

 

[rcmodel]

Hard bolt closing has nothing to do with COAL or bullet seating depth as long as you are at or below the OAL listed for the bullet in the load manual..

If the bolt closes hard on a sized empty case, your sizing die isn't adjusted far enough down to take all the flex out of the press frame & linkage.

rc

 

[Walkalong]

If you don't load .44 Spl, just set up the dies for .44 Mag without the spacers. I used the spacers for a few years for loading .44 Mag, as I also loaded .44 Spl, but finally got another set so I could dedicate one set to each caliber.

 

[loadedround]

Many years ago I bought a set of 44Spl/Mag Rcbs dies and the set contained a spacer ring. Well after a few attempts to load both 44 Spl and mag ammo with that ring, I found it to be a PIA and that it was actually easier to adjust my expanding and seater/crimper dies for each case. Since I now load all my 44 Mags on my 550B with Dillon Carbide Dies and load the few 44 Spl's that I shoot on a single station press with my old RCBS Steel dies, I no longer adjust either set!

 

[flomofo]

...

Thanks again guys, I'll only be doing 44mag for now, so I'm good to go.

And thanks for the quick tip on the first .308 rounds I did.

They still chamber, so I'll just shoot them as is and then neck size them to see if they chamber any easier when empty next time.

If they don't easily then I will just full length re-size again and make sure I turn the die down some more to get more cam-over on my press.