Reloading dies question

[Hawkeye7br]

I realize reloading dies are harder than normal steel. My question....if I wanted to rebarrel a rifle to 6x223 (or 6x45, same thing) and couldn't find proper dies, what would it take to open the neck on a .223 sizing die to the needed diameter for the 6mm bullet? It would need to be .268" neck diameter. Same question applies to seating die....the neck would need to be .272"-ish.

I have never seen a cutaway of the inside of a seating die...is there a neck diameter for your .272" brass and then a smaller diameter (.244") above it for the bullet to align with the neck as it's pushed in when being seated? I've looked into my dies but there would be such a subtle diameter change that I wouldn't see it unless it was actually stepped.

 

[Frontiersman]

I've changed dies with a chamber reamer. If you are getting the barrel from a custom shop, see if they will make you a set of dies.

 

[Hawkeye7br]

In this case, I bought a used barrel in a wildcat caliber from an individual, he kept the dies for his other gun. My local smith doesn't have a reamer. So the question goes back to...is it possible to modify existing ($25) dies into the caliber I want by simply boring out the neck to the desired diameter? All other body dimensions should be the same. If so, how easy or hard is it to do that? The custom dies are pretty pricey.

 

[55fairlane]

A) normal steel? Most dies are heat treated high carbon steel , not softer low carbon steel
B) hardened steel will not be machinable without annealing (softing of the steel)
C) you may have to a chamber cast made , and contact the die companies about having a set of custom dies made up.
You are gonna have to man up and pay the price of a custom die set

 

[Hawkeye7br]

A) normal steel? Most dies are heat treated high carbon steel , not softer low carbon steel
B) hardened steel will not be machinable without annealing (softing of the steel)
C) you may have to a chamber cast made , and contact the die companies about having a set of custom dies made up.
You are gonna have to man up and pay the price of a custom die set

I was afraid you were gonna say that!! hahaha

 

[Frontiersman]

The effect would be a bit different on each die.

It would also create a sharp edge at the shoulder/neck seam on the sizing die that would make a weak spot.

You would loose the tiny radius at the top of the crimp die.

 

[55fairlane]

I was afraid you were gonna say that!! hahaha

While not trying to be a killjoy, this is the reality of owning a custom rifle / wildcat chamber gun.
Should you be feeling real adventurous your free to use my lathe and make your own die set, although I prefer having the die company make them

And if you poll my guys at work, apparently it is my job to be a killjoy, no riding the pallet jack like a skate board, no blackpowder cannons in the shop, no using the air hoses to launch soda cans at each other....you get the picture.

 

[Hawkeye7br]

My other wildcats have dies that were easier to come by. A 6x47 on a 222 magnum case, and a 270 Maximum from a 357 Max straight wall. The 270 has RCBS dies, I don't recall if I had to order them or if the barrel maker offered them. The 250 Sav A.I. was a bolt pistol that came with the dies from a previous owner.

On a side note, I called CH4D and they had a set for me. Should arrive next week.

Good lesson to learn...finding dies for wildcats gets moved up in the priority list in a new build/rebuild.

 

[DadSmith]

A) normal steel? Most dies are heat treated high carbon steel , not softer low carbon steel
B) hardened steel will not be machinable without annealing (softing of the steel)
C) you may have to a chamber cast made , and contact the die companies about having a set of custom dies made up.
You are gonna have to man up and pay the price of a custom die set

As an educated guess what would it cost for custom dies?

 

[Hawkeye7br]

Redding can run from $150-225. I found my 6x221 Fireball from CH4D for $121 delivered. He was 24 months out on chamber reamers. Custom barrel makers probably have a line on reamers that they don't stock. One smith quoted me a $75 reamer rental fee on top of his gunsmithing price.

Custom dies are occasionally on ebay. Perhaps better to find dies before committing to a build. Older calibers like my 6x47 sometimes come up on benchrest rifle sites, it was once a poplar cartridge before the PPC & BR cases took over. Ackley Improved dies are easier to find than other wildcats.

There can be many variations of a wildcat. In my case, there is the 6 Whisper, 6x221 (factory 23 degree shoulder), 6x221 30 degree shoulder, 6x221 40 degree shoulder.

 

[55fairlane]

I personally have stayed away from wildcats.....I have not fully explored "factory cartridges "

I am thinking about "some 6mm" for my next match rifle, but I do not know

 

[Mgderf]

While not trying to be a killjoy, this is the reality of owning a custom rifle / wildcat chamber gun.
Should you be feeling real adventurous your free to use my lathe and make your own die set, although I prefer having the die company make them

And if you poll my guys at work, apparently it is my job to be a killjoy, no riding the pallet jack like a skate board, no blackpowder cannons in the shop, no using the air hoses to launch soda cans at each other....you get the picture.

Yeah, you're no fun at all!
I suppose you can't use the forklift to do an oil change either, right...LOL

 

[55fairlane]

Yeah, you're no fun at all!
I suppose you can't use the forklift to do an oil change either, right...LOL

No! Thats what the over head crane is for.....the forklift is currently be used to store dies on. Why are we storing dies on the forklift? The drinking fountain is full of shavings.....