M14 Forum

mfdogman · January 26th, 2012, 10:22 AM

That is some really good info. I am on track. I already own a Forester press and the Forester dies are in the mail. I am going to start with 168 gr. Sierra MK. and H4895. I already have the tools as well. I will need you to explain the part about opening up the mouth with the Lyman M. This is the first time I have heard this.

phaed_jb · January 26th, 2012, 12:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rojkoh

While there's other powders I used to use, I do favor 4064 these days and I can actually give you the load for the "Brown Box" sniper ammo they're issuing.

Who are you, and why don't you put that load here now?

mustanggt · January 26th, 2012, 12:49 PM

I have several Lyman M dies and they are really great... For cast boolit shooting. Don't waste your time or money on them for what you want to do. No all of us don't use them. If the resizing button is out of round on your sizer die then it won't be concentric. If an M die is out of round it won't be concentric either. Point is an M die won't solve a problem if its not there. Your powder and bullet choice are excellent. Enjoy!

Butch O'Hare · January 26th, 2012, 02:43 PM

The use of the Lyman M Die is not recommended for the M1A. My advice is to follow Glen Zediker's protocol.

RAMMAC · January 26th, 2012, 02:54 PM

Please don't listen to this disinformation, the Lyman M die is not to be used for reloading standard bullets, they are for cast bullets only. The standard dies, full length and small base, have and expander plug that opens the mouth to the proper size, you do NOT use an M die to accomplish this.

Cast bullets have a shoulder that standard bullets don't have, the M die opens the case mouth so that that shoulder will seat inside the mouth opening, it prevents the case's mouth from shaving it off.

Rojkoh is wrong and this disinformation can cause a malfunction with your rifle. If the mouth's outside diameter is too large then the case will not chamber fully and there is possibility of you having an out of battery discharge.

And as for his comment that we all use them, that's a lie, I don't and nobody that I've known that reload for jacketed bullets use them in any rifle or pistol and I've been reloading for more than 30 years. None of the reloading manuals recommend this die and neither do any of the known experts.

RAMMAC · January 26th, 2012, 03:41 PM

Sorry, I lost my temper and apologize for not being clearer.

While the Lyman M die is probably used by some people it can be adjusted for use with cast bullets and when it is properly adjusted for cast bullets it uses the oversized part of it's sizing plug. If you use it to resize for jackets bullets then the smaller area of the plug is used. The M die is not a specialty tool, it is just another sizing die that has a different chaped sizing plug.

The Lyman M die
http://www.lymanproducts.com/lyman/d...idge=26&die=52

The Redding resizing die
http://www.redding-reloading.com/ext...11-Catalog.pdf

To me this is just an unneccesary complication that could cause problems and possible damage to you and/or the rifle. A regular sizing die doesn't have that larger area, it is just tapered to the normal diameter that the mouth should be opened to.

nkides · January 26th, 2012, 05:29 PM

clean cases
trim with dillon power case trimmer
clean case lube off
neck size case and check with chamber guage
dillon 450/550 setup
1. prime case
2. powder case use accurate ball powder
3. hornady bullet seater
4. lee factory crimp
load
43.3 aa2520
fed match primer
168 smk
length match ferderal 308 match bullet
2665 fps in tiikka t3 308 win .25 moa
.50 moa is springfield armory m1 a loaded

mustanggt · January 26th, 2012, 06:01 PM

I hate trimming just about more than any other case prep job, well except maybe chamfer and deburring.

I have an RCBS X die for my M1 and it stops the growth of cases at whatever length you set it up at. That makes me happy. So I bought one for my M14 as well. That speeds up the reloading process considerably. I'm a big "get the right tool for the job" guy. It makes doing a chore of drudgery a pleasure with the right tool. As an aside my wife was bugging me about wanting to downsize things here and get rid of some stuff. She said you don't need that jack and jackstands do you??? I said yes. When was the last time you used them??? I said quite a few years ago. Then she said then we should get rid of them OK??? I said not only no but hell no!!! I don't get rid of tools. The minute I do I will need it. It's like the reason to own and carry a gun: I'd rather have it and not need it than to need it and not have it. Can I hear a haleluiah my brothers!!!

geepee3 · January 26th, 2012, 06:26 PM

O.K. Halleluiah !!!!

By the way, is the dog house drafty?

To the OP, I have the Redding type S Match die set# 36155, bushing type.
And I do crimp. A very light kiss with the Redding taper crimp die.

Glenn

mustanggt · January 26th, 2012, 06:44 PM

With my first two wives I knew better as I would be put in the dungeon on the rack for my transgressions.

My third and final wife lets me feel like I'm the king. I'm only poking fun at my situation. The conversation between my wife and I took place I just embelished it a little. She's a good gal who's good to me.

Whipsaw · February 2nd, 2012, 11:55 AM

Hey Mike, sometimes it depends on the bullet you use. FMJ most likely and with a cannelure groove. I do crimp and it's very common do so with semi-auto rifles. M1As especially. Most Seating dies can be used to crimp or you can use a dedicated crimping die for 7.62 Nato. Most respected reloading manuals, as you likely know, recomend crimping for semiautos. Personally I like to crimp into the groove as long as my OAL is correct.

Ivan1GFP · February 3rd, 2012, 03:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rojkoh

Mike,

More over, get yourself a Forster Co ax pressed to load off, they're superb and what I load on. NO, do not use a progressive press, the only quality those things can produce is ball ammo. Powder charges are thrown by volume, not weight. Either get an electronic scale that can give you the right charge everytime (Lyman makes one) or weigh EVERY charge. More over, get yourself a primer pocket cleaner, then the Sinclair PP Uniformer and flash hole uniformer. these are needed for superior accuracy. Me I shoot out to 1000 yards.

PS Sinclair has a superb technical staff to support reloading/shooters. USE THIS! Me, I'm lucky, I just call up and harass them chuckle.

PPS... if you have a 1 in 11 to 1 in 12 inch twist in the rifling, the Sierra 155 PALMA MK and the 175grain MK are nice. Get yourself a copy of the Sierra loading manual and use it. Start light and work up. When I first reloaded for the M1A (don't ask how long ago), I started so light my rifle didn't function. Work up in .5 grain increments until the rifle starts to cycle. Then shoot groups (5 round minimum) at 100 yards till it starts to group nicely.... then move out to 200 and so on. While there's other powders I used to use, I do favor 4064 these days and I can actually give you the load for the "Brown Box" sniper ammo they're issuing.

From what I was reading, and also from personal experience with a Dillon 550B, Progressive Presses are quite useful for reloading VERY good quality ammunition. Palma Match ammunition has been assembled with Dillon Progressives. I only use the Dillon 550B to resize because it seems to produce the most consistent headspace of all the presses I own. I am not sure why.

For cleaning primer pockets, just get a Primer Pocket Uniformer. Make sure it is Carbide because Steel ones wear out VERY quickly. The Uniformer works pretty well as a cleaner and you can see if you are taking off any more brass which you should NOT be after the first reload.

Since there are a couple folks here who use the Redding S Die, what size bushing do you use? I have the dies but need to get bushings.

People here probably also reload for pistols, so I will ask: Why do pistol cases and straight walled cases need to be flared before seating a bullet while bottleneck rifle cartridges don't? Pistol and straight walled rifle cases get flared even if using a jacketed bullet, but why???

- Ivan.

geepee3 · February 3rd, 2012, 04:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ivan1GFP

Since there are a couple folks here who use the Redding S Die, what size bushing do you use? I have the dies but need to get bushings.

- Ivan.

I have Titanium Nitride bushing sizes from .337" down to.332". I have yet to use the .337" one, so I would say .336" to .332" depending on the cases being used. Zediker recommended .334" on LC brass. Redding recommends .001"-.002" below seated bullet neck width.
For pulled brass I use .336" or .335" to re-round the necks. This brass has live primers so I remove the decapping pin and press enough to get most of the neck without touching the shoulder.
.334" and .333" for the majority of resizing depending on neck wall thickness.
.333" and .332" for the IVI brass I still have. The IVI brass is 03-04 brass Scharch's sold. This brass has thinner neck wall thickness to start with. So depending on the neck thickness after shooting will dictate which bushing I use.

Glenn