Small Base Dies - Am I Right or Wrong?

[Bluegunner]

Possed the following on another forum and got no response, I hope someone here can confirm or correct me.

I am going to start reloading for my Browning Bar II 25-06, and the question of small base dies has come up. I have been advised to not worry about them unless I start having a problem. But I have come up with a question that I would like a correction or conformation on if I need to go to SBD's. Background Info: RCBS has SBD's for the 25-06 for about $80.00. 30-06 SBD's are available for about $25.00. Question: Would running the case through the normal 25-06 die (I already have normal 25-06 dies)and then through the 30-06 SBD with center removed work? I have study the case dimension in the reloaders manual and it apprear to me that it should plus I would also now have a set of 30-06 dies.

[reload]

If you use the same brass in the browning all the time you shouldn't have any problems with a fl sizing day in a semi-auto. If you use the brass from another 25-06 you could have a problem but really isn't any reason the spend the money on a sbd. If the chamber and the dies don't match is usually where problems come up. Good Luck

[skeet]

without being long winded..your supposition is right. And the main reason you should use small base dies with the auto is so they will always work. Isn't that the reason to use them..to make sure they will operate in the rifle correctly. You will however not get as many reloads per case with the small base dies I think. Course finding the darn things in the woods etc will help ya lose a few also:D

[L. Cooper]

One problem with running the cases through a die without the expander ball is that resizing dies squeeze down the case neck until it is a little too small and then stretch it out with the expander ball to the correct dimensions. You may end up with case necks of too small diameter.

If you already have a set of dies, try them. This whole "problem" may just go away. If you have functioning problems, then try the small base dies.

[Dutchboy]

Sizing the base is not going to shorten your case life enough to matter. Bumping the shoulder back too far will. Either way, chances are your necks will split before either will become a problem. JMO, Dutch.

[HPBTMTCH]

Bluegunner, i load a lot of semi-autos, mostly AR15, and AR10. Have never had a problem with the .223`s, the match cambers in the AR10`s are another story. If you ever get a live round jammed in the camber, it can get ugly real fast. If i don`t have a small base die for a particular rifle, i check them by carefully chambering each round by hand to see if the bolt closes fully. If you do this with each round before you fire it, things will be fine, if you don`t want to do that, get the small base die and don`t worry about it. Semi-autos are hard on brass anyway, so i never noticed the loss of case life. A 30-06 SB die will work that way, if you don`t mind the extra step.

[Bluegunner]

Thanks for the replies!!! I appreciate all your suggestions and will try reloading with my normal dies, hoping a problem doesn't arrise for awhile.

HPBTMTCH am I right that I should be able to try the resized casing in the rifle before I prime, power, and seat the bullet?

L. Couper - If I run the casing through the normal 25-06 dies using the expander ball and them run it through the 30-06 SBD without and expander ball shouldn't I end up with the right size case?

Thanks again!
Bluegunner

[Rocky Raab]

In theory your second sizing with the 30-06SB should work, but you'd need to be very careful that you didn't shove the shoulder back and ruin the headspace.

But try your standard 25-06 dies first. There may not be any problem at all.

[L. Cooper]

Since the -06 is bigger, of course the neck will be the correct size and will not be resized by the larger diameter die. Sorry for the stupidity.

[Bluegunner]

L. Cooper:

I appreciate all the help that everyone has given and I certainly wouldn't judge you response as stupid. If I was so smart I wouldn't be posting for others to comfirm what I think is correct.
I'm 63 last birthday and if there's one thing that I learned in those 63 years - it's how little I really know - put another way- I really only know about half of what I think I know!!!

[Rocky Raab]

One of my pet phrases is:

The more we learn, the less we realize we know.

Knowledge is a horizon expander (kinda like our six-decade waistlines!). It's certainly that way with reloading. The more I discover, the more questions I seem to create.

[HPBTMTCH]

Yes, blue, you are right. If you chamber each round by hand and there is no problems, you don`t need a SB die. I load for a guy`s rem 7400 30-06 and with the mild load he wants, it can chamber neck sized brass every other time. Just remember to check each round.

[Cal Sibley]

It's not merely with semi-automatics that you might need small base dies. I had a Savage 99 in .308Win. that required them. I'd spring for the small base dies. It's better to be safe than sorry. Just one mans opinion. Best wishes.

Cal - Montreal