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wncchester · June 12, 2012, 05:00 PM

"In the .243 verbage, it says the same thing, but then lower the ram and turn the die a 1/4 turn more, then tighten. Is this just particular to this caliber? "

It has nothing to do with the cartridge. Don't expect instructions to be the end-all for precision reloading; die adjustment instructions only get us close to right, not precisely right. Needed final adjustment varies by the tolerances of the individual sizee die, shell holder and press spring so follow any instructions you wish and then refine the die by its effect.

What you want is for the sized case to fit your own chamber with just the smallest amount of extra shoulder set back to reduce case stretching when it's fired. So, set the die down until it lightly contacts the raised shell holder then size a case and chamber it. If you can't chamber it easily turn the die down another 1/16 th turn (about 4 thou) and try again. Repeat until you can chamber a case with a snug fit, then it's okay.

Understand that the full range of min to max headspace is only about 6 thou so avoid die adjustments greater than the one suggested. A 1/8 th turn moves the shoulder 9 thou, some 50% more than the allowable min to max range.

June 12, 2012, 05:00 PM	#2
wncchester Senior Member Join Date: December 1, 2002 Posts: 2,832	"In the .243 verbage, it says the same thing, but then lower the ram and turn the die a 1/4 turn more, then tighten. Is this just particular to this caliber? " It has nothing to do with the cartridge. Don't expect instructions to be the end-all for precision reloading; die adjustment instructions only get us close to right, not precisely right. Needed final adjustment varies by the tolerances of the individual sizee die, shell holder and press spring so follow any instructions you wish and then refine the die by its effect. What you want is for the sized case to fit your own chamber with just the smallest amount of extra shoulder set back to reduce case stretching when it's fired. So, set the die down until it lightly contacts the raised shell holder then size a case and chamber it. If you can't chamber it easily turn the die down another 1/16 th turn (about 4 thou) and try again. Repeat until you can chamber a case with a snug fit, then it's okay. Understand that the full range of min to max headspace is only about 6 thou so avoid die adjustments greater than the one suggested. A 1/8 th turn moves the shoulder 9 thou, some 50% more than the allowable min to max range.