Question about .243 Lee Resizing Die

grisbald · June 12, 2012, 11:19 AM

Hi there. I currently reload for 7mm-08 and .223 all using Lee dies. I recently bought a .243, and have now purchased a Lee die to reload for this caliber. My question pertains to the resizing instructions. On the 7mm-08 and .223, Lee says to raise the ram, and screw the full length resizing die down until it touches the shellholder, and then tighten.

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? Or maybe new/old verbage in the instructions? I can see why you would do it, to make sure the whole casing gets sized, lessening a chance of a short stroke.

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.

mrawesome22 · June 12, 2012, 05:18 PM

^^^ are the directions that should be supplied with FL dies.

Sent from a highly hacked Android device using Tapatalk 2.

PA-Joe · June 12, 2012, 05:35 PM

Most instructions for FL resizing say the same thing. Screw down then drop handle and turn 1/4 turn more.

FiveInADime · June 13, 2012, 02:57 PM

What do you guys do when resizing brand new cases? Do you follow the same procedure?

Sent From My Galaxy S 4g Using Tapatalk

June 12, 2012, 11:19 AM	#1
grisbald Member Join Date: October 23, 2011 Posts: 75	Question about .243 Lee Resizing Die Hi there. I currently reload for 7mm-08 and .223 all using Lee dies. I recently bought a .243, and have now purchased a Lee die to reload for this caliber. My question pertains to the resizing instructions. On the 7mm-08 and .223, Lee says to raise the ram, and screw the full length resizing die down until it touches the shellholder, and then tighten. 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? Or maybe new/old verbage in the instructions? I can see why you would do it, to make sure the whole casing gets sized, lessening a chance of a short stroke.

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.

June 12, 2012, 05:18 PM	#3
mrawesome22 Senior Member Join Date: November 9, 2005 Location: Ohio, Appalachia's foothills. Posts: 3,779	^^^ are the directions that should be supplied with FL dies. Sent from a highly hacked Android device using Tapatalk 2.

June 12, 2012, 05:35 PM	#4
PA-Joe Senior Member Join Date: June 9, 2010 Location: NEPA Posts: 909	Most instructions for FL resizing say the same thing. Screw down then drop handle and turn 1/4 turn more.

June 13, 2012, 02:57 PM	#5
FiveInADime Senior Member Join Date: January 25, 2012 Posts: 607	What do you guys do when resizing brand new cases? Do you follow the same procedure? Sent From My Galaxy S 4g Using Tapatalk