338 EDGE Brass

[Thelma&Louise]

I am looking for the best way to use 300 RUM brass to form 338 EDGE brass. I am new to wildcat cartridges but have read some about fire forming with pistol powder, Cream of Wheat and parafin in the brass to form it in the rifle chamber. Any guidance would be appreciated.

[scope eye]

All you have to do is run your 300 RUM brass into a 338 RUM die, and stop where the neck ends and the shoulder begins, that's all, start the die shallow and keep on bringing it deeper, until you get to the shoulder junction, easy as pie.

Dean

[geargrinder]

Exactly. Edge is barely a wildcat. Just neck it from 300 to 338. Nothing to fireform.

I use Lee 338 RUM dies to neck up, shoulder bump, and bullet seating. They are cheap, and have a very good tapered expander.

I also use a 375 RUM FL die with the expander removed as a body die for re-sizing the body only.

[yorketransport]

Like the others said, it's pretty straight forward. If you wanted to get fancy you could use a .090" spacer to set your 338 RUM die to size the cases perfectly. I like to form it from 404 Jeffery cases just to add a little extra work sometimes. ;)

Andrew

[upSLIDEdown]

I use Lee 338 RUM dies to neck up, shoulder bump, and bullet seating. They are cheap, and have a very good tapered expander.

I also use a 375 RUM FL die with the expander removed as a body die for re-sizing the body only.

I assume a neck sizing die would work for, well, neck sizing, but you'd need a full length die to bump the shoulder back. Is that correct?

I'm also looking to build an Edge, and want to make sure I've got everything I need and fully understand the sizing for it. (Looking at the Hornady New Dimension 2 Die set)

Looks like Redding makes a Body Die for the 338 RUM. From what I've read, that will bump the shoulder back, is that correct? Then a neck sizing die would take care of the neck?

[geargrinder]

If you want easy. Realdding make 338 Edge dies. FL size it and done. Problem is they are expensive.

I wouldn't use a neck die. You need something to restrain the brass at the shoulder/body junction. A RUM FL die does this.
The 338 RUM FL die is best for neck expandind and shoulder bumping. It's all you need for most of your reloading. I ran into a problem after several firings. The base of the brass had expanded enough to make lug lockup and extraction difficult. 338 RUM FL die wouldn't size down far enough ot correct it. That is when I started using a gutted 375 RUM die. Problem solved.

Between the Lee 338 RUM set and the lone RCBS 375 RUM FL die. I'm into my dies less than $60.

As far as I know I was one of the first to use 338 RUM dies for the Edge. And I had never heard of anyone using the 375 RUM die before me.

[upSLIDEdown]

That's the kind of info I was looking for. So 338 RUM FL sizing die and seating die, and a 375 RUM for the body.

Would the 338 RUM body die be an better or worse than the 375 RUM die? Any experience with it?

Def not paying for the Edge dies. Woof.

[geargrinder]

338 die is .09" too short to FL size the brass. That's what Yorke was alluding to.

[scope eye]

It is .09 shorter by design, so morons could not chamber a 300 RUM in a 338 RUM rifle, Sad Very Sad.

Dean

[Thelma&Louise]

Yes, I want easy and the 338 EDGE dies are on order. In the scheme of things, the cost of the dies is insignificant compared to the rest of the building and shooting a 338: action, stock, barrel, scope, mounts, case and then of course the bullets, brass, primers and powder. Then the trips to the range or out to a big range for competition. The dies are less than the cost of a tire for my Outback.

[upSLIDEdown]

338 die is .09" too short to FL size the brass. That's what Yorke was alluding to.

Gotcha, so what about a 300 RUM body die? Or is the gutted 375 still the best option? I have ZERO experience with a body die, but I assume the neck/shoulder wouldn't matter since it's a body die... Am I wrong?


It is .09 shorter by design, so morons could not chamber a 300 RUM in a 338 RUM rifle, Sad Very Sad.

Dean

Hah, sad indeed. People are stupid.

[geargrinder]

300 RUM die will bring the neck back down to 300. 375 won't touch the neck.

[upSLIDEdown]

So a "body die" still sizes the neck? That's dumb. Lol

[geargrinder]

Not normally but can when used with a much larger neck than the die was intended for.

Carlocks first dies were Redding bushing dies for a 300 RUM that he opened up the neck area.

[upSLIDEdown]

Gotcha. Makes sense. I appreciate all the info. Looks like it's going to be my next build, just want to make sure I've got it all straight before I dive into it. :)