forster BR full length die...

so ive been using a lee universal de-capping die to de-prime,a redding body die to size and bump the shoulders and a lee collet die to size the necks on my 260 brass for some time...this process makes very accurate ammo but as you can see there are a lot of steps...i have a full length die but it sizes the neck down WAY to much and feels like its going to tear the neck off when pulling the expander ball back through the neck....NOT GOOD for accuracy.
7 weeks ago i called forster and talked to Scott about their full length bench rest die and my concerns about the expander ball...he said buy one size a couple of cases and if it was like the other die i have forster would fix it or refund my money....needless to say i was all over that offer!
i got the die sized 3 pieces of brass and was instantly in love!!! i called Scott the next day and sent the die in to have the neck honed to .286 and to have 3 custom expander balls made. i got the die and EX balls back wednesday and got everything set up and sized 100 pieces of brass ranging in size off the shoulders from 1.620 to 1.623...1.623 is REAL tight...1.622 pretty snug and 1.621.5 is a perfect fit...snug but smooth bolt cycle...i measured all 100pcs i sized and all were from 1.621.5 to 1.622 and with having the neck honed out and the custom EX-balls i can adjust the neck tension...both my 260s seem to like .003...i also(on a tip from an old BR shoot)tried castrol 5-20w full synthetic motor oil as a sizing lube and after sizing with the castrol all i can say is im done with other sizing lubes and ive tried just about all of them with imperial being my favorite until now. $9 bucks for a quart and your set for life and being as its so thin i doubt you could dent a case using it and id bet money you'd never have a stuck case.
if your looking for a nice full length sizing die that can be made to fit your needs check out the forster bench rest die...having the neck honed,3 custom expanders and shipping both ways came to $45 bucks....just dont expect it to be done over night as forster is about 5 weeks out right now.

I was in the same boat as you, with multiple steps required for the 6x55. I was using the RCBS Lube Die to decap, and the Redding 6BR neck size die to size. I never had to bump shoulders, but if I did, I had a 6BR FL sizing die for that. If I needed to body size, I'd have been screwed because the reduced taper of the 6x55 makes the gutted 6.5x55 dies useless contrary to what was suggested before I started the build. I finally sent 3 fired cases to Redding, I'm just waiting for the die set to be made now. Decap and size in 1 step.........priceless!

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Originally Posted by Hotolds442

I was in the same boat as you, with multiple steps required for the 6x55. I was using the RCBS Lube Die to decap, and the Redding 6BR neck size die to size. I never had to bump shoulders, but if I did, I had a 6BR FL sizing die for that. If I needed to body size, I'd have been screwed because the reduced taper of the 6x55 makes the gutted 6.5x55 dies useless contrary to what was suggested before I started the build. I finally sent 3 fired cases to Redding, I'm just waiting for the die set to be made now. Decap and size in 1 step.........priceless!

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i agree...im like a fat kid at krispy cream!!! so is redding making custom dies again?

I'll have to give Redding a call for a custom die for my 223AI.

I just recently got into reloading, and had received most of my setup in trade. I had a set of RCBS small base dies, which were ok, but I needed to be able to bump my shoulder back, and didn't want to size down that small. After doing a little research, I found out that RCBS FL sizing dies tend to give inconsistent bumps, but Forster were highly recommended, so I made the switch. I love it! For my needs, it de-caps and FL sizes in one go, and was able to adjust my bump to exactly what I wanted, with very, very few off, and never more than .001". My RCBS seater is set perfectly and is very consistent, but I think I am going to have to get Forster's seater now. Great stuff!