X-die for 223

[BadgerLB]

Anyone use one of these dies in a loadmaster? I'm specifically curious as to if the decapping pin can be seperated. I want to decap and lube in position 1 and then prime and size in position 2 then go about my business... Sure would cut down on loading time for 223 if i don't have to trim (sounds like the xdie reduces/eliminates the amount of trimming needed)

 

[OKCHunter]

Yes, you can remove the decapping pin from the X-Die. I'm setup just the way indicate - lube and decapping in position one, prime and size in position 2.

 

[BadgerLB]

Yes, you can remove the decapping pin from the X-Die. I'm setup just the way indicate - lube and decapping in position one, prime and size in position 2.

freakin awesome... sounds like it will save a ton of time..

 

[OKCHunter]

That's what I'm hoping as well with the X-Die - no need to trim brass after the first sizing and trim. I've loaded 200 rounds of .223 with the X-Die. I hope that during the next sizing of this brass the X-Die lives up to it's advertising - no trimming needed.

 

[BadgerLB]

That's what I'm hoping as well with the X-Die - no need to trim brass after the first sizing and trim. I've loaded 200 rounds of .223 with the X-Die. I hope that during the next sizing of this brass the X-Die lives up to it's advertising - no trimming needed.

Can you keep me posted on how it turns out?

 

[OKCHunter]

Can you keep me posted on how it turns out?

Glad to. I'll probably shoot the AR this weekend and reload next week. I'll make a follow-up post.

 

[OKCHunter]

Can you keep me posted on how it turns out?

I picked-out 10 of the loaded rounds to run a small test for the X-Die. The rounds were developed from new RP brass trimmed to 1.740" for .223 Rem, small-base sized. Trimming was done on an RCBS Trim Pro with 3-way cutter. There was some deviation in the case lengths, both plus and minus, but in general close to the 1.740" target length.

After firing the 10 rounds, I cleaned and resized the brass using the X-Die. The average length for the 10 cases was 1.740" (1.7398) with the maximum length at 1.744". I suspect that any die would have produced similar results after only one firing / resizing of the cases. Therefore, I'll continue monitoring the length of these 10 cases after each resizing to see if the X-Die will keep the length below the max case length of 1.760". I'm guessing that it will take 5 to 10 resizing cycles to determine the effectiveness of the X-Die.

 

[BadgerLB]

I picked-out 10 of the loaded rounds to run a small test for the X-Die. The rounds were developed from new RP brass trimmed to 1.740" for .223 Rem, small-base sized. Trimming was done on an RCBS Trim Pro with 3-way cutter. There was some deviation in the case lengths, both plus and minus, but in general close to the 1.740" target length.

After firing the 10 rounds, I cleaned and resized the brass using the X-Die. The average length for the 10 cases was 1.740" (1.7398) with the maximum length at 1.744". I suspect that any die would have produced similar results after only one firing / resizing of the cases. Therefore, I'll continue monitoring the length of these 10 cases after each resizing to see if the X-Die will keep the length below the max case length of 1.760". I'm guessing that it will take 5 to 10 resizing cycles to determine the effectiveness of the X-Die.

Thanks for keeping me posted... What kind of press are you using?

 

[OKCHunter]

Thanks for keeping me posted... What kind of press are you using?

RCBS Pro 2000.

 

[OKCHunter]

2nd Resizing after trim:

Average Case Length: 1.741"
Max Case Length: 1.748"