Forster vs RCBS

[Grimstod]

I have been putting my Forster Dies through the sizing process tonight. I can report that the FL sizing die sizes brass exactly the same as the RCBS. All critical dominions are exactly the same when brass is resized in both dies, with ONE exception. The base of the body just as it meets the web is .004ths wider on the Forster. This is better because on inspection of my reloading books The Forster Die gets the numbers right dead on. The RCBS die is just a little to small at the mouth. As many of you know this rejoins is very critical to brass life as case splits ofter appear here first. Kudos to Foster for getting this critical dimension spot on. Next up is seating bullets. I will be doing a video soon. Should be pretty long as these dies are quite complicated so there is lots to talk about.

[kermit]

where do you guys obtain brass for 7.62X54R ?

[Grimstod]

Lapua, Winchester, PPU to name a few. You can get it direct or through resellers like MidwayUSA or SGsales and AIMsurplus.

[Shepard]

Lapua, Winchester, PPU to name a few. You can get it direct or through resellers like MidwayUSA or SGsales and AIMsurplus.

I just wrote Winchester a letter and requested information to buy Winchester brass without it being loaded ammunition. They have a fair supply of unloaded brass but not in 7.62x54r -- I share there response if they answer my.

I have brass from 3 suppliers and when you size them you can tell the quality of one is poor and the 2 others are very good.

[kermit]

Shepard
I have brass from 3 suppliers and when you size them you can tell the quality of one is poor and the 2 others are very good.

so which brass sucks??? I am just getting into reloading been shooting steel surplus so far, but I have done smith-sights mods to a couple of my MN 1-91-30 and 1- T53 and would like to try hand loads. I have 20 Winchester white box casing I fired last time out.
for my Swedish mauser buy traing rounds (wooden bullets) pull wood and dump powder and reload with ppu 6.5X55 projo and use good powder. 800 wood bullets are $35 from samco. less than $.05 for primed brass.

[Grimstod]

Something else I am noticing is that brass run through the RCBS has noticeable scratches. The Forster leaves them nice and smooth. I am very surprised by this because visually the inside of the die of the RCBS looks smoother perhaps that hardening proses that Forster uses is making the difference.

[Shepard]

Shepard
I have brass from 3 suppliers and when you size them you can tell the quality of one is poor and the 2 others are very good.

so which brass sucks??? I am just getting into reloading been shooting steel surplus so far, but I have done smith-sights mods to a couple of my MN 1-91-30 and 1- T53 and would like to try hand loads. I have 20 Winchester white box casing I fired last time out.
for my Swedish mauser buy traing rounds (wooden bullets) pull wood and dump powder and reload with ppu 6.5X55 projo and use good powder. 800 wood bullets are $35 from samco. less than $.05 for primed brass.

Well I was lucky to get 300 lapua shells when Dmytry post the one sales site. I think they were old stock they wanted to dump -- they came in cardboard boxes. I have 100 I paid dearly for and they were new stock and came in a plastic box.I have 150 Winchester shells - once fired. Both the Lapua and Winchester cases require more force to fullength size them the PPU. I have about 250 PPU shells and I know there a lot thinner then the others. I've loaded my PPU brass 5-6 times and now I use the for gallery loads.

Ben -- is the die a full length die or a neck only die? What kind of lube are you using? Doesn't matter what type die you use -- lube is your friend. The only die that requires no lube is the collet die. Do you clean your brass before you size it? I've had the same problem in the past and now I tumble my brass 15 minutes before I resize it and It sizes easier. I use Hornady One Shot case lube. One last thing -- I clean my die out and buff it with a polishing clothe.

[Grimstod]

Both are FL sizing dies.
I use redding case lube. Only on the body.
I clean aggressively especially inside neck area.
Dies get cleaned between every set of 20 shells.
Sizing, like I said is very easy with the Forster. I can do it with just two fingers.

[gandog56]

I see Graf and Sons finally got some Prvi Partizan 7.62X54R brass in stock again.

[Grimstod]

You know I forgot to put up my Forster review.

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