Long story long,
I bought a 'Match Built' M1A years ago that was put together by USMC 2112 SSgt. Isaac 'Chicken Mack' McCaskill of Cassat Gun Works in SC. The rifle was built back in the early 2000's as a 'backup' match rifle for high power and was barely (if ever) shot. It's one of the most accurate semi-auto rifles I own, and it's a LOT of fun to shoot because of that.
That being said, I have YET to be able to reload for it because my Redding Competition Dies don't size the base of my brass small enough to chamber in that rifle. I have checked the brass I size with that same die in other M14's/M1a's and while tight, they DO chamber and the bolt locks up(tighter in one more than the other).
So I plugged a question a few years back on another forum and was told I need a 'small base die'...well, I'm finally ready to revisit reloading for this particular rifle, and I found 3 different options from Redding (yes, i'm a 'buy once cry once' kinda guy when it comes to reloading). So does anyone know if I should get a Small Base Body Die, a Small Base Full Length Die, or a Type S Full Length Bushing Die to complete the task at hand?
I hate the idea of over-sizing cases, but not as much as I hate the idea of trying to buy factory match quality ammo right now! I've never used a Type S bushing die, but they seem fairly straight forward if you're using it on brass from the same rifle all the time (this is my only .308 with chambering issues from my current dies).
Is it worth the cost/headache? Will I still be able to maintain some good accuracy with my reloads if utilizing one of these options? OR, should I sell the rifle to someone that can afford thousands of rounds of M118 and just buy something else?
Thanks in advance, gentlemen!
Semper Fi!
I bought a 'Match Built' M1A years ago that was put together by USMC 2112 SSgt. Isaac 'Chicken Mack' McCaskill of Cassat Gun Works in SC. The rifle was built back in the early 2000's as a 'backup' match rifle for high power and was barely (if ever) shot. It's one of the most accurate semi-auto rifles I own, and it's a LOT of fun to shoot because of that.
That being said, I have YET to be able to reload for it because my Redding Competition Dies don't size the base of my brass small enough to chamber in that rifle. I have checked the brass I size with that same die in other M14's/M1a's and while tight, they DO chamber and the bolt locks up(tighter in one more than the other).
So I plugged a question a few years back on another forum and was told I need a 'small base die'...well, I'm finally ready to revisit reloading for this particular rifle, and I found 3 different options from Redding (yes, i'm a 'buy once cry once' kinda guy when it comes to reloading). So does anyone know if I should get a Small Base Body Die, a Small Base Full Length Die, or a Type S Full Length Bushing Die to complete the task at hand?
I hate the idea of over-sizing cases, but not as much as I hate the idea of trying to buy factory match quality ammo right now! I've never used a Type S bushing die, but they seem fairly straight forward if you're using it on brass from the same rifle all the time (this is my only .308 with chambering issues from my current dies).
Is it worth the cost/headache? Will I still be able to maintain some good accuracy with my reloads if utilizing one of these options? OR, should I sell the rifle to someone that can afford thousands of rounds of M118 and just buy something else?
Thanks in advance, gentlemen!
Semper Fi!