Resizing 8 Gauge Hulls

[Mills Morrison]

This is for the 8 gauge shooters out there. I have a reloader now (retrofitted MEC), but was wondering how you get the lip off the new Winchester hulls?

Thanks for replies and help in advance!:bigbye:

[Paul Harm]

What do you mean " retrofitted Mec" ? Is there a 8ga resizeing ring on the deprime station ? If so, just put the shell in and pull down hard. I used a die made up by a friend and a arbor press. Was a lot of work, then Mark offered to resize them all on his press.

[Mills Morrison]

I got it from Tom Armbrust. It is good work. I tried to pull down hard, but the lip is a little big. I feel I will break something if I pull down harder.

[Mark Ouellette]

The extra thick "band" on industrial hulls must be swaged (compressed) to the normal size of a sporting 8 gauge brass part of the hull. The band is there so that one doesn't try to shoot a high pressure industrial round through an old sporting gun.

For this I will recommend two options. There are however a bunch of homemade solutions that others use.

The first recommended option is a set of C-H 8 gauge forming dies. The photo is of their normal 2-die set which swages down the industrial band to fit into English chambers. The trouble is that Parkers have a smaller diameter chamber! I special ordered from C-H a third, smaller die to fit my Parkers. The rod is to ram the sized hull out of the dies!

I use my 40+ year old RCBS Rock Chucker press for this. The 8 gauge dies are 1" so the 1" to 7/8" reducing flange must be removed from the press.

[Mark Ouellette]

Another option is the swaging contraption shown below. I bought it from a guy in British Columbia. The handle presses the swaged hull from the dies.

Please forgive me for the terrible photo! I am so ashamed... :crying:

[Mark Ouellette]

For those unfamiliar with 8 gauge hulls, in the center below are a new Winchester and a once-fired Remington industrial hulls. These have the industrial band. They are flanked by Winchester hulls which the band has been swaged to the proper size for Parkers.

Below are a hundred hulls swaged and ready for loading!

[Mills Morrison]

Thanks Mark!

[William Davis]

Never sized 8 G but if I wanted to think I would use a Arbor press and lube the case with Imperial Die size wax. Chinese made arbor presses are cheap at northern tool harbor freight and the like. Knock the sized Hull out with a delrin rod turned to fit.

Sound right ?

William

[Mark Ouellette]

Never sized 8 G but if I wanted to think I would use a Arbor press and lube the case with Imperial Die size wax. Chinese made arbor presses are cheap at northern tool harbor freight and the like. Knock the sized Hull out with a delrin rod turned to fit.

Sound right ?

William


Yes on the Imperial Die wax.

Swaging the hulls puts a strain on the Rock Chucker. My recommendations are listed above. Heck, I've only swaged a few less than a thousand. What would I know? :rotf:

[charlie cleveland]

wayne should come in on this 8 ga swagger...i had one made from his drawings it is simple and quick and easy to do....ok wayne...charlie

[CraigThompson]

This is for the 8 gauge shooters out there. I have a reloader now (retrofitted MEC), but was wondering how you get the lip off the new Winchester hulls?

Thanks for replies and help in advance!:bigbye:

Would you be kind and take some pics of the new loader ?

And if the maker doesn't mind give the name , addy or website please ?

[William Davis]

If one pass with the 8 G die is too hard even with Imperial wax C-H 4D will make up a set of dies to swage gradually like BFT said. When I form 25 Krag from 30 Krag make 3 passes. You can do it in 2 but it's a lot harder on the press and the brass.

C-H set me up with the 25 Krag dies off the shelf . Amazing what he comes up with.

William

[Mark Ouellette]

The extra thick "band" on industrial hulls must be swaged (compressed) to the normal size of a sporting 8 gauge brass part of the hull. The band is there so that one doesn't try to shoot a high pressure industrial round through an old sporting gun.

For this I will recommend two options. There are however a bunch of homemade solutions that others use.

The first recommended option is a set of C-H 8 gauge forming dies. The photo is of their normal 2-die set which swages down the industrial band to fit into English chambers. The trouble is that Parkers have a smaller diameter chamber! I special ordered from C-H a third, smaller die to fit my Parkers. The rod is to ram the sized hull out of the dies!

I use my 40+ year old RCBS Rock Chucker press for this. The 8 gauge dies are 1" so the 1" to 7/8" reducing flange must be removed from the press.







Hey Bill,

Okay, with a photo and the words above I didn't mention that the three dies in the photo are progressively smaller. Okay, my bust... I guess I will have to add directions next time :rotf:

You of course may do what you like. Me, I have been there and done that. Let us know what you end up doing.

Mark

[Mills Morrison]

I got it from Tom Armbrust. Here it is

[charlie cleveland]

mills i would think also that your new 8 ga press can not resize the 8 ga hull with out damage to it...i m sure once they are resized it will do fine on it...the resizer that mr arbrust uses is a one step resizer. wayne that lives in georgia close to you has really simple drawings of his resizer ..i had one built and it works fine..i use a press of some sort and with one easy pull the hull is resized..then i use a home made drift to punch out the resized hull but you can reverse the procedure and use the press to remove the hull...charlie

[Mills Morrison]

Thanks Charlie and thanks everyone. Yes, I don't think the MEC will handle the initial resizing.

[William Davis]

Mec's are nice loaders but heavy sizing they can fall short. Mec even recommends sizing with a Mec Super sizer as a separate step.

I had trouble chambering some Cheddite 10 G Hulls in my Ithaca Super 10 the other day. Looking carefully the cases rim was bent just a bit off square from the brass. The Mec 600 JR uses a very small size ring that’s not machined very smooth. When it gets dirty you have to pull hard on the handle to size and grab the case and twist it off the punch. Plus nothing to hold the hull square with the size ring when sizing - de-priming. Cheddite hulls have very thin brass. No doubt all the pulling and pushing out of alignment bent the rims. Never saw that problem with Federal Hulls which use better brass.

Now I size 10's with a Full Length 10 G Ponsness Warren Die in my PW 375. Prime then punch the Sized/Primed case out of the die with a Delrin rod dropped in the case, pushed with the PW's knock out rod. Then back to the Mec for powder wad shot and crimp. Cured the problem. The PW won't crimp short 10 cases the Mec won’t size short 10 cases It's a 2 press job.

Seems to me if you can get the 8's sized properly off the Mec it will do just fine priming charging and crimping.

Charlie I use a "drift" too but it's made of Delrin (plastic) rod turned to fit, and the inside the hull part I have relieved just a bit with a center drill to avoid pressing on the primer when punching out of the die. If anybody needs one I can make them easy.


William Davis

[Mills Morrison]

I also have two more dies that are more heavy duty than the MEC. They are just dies though.

[wayne goerres]

Mills before you get to carried away try the imperial sizing wax and you will find them much easier to resize. If that dosn't work you can find drawings of the die I had made to do the job. It is simple and should be no trouble to get someone with a lathe to make. Should be pretty cheap to make I think I payed $ 25.00 for mine.

[Mills Morrison]

Thanks Wayne!

[Allen Peterson]

I use the same method as big friend ten and adapted an RCBS press by removing the adaptor bushing and mounting the 8 ga case holder. I picked up a small bench top drill press to use for roll crimping the cases. This method works much faster and gives a more consistent result than the manual swage die I made. Good luck

[Mills Morrison]

Just ordered some Imperial Die Wax.

[CraigThompson]

Just ordered some Imperial Die Wax.

I've been using Imperial Sizing Die Wax for about 20 years now .

It is THE only thing I use for resizing rifle cases .

Never have used it on shotgun hulls but then I've never tried to do what you're doing .

[Mike Koneski]

I got it from Tom Armbrust. Here it is

And the lad kept his britches on!!!! :shock: Sorry Mills, but your story of returning from a hunt just cracked me up!!!

[Mills Morrison]

Yeah they like going naked. Scared a bunch of babysitters.