New 8 gauge paper hulls

[Milton C Starr]

Originally Posted by Arthur Shaffer

That looks good. I checked the dimensions, and it looks to me like 23.5 mm is a little big. All the new cases I have seem to measure about .912 to .914. I am guessing that to get right on, the best plan would be to use a 0.875 (7/8) hole then bore them to the exact dimension. Looked on eBay and found that a common item is a Heim rod fitting for custom suspensions. I ordered a set of two for $15. They are threaded for 7/8 studs inside and are 1-1/4" outside with a 1-1/2" hex flange on one end. Inside bore to .912 and thread the outside to 1-1/4 thread and you have a resizing die. I think I will make 2; one tapered for the first 1/2 inch to make the entry easier and the second straight walled to take the sizing all the way to the rib.

My chambers are .925 which comes out to 23.5mm, I have been told American 8 gauges can run tight on the chambers though but I have never measured one. Toms in his book talks about measurements on old 8 gauge rounds and he got .924-.925 but they may have been English hulls I dont think he mentions the brand. My sizing die has one side that is a little tighter then the .925 side. The Winchesters I can resize in one motion with very little lube. The Remingtons I have to do in 2 stages and they have to be greased up a bit. The rim on the Rems are a bit chunky so sometimes I will have to run them back through the die. I dont have any sort of reloading press I just use a 1 ton arbor press for everything I need. Though I think you could probably resize the Winchesters using the downward stroke on the drill press. They dont take much to swage down, probably because the brass is one piece compared to the 2 piece Remingtons.

[6pt-Sika]

Not saying it’s better or worse , however the setup I got from Ken Burns screws in a press . One stroke down to resize then one stroke on the plunger to knock it out . The WIN hulls go thru easy enough unlubed the REM hulls I lube and piece of cake . Granted Burns setup is about $300 , but in the whole scheme of things that isn’t squat . Simplicity and quickness are important to me . My enjoyment out of loading isn’t what it was , not saying I don’t like it anylonger but I loose intrest a good bit quicker now .