Redding Competition Shellholders
Customize Your Resizing Die!
You don’t need to be a competitive shooter to appreciate Redding’s Competition Shellholders. They are of great value to anyone who cares about reloading accurate ammunition and doesn’t like extra work.
When loading to your specific firearm, particularly in long-range bolt action rifles, you can obtain greater accuracy by adjusting the shoulder of each case to your specific chamber. The idea is that during the resizing process you resize the brass approximately two thousandths below the measurement of a fired case (as demonstrated by use of a precision mic). This allows the brass to expand to fit the chamber perfectly with the least amount of working the brass. Proper resizing extends the life of the brass, preventing it from being overstretched over and over again.
Most resizing dies are not easily adjustable, instead requiring trial and error in rotating the die body. For each batch of brass (usually the same number of firings, headstamp, etc.), the die needs to be adjusted to ensure proper resizing and optimum headspace. Headspace, the distance from the bolt face to the part of the chamber keeping the round from moving farther forward, is also important to function. Too short headspace can cause a cartridge to improperly feed or the deformation of the round. Excessive headspace can lead to case cracks and splits, a decrease in accuracy and other complications.
Redding’s competition shellholder sets have five replacement shellholders in 0.002″ increments (+.002″, +.004″ +.006″, +.008″, + 0.10″) allowing you to fine-tune the shoulder bump without having to take apart your resizing die. Each set of black oxide finished shellholders comes in a sturdy case with an empty spot for your industry standard (0.125”) shellholder. Each piece is marked with the amount it will change case-to-chamber headspace. Each number indicates its increased shell seat depth over the industry standard, the amount it will decrease case to chamber headspace through less shoulder bump They are available for a variety of calibers.
Now more than ever, people are turning to reloading to feed their firearms. Salvaging brass from range sessions can leave you with a variety of different cases, brass hardness, thickness and headstamps, especially if you pick up more than your own scatterings.
