Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles Conversion dies

Where can I find everything I need to convert .308 Win brass to .243?

You can do it in one step but smaller steps are better and you won't lose as many cases. Necking down in steps of about 20 thousants is easy enough. That means you would use size dies for the 7-08 and .260 before a .243 die for best results. Either buy used dies for cheap or get Lee's RGB dies to do the job right. And anneal the necks after you finish to prevent premature splitting of the work-hardened necks.

You may lose a few, but you can do it with just the .243 dies.

Start by using the right lube. Imperial Sizing Die Wax is it, no substitutions.

Install your 243 SEATER die, backed off about one turn. (I like to cut a shim from an old credit card so I don't have to readjust the lock ring.) Seater dies are larger in the neck area to allow a case with seated bullet to fit, so they make a good intermediate sizer.

Slowly run a lubed case into the seater about halfway down the neck. Lower the ram and rotate the case a half turn. Raise the ram all the way (slowly) to finish the neck. Do all your cases this way.

Install the sizer die as normal (no shim).

Wipe off and then re-lube case. Again raise the case slowly half-way down the neck, rotate the case and finish sizing.

When all cases are formed, trim and chamfer.

I don't use seaters for this but ditto on the Imperial lube.

Thanks for all the info. Might just give this a try. However it is almost Harley time and time to hit the road.