Thread: I don't make things easy for myself... Die help requested.

Been shooting wallabies for a long time now and have developed a preference for using some overkill on them. Mostly because it's sometimes a bit snap-shooty, or awkward positions and I can't always get a perfect rest - so sometimes I just need to aim for centre of mass and rely on a bit more oomph to make up for a slightly larger wobble zone and less than perfect shot placement. The 223 does the job well but 20-30% of extra hate just flattens them more consistently with how I'm shooting.

With that in mind, I've been using my 6.5 Grendel a lot with 90gr TNT's and it's been going great. But I also had a problematic Remington 700 300blk which needed to be re-barreled, so I went with 6mm-204 Ruger.


55gr 223 right, 70gr 6/204R left.

That went for its first outing at the weekend. And it looks like it's going to be another awesome little round. 6x45 or 6 TCU with a little extra poke. Forming brass was a simple matter of necking up to 22cal, then 6mm, then poking a primer, powder, and a bullet in before shooting it at a roo. All my brass is now fired though and resizing it is proving to be a bit more tricky... Nobody makes dies for it.

I was hoping to use a 204 Ruger Redding body die and find someone able to open up the top a bit to ~0.263". Then I could use a mandrel to set the necks just right. But the gunsmiths closest to me are all getting a bit too risk averse and don't want to chuck a bit of hardened steel in a lathe.

Plan B was a 204 Ruger bushing die with a 6mm bushing. But I don't know if the opening at the very top of the shoulder prior to the bushing would be large enough for this to work.

Plan C is to see how far I get with neck sizing. Hornady does a generic 6mm neck sizing die (046041) but I don't know if the die body is short enough to get a 204 case up inside it far enough. Also can't find one in stock in NZ.

Anyone have any other ideas on how I could size these things?