7.5 Swiss progress

Got the full-length die set in(yay!) and, since this involves both expanding the neck of the cases from .284 to .308 and setting the shoulder back a touch, I decided to invest in a can of Imperial Sizing Die Wax, which Midway has on sale right now.

It's a small tin full of a medium-hard whitish wax. Rub your finger across it and it does come off on your skin. Gave it a try and this stuff is great! Slick as the proverbial greased owl snot. The label says 'Use Very Sparingly' and they're not kidding. I wiped a coat on the cases, and used a cotton swab to wipe some inside the case neck. All 50 cases went through very nicely, no splits or other problems, and all fit- the bolt closes and locks on them with no problem.

One reason I wanted to load is so I can work up some cast-bullet loads for practice, and I think I'll use these for the first firing of these cases, both to work up the load and to fire-form the cases to the chamber. Checking some of the gun boards I found a couple of load suggestions. I've got a RCBS mold that throws a 150-grain gas-check bullet that I use for .30-30; it also works nicely in a .308 I tried it in. I'm going to try it in the 1903A3 when I get a chance, and if it works well in the 7.5 I'll have a bullet I can get a LOT of use out of. And one of the powders suggested is 2400. This is one of my favorite powders for a number of things, partly because it meters so well; it flows through a powder measure like water, no binding or sticking. I use it in a cast-bullet load for 8mm and .30-30, so I'm hoping it works well here also. A lot of people say they get the best results with a heavier bullet; we'll see how this goes.

Not just for the 7.5: Midway also has factory seconds of the Caldwell 5.5" stick-on targets on sale, the kind that changes color around a bullet hole so it's easier to see at a distance: pack of 50 for $3.99. I ordered some same time as the sizing wax. I have no idea why they're seconds, I can't find a thing wrong with them. And since the usual price is about $15, if you use these I'd suggest ordering while they've still got them.