Forming Improved Cases with Hornady’s Hydraulic Forming Dies
We know many of our readers shoot the 6 BRX, 6 Dasher, 6mm Rem AI, .243 Ackley and other “improved cartridges” that require case-forming. These wildcat designs move the shoulder forward, or alter the shoulder angle and/or body taper. Traditionally, these cases are fire-formed, i.e. a charge of powder is used to blow the shoulder forward and casewalls out. There are different methods of fire-forming. Some guys use a full load of rifle powder, with bullets seated hard in the lands (setting up a false shoulder helps too). Other shooters successfully fire-form without bullets, using fast pistol powders (and a much-reduced charge). Typically, with this bulletless fire-forming, a filler such as Grits is used, along with some kind of plug or wad to hold the powder in the case.
Fire-forming takes time, and consumes expensive powder, primers, and (typically) bullets. Unless you have a dedicated fire-forming barrel, the fire-forming process can use up a significant amount of your useful barrel life, particularly if you are a varminter needing hundreds of re-formed cases. What if you could form your cases at home, at your reloading bench, without burning powder or wasting barrel life? Well you can…
Hydraulic Case-Forming with Hornady Die
Now, thanks to Hornady, shooters who need to “improve” their cases have a bonafied alternative to fire-forming. Hornady’s custom shop offers a hydraulic case-forming kit that allows you to form cases just using water and a conventional reloading press.
Because fluids, such as water, are not compressible, you can use hydraulic action to change the shape of your brass in a die. As a ram or piston moves the fluid in the die, hydraulic pressure pushes the shoulder and case walls out to match the “improved” case profile machined into the Hornady die. What you’ll get is a re-formed case with a near-perfect neck-shoulder junction, but with slightly rounded edges where the case body meets the shoulder. However, the edges of the shoulder will normally sharpen up once you shoot the brass for the first time with a full load.
Tips for Hydraulic Case-Forming
The process works well… as long as you understand that it will take a final fire-forming stage to fully “blow out” the brass. The hydraulic process gets you 95% of the way there. Lonnie Hummel, technician of Hornady’s Custom Shop, uses a hydraulic forming die himself to produce his wildcat varmint cases. Lonnie recommends using regular water as the hydraulic fluid, but other shooters have used isopropyl alcohol, and some guys have used light machine oil. The different fluid choices have pros and cons. With water, you have to be careful to dry out the forming die so it doesn’t rust. With oil you have to make sure you remove ALL the oil from the case before firing. That’s very important for safety and to ensure you don’t “kill” your primers. Alcohol seems to work well, but again you want to make sure residues are removed, so that any residual alcohol does not contaminate primers or powder. The way the hydraulic die works is pretty simple. You fill the case with liquid and slip it into a special case holder. Then place the ram (hydraulic piston) into the case from the top, and hit the ram with a mallet or hammer. Lonnie prefers a use a lead-faced mallet: “Two or three good whacks does the trick.”
Ordering a Hydraulic Forming Die
Hornady hydraulic forming dies are produced on a custom basis. You need to supply a reamer print or some “finished” cases that have been fully fire-formed in your chamber. Then Hornady can build a die that matches your improved or wildcat chamber. Also, after heat-treating, each die is custom-honed so there is a super-close fit with the shaft of the hydraulic piston.
How much will it cost? Prices vary depending on the size of the parent cartridge: for cases up to 2.6″, the cost is about $175.00; for cases over 2.6″ up to 2.9″ the price is about $195.00 — but call for current pricing. These prices are for the complete Hornady Hydraulic Forming Kit, which includes Die Body, Lock Ring, Hydraulic Piston, and a special shellholder (without a center hole).
For more information contact Lonnie Hummel at Hornady. Call (308) 382-1390 and ask for the Custom Shop or email: lhummel [at] hornady.com. NOTE: You will NOT see this product listed or illustrated on Hornady’s website. Hydraulic form dies are special order items.
Photos courtesy Forum member SongDogHunter
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Tags: Die, forming die, Hammer, Hornady, Hydraulic
17 Ackley Hornet owners worldwide thank you!
It was about time! Nobody had attempted this since Rocky Gibbs experimented that process for his own cartridges.
Thank You Hornady! This Irishman owes You big time!
There is nothing new about this RCBS made me a hydraulic forming die 20 Years ago. I have used them several times and they don’t work all that well.
Thanks
Charlie
Another less-than-obvious use for these dies would be to reload cartridges that only come with Berdan primers, such as 5.45×39. If you have an SSG 82, and you want to shoot it with the optimum accuracy, you can swage down a .224 bullet, but forming a Boxer primed case in this caliber can be a real hassle. Although it’s not easy to find Berdan primers in the US, it can be done.
You can use a regular sizing die to form cases with water. done it many times. Nothing new, just expensive.
To Mr. Curry
Could you give more info on how you “water” form cases with regular sizing dies?