OP I agree with Unclenick that you should just use what you have and monitor closely but may I ask . Do you even need a small base die ? Many times you just need to use them once to get the case base back small enough to chamber in your rifle . You then should be able to use a standard die .
I shoot once fire LC brass in both 308 and 5.56 . I also have small base dies for both and load for many different rifle in both calibers . To date and several thousand cases in both calibers I've only needed the small base die once . OK 500 times but that was one lot of brass 500ct that had the case bodies blown out from being fired in a full auto NATO chambered rifle . My standard die works fine with those cases now .
Bart B said:
Excessive sizing rarely, if ever, weakens the neck and shoulder area.
First may I ask what's your definition is of weakens as it relates to firearm cartridge brass ? Does "weaken" mean softer or does it mean harder or does it mean does not effect the strength enough in any way to cause failures ?
Second where those cases you sized 40+ times sized with a custom die that was more less best fitted to the chamber the brass was to be fired in ? Or were the dies used standard factory die for use in a factory chamber/barrel . Meaning not a rifle picked out special from the armory that was best of the rest . Talking standard factory die with standard factory chamber
I ask the second because I have a factory Redding FL sizing die that sizes the inside of my case neck from .314 ( fired ) to .297 (before expander) then back to .306 after expander is pulled through . That's a whole lot of movement if you ask me . Are you saying that much movement will not effect the work hardening of my brass or just that it wont weaken it enough to cause failures no matter if I size it that way with that much movement over 40 times ?
I anneal after the 4th or 5th firing so I never get to the 40th firing to see what would happen . I can say It sure seems to effect bullet hold and seating force the more times I size the cases to include more spring back of the shoulder the more times the case is sized with out annealing . Maybe the case stops getting harder at the 10th , 15th , 20th, sizing ? I'm not sure I've never sized one case that many times with out annealing so I have no reference .