January 27, 2023. Can you make a wildcat cartridge like the 6 Dasher? Absolutely. Hydro-forming allows you to create improved cases in your workshop without firing. This means that your precious barrel is not damaged. This video shows how it’s done by Wes J., a Forum member. P1ZombieKiller, also known as Wes J., has created a helpful video that shows how to make Dasher cases using the Hornady Hydraulic Forming Die Kit. It includes a body and piston dies, as well as a shell holder. To form the case, insert a primer into your virgin brass and then top it off with a fluid (water, alcohol), before you run the case up to the Hydro-forming die. With a few good hammers, your case will be 95% formed. The Whidden hydro-forming tool is a favorite because of its consistent results and high production quality. This Whidden system works great according to our Forum members.Hydro-Forming Procedure Step-by-Step:
1. Insert spent primer in a new 6mmBR brass case
2. Fill with water (Wes prefers alcohol).
3. Take out any excess fluid.
4. Place case in Hornady shell-holder (no priming hole).
5. Hydraulic forming die: Run case up
6. Use rubber mallet or dead blow hammer to smack the top piston of the die for forming it 3-4 times.
7. If necessary, inspect the case and re-fill.
8. Drain alcohol (or water), into a container
9. Remove primer and save for re-use
10. Blow-dry form the case. Measure the case. Wes can achieve very uniform cartridge OALs using this method. He measured ten (10) hydroformed 6 Dasher cases, and came up with these results: two @ 1.536 ; 2 @ 1.537? ; and 6 @1.537?
Hydraulic pressure is used to blow out your case’s shoulders using a Whidden- or Hornady hydroforming die. It is very simple. Place a used primer in the bottom end of a new piece brass. Then fill the case with water and place it in a Hornady shell-holder without a hole in the middle. Next, you will need to lift the case into the forming die. This is the fun part. Now comes the fun part. You insert a plunger (hydraulicram) from the top and give it three to four stiff whacks using a mallet or a dead-blow Hammer. You will now have a 95%-formed case that is ready to load.
Hornady provides a shell holder specifically designed for the hydrodie; it has no hole in its bottom. You can simply insert a used primer into the primer pocket, and you are good to go. The primer pocket is protected by the spent primer and the solid shell holder. The shell holder design makes it impossible for the primer to push out during this process. The shell holder has a grove that allows the case to slide out from the shell holder, even when the primer protrudes a little.
