ThadJB said:
I pick the bushing that gives me the finished neck diameter that I want.
If neck expanding is necessary, I use Lyman "M" dies to iron out neck dents, like in a bunch of new bulk cases.
So, CatShooter, how do you choose the neck size you want??
And, when you talk about bulk brass.... You mean like the 221 FB ? :thumb:
"... And, when you talk about bulk brass.... You mean like the 221 FB ?"
When you talk about bulk .221 FireBall,
you're talkin' about THREE PIECES!
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On choosin' the right bushing size... this is both not as easy as some would say, and not as critical as the anal compulsives would say.
The Bushing dies first came out to cater to the tight neck crowd. So in the tight neck, if there is 0.001" total clearance, then, for the most part, sizing down 0.002" is enough to get the case to hold the bullet, so it won't "fall out". The BR cartridge only needed to survive the trip from the bench to the chamber. Also, remember that many seat the bullet too long, and let the chambering do the final seating.
So, in the beginning, the rule was 1 or 2 thou smaller than the loaded neck diameter.
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But then the anal compulsives got a hold of it, and they say you can "control neck tension" with the bushings... that's BS.
Brass is not precise enough to get that kind of control. If you anneal 100 cases, and then size them with a bushing die, then measure the force generated in seating the bullets, you will find that it varies from case to case. I have been through this over and over... including pulling out the harder cases, and re-annealing them. No deal :,
But the other side is that it takes a couple of hundred pounds to start a bullet into the rifling, so a few ounces difference gets lost in the process.
You can use a bushing that is 2 thou or 3 or 4 thou under loaded neck dia - it'll be fine. You should anneal cases every "X" number of firings.
"X" is determined by the thickness of the neck wall in microns, divided by your personal "AQ" number.
,AQ is your "Anal Quotient" number

)... or every 5 or 8 or 10 or so firings, if you are not anal.
In picking a bushing size if you are not shooting a tight or "no turn" neck,you're shooting a "factory" chamber) remember that the neck can wind up SMALLER than the bushing size, and the right bushing might wind up being larger than the loaded neck diameter,I know that doesn't make sense, but trust me on this one - I have the tee shirt)...
... so you might wind up with a few bushings as you go through some trial and error.
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