FL size, neck size bushings, neck size mandrels and whatnot.

[Xerothermic]

It is becoming increasingly difficult to find 6mm Remington brass. I know I can resize 7x57 M or 257 Roberts, but I have 150 pcs. of new Hornady brass and would like to stretch the life out as much as possible. The question is do I neck size using bushings or mandrels (combo?) or full-length size and forget about it like I do with my .308?

I am not a competitive shooter, and I don't hunt but do enjoy shooting the smallest groups I am capable of shooting at 100-300 yards with the equipment I have currently. Sporter barrel.

So, for those of you who have tried extending case life using neck sizing with the occasional full-length size, is it the real deal over full-length sizing only? Assuming I anneal and my powder charges don't exceed the manuals.

Confused by the bushings, mandrels and whatever else is out there. I just want my brass to last as long as possible. Advice? (sorry about the bold but I can't make it go away)

 

[Straightshooter1]

It is becoming increasingly difficult to find 6mm Remington brass. I know I can resize 7x57 M or 257 Roberts, but I have 150 pcs. of new Hornady brass and would like to stretch the life out as much as possible. The question is do I neck size using bushings or mandrels (combo?) or full-length size and forget about it like I do with my .308?

I am not a competitive shooter, and I don't hunt but do enjoy shooting the smallest groups I am capable of shooting at 100-300 yards with the equipment I have currently. Sporter barrel.

So, for those of you who have tried extending case life using neck sizing with the occasional full-length size, is it the real deal over full-length sizing only? Assuming I anneal and my powder charges don't exceed the manuals.

Confused by the bushings, mandrels and whatever else is out there. I just want my brass to last as long as possible. Advice? (sorry about the bold but I can't make it go away)

Annealing is the first thing you should look at and anneal often . . . like after every firing or every other firing.

Keep in mind that the more you move the brass the more it will work harden (annealing helps a lot for around the shoulder and neck). To reducing the amount of movement the sizing dies do to brass, a custom die can really minimize the amount of movement for the resizing process, which helps a lot in extending the life of your brass.

Also, high pressure will work harden the brass, so for the distances you're shooting there's not much benefit to loading hot loads for your brass. Stick to mild to moderate loads.

Do all these things and you'll get a lot of life out of your brass.

 

[Bill Norris]

A F/L bushing re-sizing die with moving the brass shoulders app. .002 each re-sizing and using a bushing that moves the brass necks from .002 to .004 followed by a mandrel that is .001 smaller than bullet diameter works really well at conserving brass life.

 

[K22]

First, let's expose the myth started in the 60's that neck sizing will result in longer case life than FL sizing. That is patently not true. After loading thousands of centerfire rifle cases over the past 50 years using both methods, I can attest that FL sizing, done properly, will NOT reduce case life.

While I don't anneal cases, it is quite true that annealing can extend case life because it helps off set the hardening effects of working the brass from repeated firings and sizing. This has been proven. The reason I don't anneal is that I get about 15 to 18 reloads on my cases which seems like a good return on investment for me and I simply just do want to get involved with another step in the reloading process. But if you have the time and patience, annealing should help extend case life.

I've never used neck bushings or mandrel. However, since vast majority of case fatigue that I've encountered over the years is in the neck first, then to a lesser extent the shoulder area, it stands to reason that the precision that bushing and mandrels would work the neck to a lesser degree.

 

[Murray Brook]

Redding body die, Lee collet die and a quality seating die. Great cheap way to get real good run-out #'s , straight ammo and good case life. JMO

 

[Rat Rifle]

Redding body die, Lee collet die and a quality seating die. Great cheap way to get real good run-out #'s , straight ammo and good case life. JMO

I like Your style murray