Loading .308

[Vulcan]

I am new to rifle loading so I have many questions but I will just ask one for now.

I see that there are full length sizing dies as well as neck sizing dies. Do you normally size the full length of the case each time you load or just the neck.

Are the Redding dies that are suppose to be the best to use the three die set that have a neck sizing die and a full length die plus the seating die? Around $170 for the set at Midway.

 

[SF340Driver]

Well.......your one question may have a number of answers.

If you are loading for accuracy, the process will depend slightly on what gun you are loading for.

Here is what I do:

For a custom match chamber I usually have a custom full length,FL) sizing die made with a button style neck. This allows me to just slightly resize the body and set the shoulder back -- about .001 at the base and .003 at the shoulder and a very light bump to setback the shoulder. The neck button will let me set the neck tension to what works best.

For a factory chamber I usually get a set of Redding Competition dies,Body Die / button style Neck Die / micrometer top Seating Die). I usually FL size,Body and Neck Dies) new brass, load and fire. After that I neck size only until the brass starts to become hard to chamber -- the number of loadings will vary depending on how hot your loads are. At this point I FL size,I set the die up so that the body die will size just enough to get the brass to chamber without feeling tight). I usually anneal the case neck/shoulder just before this step to extend the brass life, but you don't have to.

For a "min spec" SAMMI chamber,like what you get on a custom barrel from a gunsmith) I usually just do the last step as stated above each time,FL size just enough to get the brass to chamber). I do this with a Type S FL die,it's the body and button style neck die combined). I anneal the brass when I feel the neck tension starting to vary from case to case when I seat the bullets. You can use this method with a factory chamber, but most are cut fairly large. This will cause the body of the brass to be worked more which will shorten the life of the brass.

Greg