How many of you guy's neck size and how many just full size your brass? Have any of you done both and really noticed a difference? I'm talking about a regular chambered rifle, not a tight neck or any thing like that. I'm loading for a 308 bolt and a 6BR soon. Some have said just full size them each time and save your money, the benefit if any won't be worth it. What do you all think? Thanks much.
Neck or full length size
- Thread starter quillow
- Start date
alf
Silver $$ Contributor
All my competition ammo gets full length sized everytime.
Most all the others, I usually buy Redding Deluxe die sets with the full length, neck, and seater dies. With some. I may neck size only till they get snug, then full length size them. With others, shooting max loads, I have to full length size every time.
There's no pat answer. Too many variables in chambers, brass, and pressures you're running.
Most all the others, I usually buy Redding Deluxe die sets with the full length, neck, and seater dies. With some. I may neck size only till they get snug, then full length size them. With others, shooting max loads, I have to full length size every time.
There's no pat answer. Too many variables in chambers, brass, and pressures you're running.
With my 22 and 6BRX's, I have to full length after the second firing or I get the "click" at the top of the bolt lift. After that, I full length everytime to keep my brass chambering easily. I don't really move a lot of brass, just enough to get the bolt to function easily. I only bump the shoulder about .002 to .003". Brass has only been fired 4 times in 6BRX so time will tell how the Lapua will hold up. Just the way I do it.
JLDavid
JLDavid
.
Back in the '70s all benchrest competitors only neck-sized.
Understand today they full-length size (just what I hear).
While I have headspace gauges, I check headspacing on my switch barrels with the ammo that I am shooting so the ammo fit in the final barrel setup is never an issue.
Have done neck, partial, and full-length sizing of ammo. As long as it's a tight fit with the bolt closing requiring a firm movement, don't find one case sizing method superior to another.
The exception, which is not important here, is ammo loaded for Africa. That ammo is always loaded with new fully-inspected and tested in the chamber cases that have been full-length sized. The exception to this is wildcat chambered ammo for Africa, e.g., 475-460 Weatherby, which must have been fire-formed to the chamber and then it is sized to fit that specific chamber.
.
Back in the '70s all benchrest competitors only neck-sized.
Understand today they full-length size (just what I hear).
While I have headspace gauges, I check headspacing on my switch barrels with the ammo that I am shooting so the ammo fit in the final barrel setup is never an issue.
Have done neck, partial, and full-length sizing of ammo. As long as it's a tight fit with the bolt closing requiring a firm movement, don't find one case sizing method superior to another.
The exception, which is not important here, is ammo loaded for Africa. That ammo is always loaded with new fully-inspected and tested in the chamber cases that have been full-length sized. The exception to this is wildcat chambered ammo for Africa, e.g., 475-460 Weatherby, which must have been fire-formed to the chamber and then it is sized to fit that specific chamber.
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Preacher
Gold $$ Contributor
if your shooting only light loads a neck die will work just fine for a long time, but on the other hand if your running your loads on the hot side you'll need to full length them sooner or later to keep them chambering easy so why not keep them all consistent and FL them each and every time ??????
The custom dies do not move the brass hardly at all and they are a perfect fit each and every time in the chamber...
The custom dies do not move the brass hardly at all and they are a perfect fit each and every time in the chamber...
That's what I do now for my 308 bolt rifle. I remember when reading Handloading for Competition Zedicker seems to stay away from neck sizing and just full sizing each time. Granted I'm sure he's talking about just pushing the shoulder a tad each time. Another guy was telling me to save your money on all those fancy dies and just use a regular old Redding or Forster full die, you won't see any change in accuracy between the 2. Brass is cheap enough. I've got some Rem and Win brass on it's 16 firing, granted I don't load real hot as most my shooting is at 100 and 200yds.
BoydAllen
Gold $$ Contributor
Lynn,
I have discussed this with Hugh Henrickson and he agrees with me. It is easier achieve desired clearances by having a chamber reamer made to fit brass from a Fl die than to make a die that produces brass to fit a particular chamber. When I have done this, I have always tried to find old, much used, work hardened fired brass that will end up at the largest dimension that a particular die will produce. In every case, we have used a conventional one piece die and designed a tight neck chamber to match it. I grant that using a one piece die disallows the use of different sized bushings to tune with neck tension, but I tend not to do this, and given that there is a considerable range of loaded round neck clearances that will work, one can make adjustments by varying neck thickness to get what you want. The good news is that the brass is spectacularly straight, and consistent.
Quillow,
If you have straight ammunition and keep a close eye on shoulder bump (from max, not once fired) how you get there is not so important. My question to you is do you have a way to accurately look at how straight you ammunition is? If you do not, your are flying blind. That aside, if you want straight ammunition from and for a factory chamber, using unturned necks, Lee Collet dies used before a body die will get you to a good place. Just remember that when setting bump, it should be compared to a tight case that has had its primer knocked out, not a once fired case.
I have discussed this with Hugh Henrickson and he agrees with me. It is easier achieve desired clearances by having a chamber reamer made to fit brass from a Fl die than to make a die that produces brass to fit a particular chamber. When I have done this, I have always tried to find old, much used, work hardened fired brass that will end up at the largest dimension that a particular die will produce. In every case, we have used a conventional one piece die and designed a tight neck chamber to match it. I grant that using a one piece die disallows the use of different sized bushings to tune with neck tension, but I tend not to do this, and given that there is a considerable range of loaded round neck clearances that will work, one can make adjustments by varying neck thickness to get what you want. The good news is that the brass is spectacularly straight, and consistent.
Quillow,
If you have straight ammunition and keep a close eye on shoulder bump (from max, not once fired) how you get there is not so important. My question to you is do you have a way to accurately look at how straight you ammunition is? If you do not, your are flying blind. That aside, if you want straight ammunition from and for a factory chamber, using unturned necks, Lee Collet dies used before a body die will get you to a good place. Just remember that when setting bump, it should be compared to a tight case that has had its primer knocked out, not a once fired case.
DennisH said:
The custom dies Preacher was referring to were the type supplied by Harrells and Neil Jones or where the gunsmith orders a special sizing reamer along with the chambering reamer and makes a sizing die from a Newlon die blank. All these true "custom" sizers so closely match the chamber that working of the brass is at absolute minimum, yet size just enough for easy chambering.
In this respect you simply cannot equate what benchresters do ( FLS only) to a factory chambered gun.
Neck size away if that works best for you, but eventually you'll have to FLS anyway ( or at least use a bump die.......and depending on your load intensity , your chamber, and your action.... a bump die won't get rid of a sticky bolt. Just remember your changing internal volume in the case when you switch from one to the other.
Alf is right on. My BRX's use BR dies up .10" in the press. This means, of course, that the bottom .10" of the case isn't sized. BradY and Spook had a post a long while back on it. Their solution was to use a FL die like a 308 that they could run their BRX cases into to size the base. They then bumped shoulder and sized their necks and got rid of the "click." I don't have it anymore either. It is a extra step but I have more time than money so I'll stick with it.
Good info Boyd. I use a Lee collet die, bump the shoulder when the cases get too long with a body die and seat with a Forster micro die. So far it works really good. I'm just not sure if I just adjusted the full die for minimal bump each time if my accuracy would suffer. It would eliminate a step for me. I am going to be investing in a case gauge, not sure which one. I'm kind of leaning towards the RCBS case master.
full length size but i only bump the shoulder .002 using redding comp sheldholders.
I like to have a nice easy round to chamber..... that way it's much easier to tell, when you crack the bolt open, if you're getting too much pressure
I like to have a nice easy round to chamber..... that way it's much easier to tell, when you crack the bolt open, if you're getting too much pressure
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