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Neck sizing vs full length

What's real funny is you took it personal . I wonder why ? I mentioned no names .

PS I think Boyd is a well spoken , level headed wealth of knowledge.
Well let me ask you "who were you aiming your comment at"? If it was not aimed at anyone, why would you make that comment? If it was not aimed at anyone, why was it in context with those that take the position that F/L sizing is preferable to neck sizing? I believe YOU took it personally and made your comment about ANY / ALL of the dissenters of the opinion you side with..
 
So, what I'm taking away from this thread is:
It isn't just FL sizing. It's full length sizing with custom dies to a minimum of brass movement to MATCH THE CHAMBER.

Concentricity/alignment/runout etc. are ALL very important. But they are achieved with the kind of dies and processes described above. Without variation. We know the brass is going to be a close fit still but loose enough to be easily chambered and ~usually~ easily extracted. Depending upon load.

Each load with the right process in reloading with the right dies will produce CLOSELY repeatable results. Anytime there is a component failure, i.e. brass, barrel, there is an as closely approximated replacement as can be obtained. Do you go back and make a new set of barrels if the reamer you used before is different? Or, just find a way to regrind the reamer to an exacting set of specs based on what the barrels you still have are?

I understand brass is the flexible part of the equation, but where is the datum point at which the brass chambers the exact same every time? Is it held the same in the rear of the chamber and the expansion during ignition pushes it into the shoulder where it centers? Or, is it tight headspace on part of the shoulder that hasn't been bumped back? While the part of the shoulder that has been bumped gives the flexibility?

It's that last little question about neck sizing that holds the brass 100% in the chamber vs. custom dies that hold the brass 99% and rely on expansion to fill the chamber and hold the brass during ignition.
 
So, what I'm taking away from this thread is:
It isn't just FL sizing. It's full length sizing with custom dies to a minimum of brass movement to MATCH THE CHAMBER.
Not necessarily. For example, I shot a 200-15x at 1000 this past weekend. My die was not a custom. I bumped the shoulders 0.0035” on this load. Bullets were not jammed...0.033” off light touch in fact. Powder charge and seating depth...repeat...powder charge and seating depth. :)
And...I couldn’t tell you about the concentricity of my loaded rounds...didn’t check. I use my gage to make sure my dummy round is straight so checking CBTO with a stripped bolt is true. I am a bad, bad boy for breaking all the rules. o_O
 
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Not necessarily. For example, I shot a 200-15x at 1000 this past weekend. My die was not a custom. I bumped the shoulders 0.0035” on this load. Bullets were not jammed...0.033” off light touch in fact. Powder charge and seating depth...repeat...powder charge and seating depth. :)
And...I couldn’t tell you about the concentricity of my loaded rounds...didn’t check. I use my gage to make sure my dummy round is straight so checking CBTO with a stripped bolt is true. I am a bad, bad boy for breaking all the rules. o_O

That reminds me, I took a pic of that for you. I think you kept shooting cleans so I didn't take anymore pictures of those targets.


Imagine how good you'd of shot if you'd been neck sizing; probably shot a new national record. The jimmies that would be rustled....it would be epic.

"New national record with A-Tips and neck sized brass." That's an AS thread I want to see.

20201010_084443.jpg
 
Not necessarily. For example, I shot a 200-15x at 1000 this past weekend. My die was not a custom. I bumped the shoulders 0.0035” on this load. Bullets were not jammed...0.033” off light touch in fact. Powder charge and seating depth...repeat...powder charge and seating depth. :)
And...I couldn’t tell you about the concentricity of my loaded rounds...didn’t check. I use my gage to make sure my dummy round is straight so checking CBTO with a stripped bolt is true. I am a bad, bad boy for breaking all the rules. o_O
What cartridge? What type target?
 
Let's start another controversial thread - barrel cleaning. :) Just kidding.

I don't know if it's still available, but the article entitled "Basics: Headspace, Setting Proper Headspace on Resized Cases" published in The Rifleman's Journal by German A. Salazar is a well written and well supported article regarding this subject.

Also, the article written by Todd Spotti entitled Dealing with Head Space posted on the Redding Reloading web site is informative. I don't know either gentlemen but I've been told that they know what their talking about, i.e. they are "experts" which I am not except when it comes to groundhog behavior. :rolleyes:

Even though I've been reloading for almost 50 year now and have made just about every mistake possible I'm always open to learning more to improve both my shooting and reloading; something that has value which I learned a long time ago in competitive sports and bulls eye pistol competition.

You younger guys are so lucking to have these resources available to avoid the mistakes I made. When I started reloading there was no social media or computers. Most people who reload are reasonably intelligent and do a fair job of evaluating articles / advice as to whether it's logical and makes sense. The more experience you gain will aid in this evaluation process.

Granted, target shooting requires a lot more precision that hunting ground hogs and predators and I wasn't any less successful neck sizing case which I did for years but the improved and consistent functionality of full sizing with a shoulder bump is worth the effort for me. Also, I have some expensive rifles with custom barrels so reducing wear on the lugs appeals to me thus full sizing is right for me.

But let your own experience and judgement guide you - usually you'll come to the approach that is best suited for you.

PS: Neck sizing dies make great paper weights.:)
 
I check cartridge concentricity on brass necks when using new sizing dies for the first time to ensure the die is making my brass nice and straight. Then I check concentricity on bullet bearing surface with any new seating die or if I start using a new bullet. Lastly I will check concentricity on a handful of fired brass necks after being fired in a new barrel to verify the chamber is cut nice and straight as well. If everything is good initially, there is no reason for me to ever check it again.

I know a handful of top level 1K BR shooters that have told me their concentricity gauges have been sitting in the corner collecting dust for years. These guys are shooting 5 shot groups in the 2”-3” range at 1K without ever check concentricity on rounds so you can take that bit of info however you choose
 

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