Neck Tension

[gunrack]

In your opinion or experience on a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being doesn't matter with 10 being got to have light neck tension. Where do you feel that neck tension ranks?

I do not know what to believe at this point. Some shooters feel strongly that you need just enough to be able to un-chamber your round without pulling the bullet from the case if you are jammed in the lands. Others say that it doesn't matter if you have .002" or .010".

I try to get all of mine with .003" do not know how that effects me at ranges over 200 yards because I have only shot paper targets on a 200 yard range. I do know that I do not have near as good of luck with good groups when I feel a lot of resistance while seating my bullets.

Thanks for your thoughts.

 

[dkhunt14]

I believe unless you are shooting at 600 plus it won't show as much. I think it matters on what hardness your brass is, and how thick. It could even have to do with bullet used, diameter of bullet, amount of freebore and where the bullet is. (jump or jam) Maybe even powder type used. Maybe even the caliber used.

I have noticed that at 1000 yards, my guns, both Dasher and a 300 WSM have shot better and more consistent with more tension. Less vertical and smaller clusters of bullets. I am a in the lands shooter. It might work better that way because of the bullet not moving when you close the bolt. When I used less tension I seemed to get the bullets that wanted to leak out of the group. (Fliers) Matt

 

[RemingtonAI]

I run about .003 neck tension for my .308 and get great results given the caliber and the distance I'm shooting. It'll pretty consistently hit a 5" circular gong at 600yrds with some misses here and there due to my wind call. Personally I know this is an area that could be lightened up some to maybe achieve a little better accuracy, but maybe not. I would usually test it but I know with .003 neck tension that my bullets aren't going anywhere if I drop em or hit the feed ramp on the way in or something. Now, if I wasn't getting .5moa groups then maybe I would try less tension but robustness is my main concern in that area. That being said, the rest of the gun shares this same philosophy, utilizing a Harris bipod up front and an accushot monopod mounted to the chassis for a rear rest. So obviously i have gone on the side of ease of use and ruggedness for the whole rifle which plays a big part in my ruling for neck tension. I would evaluate the system as a whole and what it's needs are and if there's any reason why you HAVE to run more neck tension at the possible expense of bench rest accuracy. That's just what i do and why. Dunno if that helps any though. Good luck

 

[Joe R]

gunrack said:
In your opinion or experience on a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being doesn't matter with 10 being got to have light neck tension. Where do you feel that neck tension ranks?

As Matt pointed above there are many factors that affect neck tension, so a close analysis of the factors and examination of one's brass preparation practices is critical.

In a hand loading seminar here in Houston a couple of years ago, Erik Cortina put it in a very concise manner:
The Holy Trinity of precision hand loading are:
1. Powder
2. Neck Tension
3. Seating Depth

I have found that to be absolutely true. When I bought my hydro press I thought I was wasting my money, then I tried seating a few bullets and discovered that what I considered light neck tension was actually way above the maximum that the press measured. The press paid for itself in less than 10 minutes because it quantified what I thought was "light" neck tension and really wasn't. That started me on a journey to really understand neck tension and its effects on precision.

Very light neck tension can be problematic because it releases the bullet very early and therefore optimal pressure/velocity is not attained. I have increased powder to increase velocity while maintaining less than 10# neck tension and had problems with case capacity. Couldn't put enough powder in the case. So I had to move the bullet further out and extend the throat of my barrel. It is a very fine balancing act that only the most OCD personalities should undertake.

Having said all the above neck tension is a lot like Goldilocks and the porridge: too little is not ideal nor is too much. Somewhere in there is "just right" and it probably varies by caliber, neck thickness, brass hardness, etc....

Joe

 

[Alex Wheeler]

I would rate powder, seating, primer selection, bullet selection, and tension all equally important. If one is wrong, you gun wont shoot.

 

[UltraBR30]

Neck tension and seating often can go hand in hand. Getting scatter at a seating depth a change to the tension may offset it or getting scatter at a neck tension change the seating. not that they always interpret each other but often work that way.
Philip

 

[Shynloco]

For what's worth, IMHO, neck tension is a matter of "Fine Tuning" once all the aforementioned criteria for loading is met, thus producing an accurate load. In short, if the load doesn't perform in your rifle, neck tension alone, won't make it that much better. A bad load is still a bad load and your rifle will tell you that on the target downrange. Just my .02 worth.

 

[dkhunt14]

I can do a lot of tuning with seating depth and tension. It changes the size and shape of a group. Most BR rifles shoot best at top loads. Pressure up and they burn cleaner. That is most times where the best accuracy comes from. If you look at a Dasher for example and ask all the shooters on the firing line at a 1000 yard BR match. Most are within .5 grain of powder. The usual differences is bullet shot and freebore. It is the same with a 300 WSM. Matt