Neck Tension

[JFrank]

The original question was to decrease neck tension, but what if you need to increase the tension? Use a smaller bushing, new custom die, or what??
Reason for question is I'm changing bullets from 115 Berger's to 118 custom made and have no grip (tension) at all. Different ogive and about 0.033 longer at ogive. Dropped down one size on bushing no change in tension, loosing what little hair I have left figuring this out, probably a simple fix just not hitting it yet.

Roger,
Drop down another size bushing, if that doesn’t help drop down again.
If you are annealing, you may want to stop temporarily and review results after the brass tightens up a bit.

 

[rjtfroggy]

JFrank thanks that's what my thoughts were, I have 2 new bushings coming.
This is 3 times fired Lapua brass neck turned to 0.0105.I went from a .327 to a .326 bushing but need to go down even more. I don't know about others but I personally think that Lapua brass is going down in quality the past few years.

 

[JFrank]

With turned brass my 6bra loaded rounds are ( a pinch under) .265 OD, im currently on a. 261 bushing measured at the case mouth. I don’t experience spring back so I don’t factor that into the equation.
Good luck moving forward Roger.
Jim

 

[rebs]

Is this right, If I change the bushing but don't change the expander ball the necks will all be the same size as the expander ball ?
Do all you guys use the expander ball or a mandrel.

 

[L.Sherm]

Do all you guys use the expander ball or a mandrel.

I dont use either one on my turned necks bushing only, I dont want wanna disturb the carbon in the necks other than to brush them before seating a bullet.
I dont believe whats stamped on the bushing either without measuring with a pin guage. Same with the I.D. of my necks all get measured with pin guage.

 

[rebs]

I dont use either one on my turned necks bushing only, I dont want wanna disturb the carbon in the necks other than to brush them before seating a bullet.
I dont believe whats stamped on the bushing either without measuring with a pin guage. Same with the I.D. of my necks all get measured with pin guage.

Thank you for the reply. I will try taking the expander ball out

 

[JFrank]

Wilson FL bushing dies don’t use the expander ball, neither does Harrell’s. Just a decapping pin. I tend to overlook the fact that other dies have a ball system, my error.

Is this right, If I change the bushing but don't change the expander ball the necks will all be the same size as the expander ball ?
Do all you guys use the expander ball or a mandrel.

 

[gunsandgunsmithing]

Everyone uses a mandrel but I call it the bullet. Lol! Seriously, I'm not a mandrel guy. Been using just the bushing for pretty much ever. I understand the logic behind lots of guys going to mandrels of late, as the last step but that logic appears to be mainly based around pushing imperfections to the outside. It may be worthwhile but doesn't the bullet do that? And doesn't the case neck open before the bullet moves? That's a good subject for a different thread.

Ultimately, you're gonna hear different opinions on this and it frequently becomes a pissing match so I'll stop with that and just say that either way will work and just think it through a bit..then do what you feel best with.

 

[mikecr]

that logic appears to be mainly based around pushing imperfections to the outside. It may be worthwhile but doesn't the bullet do that? And doesn't the case neck open before the bullet moves?

All true.
But mandrels are harder than bullets,, made for doing work.
And when you use bullets to up size necks, the seating force can get high enough to cause wedging of the seater plug on noses, leading to seating depth/CBTO variance.