reloading for AR?

[TrxR]

I was wondering if there would be any problems using a lee collet neck die for reloading for my ar 15 as long as i use a body die as well? I use one for my bolt 308 and like the way the necks turn out.

Thanks

 

[memilanuk]

The biggest concern I would have is the durability of the loaded rounds, vs the loading cycle of the gun. My experiences with the LCD are that it tends towards very light neck tension... not something that is ideal when the round is bouncing off feed ramps, etc. If you're single loading the rounds for HP/F-class that may be a different story.

 

[TrxR]

You can polish the mandrel to get more neck tension.

 

[Uncle Ed]

I would use a standard Forster full length die and polish the expander .002 to .003 smaller than bullet diameter.

Many AR15 reloaders on a progressive press remove the dies expander and use a Lyman type "M" expander. This gives them .003 bullet grip and you can bump the case mouth onto the .226 section to aid in straight inline seating.

 

[Chris Covell]

I use a small base die

 

[TrxR]

Im just thinking of a way to avoid moving the neck around so much. Im not a big fan of shrinking the neck down so far then expanding it again.

 

[Uncle Ed]

Im just thinking of a way to avoid moving the neck around so much. Im not a big fan of shrinking the neck down so far then expanding it again.

Forster will hone the neck of their dies for $12.50 to your desired diameter. And if you polish the expander down to .002 to .003 smaller than bullet diameter you will work the necks even less. I did not need to have my Forster .223 die neck honed after polishing my expander.

Bottom line, you still have to lube the case with a body die, so full length resizing is just one operation vs a body die and then the Lee collet die.

And the Forster full length die with its high mounted floating expander make very concentric cases with little neck runout. Read the link below and check how much your die is actually working the case neck. Some dies are only working the neck .003 or .004 and some are .008. Also remember you have no control of how much the neck expands when fired and sizing is a small part of that.

Are Your Sizing Dies Overworking Your Rifle Brass?
http://www.massreloading.com/dies_overworking_brass.html

 

[jepp2]

I was wondering if there would be any problems using a lee collet neck die for reloading for my ar 15 as long as i use a body die as well?

I use that combination (LCD with a body die) but I don't use it when loading for AR's. I also don't go crazy on neck tension and don't have any issues with the bullet moving during chambering. But it is easy enough to check.

I also have never seen the need to use my small base die set, but lots of folks swear by them.

You don't say if you anneal or not. As your case necks work harden, the collet die will not get sufficient case neck tension due to springback.

 

[riflewoman]

If you’re new to loading for self-loading rifles I advise AGAINST using a neck die of any type and body die in a two-step sizing process. My rationale is that reloading for SL rifles, though not difficult, requires good control of the sizing process. If you’re inexperienced in controlling the variables, then adding more complexity can only add to your frustration. So start with a regular one-piece die.

At the risk of resurrecting Guffey, the major dimension to control is head to shoulder (headspace) dimension. But others like neck to shoulder radius can also lead to chambering issues.

Whether you need to use a small base die or a regular die will depend on your chamber and perhaps the die maker. I’ve never had to for M1, M1A and Ar-15 rifles. But YMMV.

 

[TrxR]

Thanks. I think i will try the forster dies.