Full length resize compared to neck resizing POI difference.

[savage M110 BAS]

I am trying to figure out if it’s worth it for me to purchase a .30 cal neck resize. Right now with my reloads I do a full length resize with every piece of brass. I understand that a neck resize can be more accurate and can be reloaded more times than a full length resize. Right now I have 500+ .308 brass that I have collected that was fired from my .308 and others. Is it worth it in terms of accuracy to fire form all my brass so I can start neck resizing???

Assuming you use the exact same COAL and recipe would there be a difference in POI from a neck sized cartridge compared to a neck sized cartridge?

 

[MIRAMICHIER]

I bought a Lee Neck resizing die recently for Tikka T3 .223.I don't think it affects accuracy all that much,but can tell you one thing it only takes half time to reload.Good Luck

 

[Eagleye]

Depends on your rifle. Some will show a slight change of impact when using neck sized brass.

Accuracy may or may not improve.

As for case life.....neck sized brass and FL sized brass are not much different [unless you are feeding a Lee-Enfield with a generous chamber]
Since most brass, properly cared for, and with the FL die adjusted peoperly, fails in the neck area due to cracks, rather than elsewhere.
Similarly, Neck sized brass will fail due to neck cracks.

Annealing will prolong case life whether you FL size or neck size.
Only you can decide whether to neck or FL size.

One thing is certain.....it is not a good idea to go afield hunting with Neck sized brass.
The smallest piece of foreign material will prevent you from chambering that loaded round.
FL sized brass gives you a margin of clearance to mitigate such inconveniences.

Regards, Eagleye.

 

[hakx]

but can tell you one thing it only takes half time to reload.Good Luck

This

One thing is certain.....it is not a good idea to go afield hunting with Neck sized brass.
The smallest piece of foreign material will prevent you from chambering that loaded round.
FL sized brass gives you a margin of clearance to mitigate such inconveniences.

Regards, Eagleye.

And especially this.

 

[Alpheus]

I imagine it would shift a little. When you FL size, you reduce the capacity of the case slightly because you shrinking the exterior dimensions. This will give you slightly higher pressures versus the neck sized only, meaning slightly higher velocity. How much of a difference this will make, I have no idea.

 

[bigedp51]

For practice you can "partially" full length resize the case with a full length resizing die, BUT this means adjusting your die.(or putting washers under the lock ring) With a neck sizing die you can screw the die down all the way and the press can cam over and the body and shoulder are not touched.

Now think about what you are about to read, reloading and bullet alignment with the bore.

At the web page "The Rifleman's Journal" a shooting buddy of German A. Salazar once told him his gets his best accuracy when "the cartridge fits the chamber like a rat turd in a violin case".

http://riflemansjournal.########.com/p/articles-index.html

What was meant by this Southern gentleman's comment was he full length resized his cases and gave the bullet a little "wiggle room" to be self aligning with the bore.

A neck sized case leaves only one direction for the bullet to go and if you do not have perfect brass fit in the chamber and minimum neck runout accuracy can suffer.

 

[IronCanadian]

One thing is certain.....it is not a good idea to go afield hunting with Neck sized brass.
The smallest piece of foreign material will prevent you from chambering that loaded round.
FL sized brass gives you a margin of clearance to mitigate such inconveniences.

Regards, Eagleye.

Hmmm, hadn't thought about that little nugget of info. Thanks again Eagleye.

 

[bigedp51]

Hmmm, hadn't thought about that little nugget of info. Thanks again Eagleye.

In 1914 .303 British chambers were reamed larger to make room for the mud of Flanders fields because of chambering problems in combat conditions. It is the main reason today why the Enfield military chambers are so much "fatter and longer" than commercial SAAMI resizing dies.

So remember this if you ever hunt the meanest bear in the world, the male polar bear.
(if your balls were in ice water all day you would be one mean SOB also)

 

[sunray]

"...neck resize can be more accurate..." Neck sizing has nothing to do with accuracy or the POI. It's about case life.
"...fired from my .308 and others..." You'll have to FL resize any case not fired out of your rifle. Chambers are always a wee bit different in every rifle. That includes all new brass. New brass needs to be checked for length, trimmed as required, chamfered and deburred then FL resized. It's not ready to go out of the factory.
Personally, I wouldn't use brass picked up on a range. You have no idea what has been done to it, how many times it has been loaded or anything else about it.
"...reduce the capacity of the case slightly..." Nope. You're just resizing the whole case back to factory dimensions.
"...the mud of Flanders..." Nobody had any idea what Flanders would be like in 1914.

 

[LUTNIT]

With my Savage Axis 223, neck sized brass hits about 1/2" left of full length sized brass at 100 yards.
With my M96 Swede, R700 300WM, and Marlin 336 30-30 there is no difference in PoI whether neck sized or full length sized.

I remember bigedp51 posting a pic a while ago showing 308 cases fired until failure with full length sizing after each firing. Most of the cases failed with case head separations, not neck splits. I don't know if they where annealed or not between reloads though.

 

[Eagleye]

If a case fails due to case separation just ahead of the solid case head, the FL sizing die is pushing the shoulder back too far.
Proper adjustment of the FL die will eliminate case separations entirely. 45 years of reloading has taught me this tidbit.
Regards, Eagleye.

 

[Cleftwynd]

For 95% of us, a properly set up FL die is all that is ever needed, for both accuracy and brass life. Very few here are actually competing at 1000 yards or have rifles with tight necks that require dies other than a standard FL, even then some top competitors use FL dies over neck dies.

Eagleye knows what he is talking about, we all should listen!!

 

[BrotherRockeye]

Proper adjustment of the FL die will eliminate case separations entirely. 45 years of reloading has taught me this tidbit.
Regards, Eagleye.

Would you be so kind as to give us your specific procedure for a properly adjusted FL die?
45 years experience is a heap more than I have and I like to learn all I can.
obliged,
BR

 

[Kryogen]

I prefer neck sizing because I don't need to lube, and the mess that comes with it, and then cleaning the lube, bla bla bla....
neck sizing is just cleaner and faster

a "proper FL sizing" is still partial sizing, it's still ammo that will only fit in one of your rifles.
FL sizing is "completely" fl sizing the ammo, and it will fit any rifle.... that usually means screwing the die to the shellplate.
When doing this, you are reducing case life (but you need to do that if you want your ammo to work in all rifles).
I completely full length size all my 223 semi auto brass, because I want it to work.

Partial fl size or neck size might be equivalent, I don't know, but any FL size requires lube and I hate lubing brass.

That means I neck size all brass for my bolt rifles (and I weight charges instead of volume dumping).
That means I can use my bulk 223 ammo for my bolts, but not the bolt specific ammo in my semi auto.