Looking for advice on collet resizing and headspace gauge checks

Jerry have you ever used a Forster full length benchrest die with its floating expander?

Simply installing a Forster spindle and expander assembly on the Redding die below reduced neck runout to .001 or less. Too many people think that using a expander is the end of the world when its not. Just polish the expander and lube the inside of the case neck and it will be slicker than snot on a door knob. :d

kWbieba.jpg


Care Feeding and Maintenance of Precision Rifles Part III – Making Ammo
https://rifletalk.org/2015/05/24/care-feeding-and-maintenance-of-prcision-rifles-part-iii-making-ammo/

"I recommend that newer shooters Full Length resize – if you really want to, you can always neck size down the road as you get more experienced with reloading. With neck sizing you can run into feeding issues and so, especially for a hunting or tactical rifle where you certainly want the round to easily chamber every time, FL sizing is the better choice. As a matter of fact while I neck size for my F-Open and F/TR rifles, I do FL resize for everything else and to be perfectly frank I am actually leaning towards the view that I am not able to see any appreciable difference in accuracy using a neck die over a FL die. On this issue some pretty knowledgeable guys ( like Kevin Thomas of Team Lapua USA for example ) are quite strongly of the view that neck sizing of brass gives no advantages at all."

Full Length Resizing vs Neck Resizing
http://www.larrywillis.com/resizing.html

"The main goal for most reloaders is to make the most accurate handloads possible, and that often leads shooters to see how benchrest shooters are reloading. After all, nobody gets better accuracy than a good benchrest shooter. One question for reloaders is deciding whether to Neck Size (NK) or Full Length (FL) resize their cases. I used to neck size (decades ago), but I now prefer to FL resize all rifle calibers. Most benchrest shooters today use FL dies, because when full length resizing is done accurately . . . . there are no advantages to neck sizing."

On the flip side of this I do neck size my .303 British cases and use a case forming and trim die to bump the case shoulder. "BUT" this is because SAAMI full length dies are so much smaller than the Enfield chamber.

Also all my rifles are off the shelf factory rifles and I do not shoot in any form of competition. Meaning my replies are for the average reloaders that do not have expensive custom rifles and shoot in competition.

Bottom line I have five Lee collet dies but prefer using the Forster full length benchrest dies and benchrest seating dies.
 
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Thanks for the great info Jerry, I do regularly anneal and have never experienced a case neck split. In my earlier days of reloading I did experience poor case life because of case head seperation, which was my lack of knowledge and my bad practices.

I didn't realize the flash holes could limit the life of cases, I do keep velocity records using a Labradar but not sure if my rifles and my loading ability are capable of singling out changes caused by flashhole erosion.
Thanks again.

Trever

If you fired a case enough, you will be able to see the distortion when you look at the FH.

Jerry
 
bigedP51, reread my posts as you aren't getting the simple premise of CONTEXT.... 1 process doesn't work for all rifles and chambers.

The references you are using are shooters using competition type rifles.... NOT factory anything. I am a competition shooter and can tell you, what is SOP today... it just happens to work very well for a full range of firearms.

you also like to forget that when I suggest to neck size, I also require Body sizing.... Isn't that FL sizing taken into 2 steps? Except FL sizing leaves out the control of the 2nd step... and the first step...

We have been down this road several times... build ammo as you see fit.

For other reloaders, reread my posts and understand the point of the message. Chambers vary dimensionally, Dies vary dimensionally. Understand what you are trying to achieve when you are sizing your brass and the method/tools should become very clear.

'Nuff said......

Jerry
 
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