Neck size die question

D

Dan B

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Got a new to me rifle in .222 and am going to reload for it and need a set of dies.
I noticed RCBS has neck sizer 2 die sets - in the .222 will this be sufficient?
How many loads before I need to set the shoulder back with a FL die?
or should I just buy a FL die set and just back it off the resizing die?

I am looking for decent accuracy but not benchrest level.

Thanks,
Dan
 
Neck sizing only will generally make your brass last longer, BUT using a full length resizing dies and only bumping the shoulder back .001 to .002 on bolt actions and .003 to .004 on semi-autos the brass should last a long time and may even give you better accuracy.

I read this not long ago and think its funny but true.

A well know competitive rifle shooter said he got his best accuracy when his cases fit his chamber like a rat turd in a violin case.
Meaning he full length resized his cases and gave the bullet enough room to be self centering in the bore, rather than being overly worried about case prep, neck alignment, run out, etc.

Bottom line, if your neck sized cases are not perfectly symmetrical, they can induce more bullet misalignment with the bore and affect accuracy.

The only cases I neck size are .303 British because the reloading dies are much smaller than a Enfield military chamber and using a full length die will over resize your cases and shorten case life. In that case you can use a .303 case forming and trim die as a shoulder bump die when your neck sized .303 case start to get to be a snug fit in the chamber.
 
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A neck sizing die may not be enough to start with. Depending on your source of brass, you'll need to FL resize it the first time to ensure it fits your chamber (unless you're always starting with factory loaded ammo). Once you fire it in your gun, then you can start to neck size.

I use both Neck and FL resizing dies for the 222 and don't notice a difference in accuracy. The brass gets a FL resize when the bolt starts to take a little more effort to close. My 222 eats mostly low velocity target loads so the number of reloads between FL bumps will vary for you, especially if you're loading full power.

To start, a FL set will serve you well. I agree with bigedp51's comments - well said!

Good Luck, SD
 
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