Neck versus Full Length Bushing Sizing .

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222remx4

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I am loading 260 Rem . I have been using a Forster bushing neck die . As of late the trend is going to a Bushing Full Length sizing die .
Has anyone loaded with both neck and Full length Bushing dies?
Are the shooters gaining accuracy or gaining brass life or something else .
Be well shooters .
 
On some of my match rifles I use neck bushing dies and a shoulder bump die. On others I use Widden FL bushing dies.
The method is different, the end result is the same .
Cat
 
I started with neck bushing and switched over to FL bushings, used with Comp shell-holders. Run-out is lower ( for whatever real or imagined benefit that gives), case life the same, and the ammo is easier to get along with.

Sometimes I wish I’d taken all the money I’ve spent on designer dies and spend it on a bigger pile of premium brass. Then I remember that I rather like the Redding seaters, and that I’d bought most of them for what seems like nothing now.
 
You could get a redding body die and do the body when needed. I size my precision rifles with a lee collet die then a redding body die. If your load isn't too spicy you can skip the body die every second time.

High volume varmint rifles same thing. Lee collet die. When I get slight bolt restiance on a fired case I full length size them with conventional dies.
 
I use the Lee collet die, but use the Redding body die first, along with comp shell holders. Size every firing. I wish the comp shell holders were in 0.001” increments.
 
Picked up a Savage 12FV 6.5CM several years ago that didn't shoot for #### with factory or FL sized brass, so did some experiments.
Same brass/powder/primer/bullets, left FL sized, middle the FL shoulder bump, right Redding NS die.
All your mileage may vary, but this rifle shoots acceptable with NS brass, I don't see any reason to make it more complicated.
 

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I used to buy NK bushing die set from Redding that includes the body die

Now I buy Hornady Match FL bushing die sets, so I can skip that separate step of using the body die
 
If you get an FLS bushing die, and decide you want to try a Lee collet die or a dedicated neck die, just leave the bushing out and you still have a body die for it. Neck/bump and neck dies have a place, mostly to save lubing and cleaning on first 2-3 shots in a new batch of brass, saves a lot of extra effort over time, depends on your OCD level.
I use neck dies and neck/bump dies on my gopher guns, also for rounds that are for just straight plinking, still need to FLS them every once in a while. Big game hunting rounds are FLS only, as well as most of the target purposed rounds I use.
Haven't decided yet on FLS vs bushing vs expander mandrel and combos thereof, playing with them still. But, expander mandrels are an eye opener in ease of use vs pulling on an internal expander ball, even when necks are lubed, discovered that many years ago.
 
I’m mostly using fl bushing dies with the redding competition shell holders and using the right shell holder to just bump the shoulder back .001-.002” so the bolt closes nicely. After 2-3 firings of neck sizing you’ll probably notice it’s getting harder to close the bolt if you’re getting up there in case pressure. This is why I changed to fl sizing instead of neck sizing. Even if it’s not tight closing the bolt, you’re still grinding your bolt lugs against the action wearing things more than necessary.

I plan on adding the 21st century expander mandrels for some of my single feed shooting.
 
Don't laugh but a couple years ago I bought a set of Lee collet dies for 6.5 x 55. Since doing so, I have found that my brass seems to last substantially longer, stretches less and has better concentricity.

These are not the reasons why; my RCBS die was failing to size properly with inadequate neck tension. I am very happy with these.

Any new brass and range brass I pick up still gets full length sized the first time around and checked for length, trimmed as required.
 
I went standard full length for my dies as I kept hearing about bushing dies potentially causing doughnuts. Of course doughnuts are only an issue if you need to seat deep enough that the bullet would come into contact with the doughnut but if you have correct freebore then this can be avoided.

For the most part I use the FL die without an expander ball and use an expander die in a separate step.

Except for one caliber where I use a Redding body die and Lee neck collet die.

Both work but I think I prefer the FL and expander.
 
Regardless of whether or not I am using a neck sizing die with a body die or shoulder bump die, or a full length bushing die, the goal is the same - to ensure I have consistent neck tension, cartridge head space and bolt closure.
How you get there doesn't matter near so much as the end result ......
Cat
 
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