New Guy question - do i have to resize every time?

wayupnorth

wayupnorth

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so, after years of buying up all the equipment needed to reload I finally (last week) started doing some reloading.

i wanted to start off easy so I picked 308 to experiment with.
washed all my brass.
lubed.
resized.
trimmed.
rewashed.
finally sat back and loaded 20 rounds with a nice easy load, went out to the range and fired them off, was very happy with the results.

now I am home and I got my crono out (never used) and decided I will reload some more and go out and crono them.

so I'm looking at all this nice washed brass I have and the 20 I just shot.
I'm thinking to myself... do I have to resize the brass every time I shoot?
i looked around a little online and some people are saying if you are shooting out of the same rifle you don't have to resize every time.

thought id come in here and check and see what the experienced guys have to say.

as I said I'm brand new at reloading and I want to get in the habit of doing things right.
but id feel silly if everyone else was not doing it and I was.

many thanks!
 
wayupnorth said:
so, after years of buying up all the equipment needed to reload I finally (last week) started doing some reloading.

i wanted to start off easy so I picked 308 to experiment with.
washed all my brass.
lubed.
resized.
trimmed.
rewashed.
finally sat back and loaded 20 rounds with a nice easy load, went out to the range and fired them off, was very happy with the results.

now I am home and I got my crono out (never used) and decided I will reload some more and go out and crono them.

so I'm looking at all this nice washed brass I have and the 20 I just shot.
I'm thinking to myself... do I have to resize the brass every time I shoot?
i looked around a little online and some people are saying if you are shooting out of the same rifle you don't have to resize every time.

thought id come in here and check and see what the experienced guys have to say.

as I said I'm brand new at reloading and I want to get in the habit of doing things right.
but id feel silly if everyone else was not doing it and I was.

many thanks!
Click to expand...

You don’t have to Full lenght resize but you will have to neck size.

You can buy a neck sizing die.
 
So my understanding of it is you can neck size or full length size. (Depends on the dies you have) I personally FL size my brass but make sure to only bump the shoulder 2 thou max. My best recommendation would be grab the closest reloading manual you have and see what it says.

If your just starting then FL size and bump the shoulder back 1 to 2 thou and it will work perfect for you.

Or as mentioned above you can Neck only size if you know that brass wont be fired in another gun.
 
OP: Short answer: yes.

Longer answer: A fired case will have expanded on firing and will not hold a bullet. No doubt, someone with a really tight chamber/neck can show otherwise, but for the most part, this is true.
Reloading for a bolt action, you should be able to get away with neck sizing, which will get the neck down to pre-fired size to be able to hold a bullet. You might be able to get away with neck sizing for other actions, but I doubt you could with a semi. After a few neck size / firing cycles, you might need to bump the shoulders, or even full length size.

Full sizing will bring the entire case back to almost pre-fired size.

Reloading brass from another rifle will almost always require full length sizing.
 
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wayupnorth said:
so, after years of buying up all the equipment needed to reload I finally (last week) started doing some reloading.

i wanted to start off easy so I picked 308 to experiment with.
washed all my brass.
lubed.
resized.
trimmed.
rewashed.
finally sat back and loaded 20 rounds with a nice easy load, went out to the range and fired them off, was very happy with the results.

now I am home and I got my crono out (never used) and decided I will reload some more and go out and crono them.

so I'm looking at all this nice washed brass I have and the 20 I just shot.
I'm thinking to myself... do I have to resize the brass every time I shoot?
i looked around a little online and some people are saying if you are shooting out of the same rifle you don't have to resize every time.

thought id come in here and check and see what the experienced guys have to say.

as I said I'm brand new at reloading and I want to get in the habit of doing things right.
but id feel silly if everyone else was not doing it and I was.

many thanks!
Click to expand...
 
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wayupnorth said:
so, after years of buying up all the equipment needed to reload I finally (last week) started doing some reloading.

i wanted to start off easy so I picked 308 to experiment with.
washed all my brass.
lubed.
resized.
trimmed.
rewashed.
finally sat back and loaded 20 rounds with a nice easy load, went out to the range and fired them off, was very happy with the results.

now I am home and I got my crono out (never used) and decided I will reload some more and go out and crono them.

so I'm looking at all this nice washed brass I have and the 20 I just shot.
I'm thinking to myself... do I have to resize the brass every time I shoot?
i looked around a little online and some people are saying if you are shooting out of the same rifle you don't have to resize every time.

thought id come in here and check and see what the experienced guys have to say.

as I said I'm brand new at reloading and I want to get in the habit of doing things right.
but id feel silly if everyone else was not doing it and I was.

many thanks!
Click to expand...

I did not see "partial full length" sizing mentioned - so, using FL RCBS sizing die as example - set up your die so there is some clearance between shell holder top and bottom of the die body - deliberately do not want contact. Maybe try setting a Canadian 5 cent piece (nickle) or 25 cent piece (quarter) on top of the shell holder for clearance to set the die body. Lube and run a case that was fired in your rifle in and out - you will see the neck has been sized, but not exactly all the way to the shoulder junction - is very possible that the body of the case never touched the die - is not likely that the face of the shoulder touched at all. Try that "partial full length" sized case into your rifle - to see if the bolt closes or not. If the bolt did not close, then turn in that die body perhaps 1/4 turn and try again. At some point, that partially sized die will chamber. And the neck part has been resized far enough to adequately accept and hold a bullet.

I do the above procedure often when starting with new brass that comes in bags - necks and case mouths often dented - I do the "partial sizing" to get the case necks to be round - I do not lube the case bodies - with new cases, the case walls do not touch the die. Thinking - I do not run those new cases all the way up into the die - just run far enough for the expander ball to go into and then out of the case neck.

Sort of depends how large or small that your chamber is, compared to your sizing die - is maybe worth to try instead of buying neck size only die - at some point, you will need a FL sizing die, anyways. I never tried the above with cases previously fired in other rifles - they all get full length sized - but my own fired ones sometime can "get away" with partial sizing for a loading or two. If you did up a milder load, and are not a competitive target shooter, the procedure might work fine for your needs. Is important to try for fit in your rifle - is no point doing up a pile of them, and none will fit ...

I started reloading with a Lee Loader tool - so use a plastic headed hammer and pound the brass into the die - was neck sizing only - never would re-form the case body. So, at some point, after a number of loadings, your fired brass likely to be hard to re-chamber - needs to be full length sized at that point. That requirement clearly delayed by using mild loadings.

"resize brass every time you shoot?" - I would say yes, in some fashion. For many of us, that step pops out the expended primer, so has to be done every time. I had read in the Houston Warehouse write up that the Virgil guy had fussed so much on the brass case prep, and his chamber was done so precisely - that he did not resize cases between loadings - but that was the only instance that I had read of where cases not being re-sized for every loading - I suspect few of us have chambers that precise, or spend that much time peeling necks, etc. to that specific needed size.
 
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If you’re shooting it out of the same gun every time I would suggest full length resize bump every time. Pretty sure there isn’t any pro shooters that use a neck sizing die. Go watch Eric Cortina on YouTube talk about this. Not sure what you mean by washing but make sure you’re not leaving any moisture inside your cases before you load them. But don’t dry them inside a oven either.
 
One other thing aside from sizing is to always check your case lengths. Sometimes it is surprising to see how much the case neck has stretched from firing and/or sizing.

Several years ago when I was newer at this a friend has just bought a new .308 bolt action rifle (I think it was a Savage but can't remember for sure). He fired a box of factory ammo through it and asked if i could reload the cases for him which I did including full length sizing the brass. Knowing the brass was only once fired it never occurred to me to check the case lengths. Long story short, not one loaded round would chamber in the gun. I stripped them all apart, resized the brass and measured and trimmed cases. Every round chambered and all went 'bang' with no problem. Lucky it was only 20 rounds that I had to redo.
 
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Killbillc68 said:
If you’re shooting it out of the same gun every time I would suggest full length resize bump every time. Pretty sure there isn’t any pro shooters that use a neck sizing die. Go watch Eric Cortina on YouTube talk about this. Not sure what you mean by washing but make sure you’re not leaving any moisture inside your cases before you load them. But don’t dry them inside a oven either.
Click to expand...

Comparing "Pro shooters" to the rest of the shooters out there has zero bearing on how they reload.

A competitive shooter's rifle will usually have a chamber cut on the minimum spec and dies that are appropriate for that chamber, especially the neck diameters.

When I was shooting competitively, 99% of the shooters neck sized only, using Wilson dies, with interchangeable neck diameter inserts and an Arbor style press.
 
Killbillc68 said:
If you’re shooting it out of the same gun every time I would suggest full length resize bump every time. Pretty sure there isn’t any pro shooters that use a neck sizing die. Go watch Eric Cortina on YouTube talk about this. Not sure what you mean by washing but make sure you’re not leaving any moisture inside your cases before you load them. But don’t dry them inside a oven either.
Click to expand...

The problem with the Cortina video is in what he does not say about his custom reamer or custom sizing die.

He is intentionally inflammatory and misleading... Much of what he says is directly opposite of what is said in the interview with Speedy.

The idea of full length sizing is born from short range bench rest where a stiff bolt open causes the rifle to cant in the rest. This results in a lateral group distribution because the gun was not level the same for every shot.

Cortinas point evades the reality of inconsistent pressure lost to case expansion when the FL resized brass does not fit the chamber which results in velocity spreads.... Again There are tricks to overcome this which Cortina also conveniently does not discuss.

Short answer to the OP is no you do not have to FL resize your brass, but you almost certainly need to neck resize... I say almost certainly because there are certain tight neck chamber configurations and neck turning practices that can altogether negate the need for any resizing, but its not likely what you are doing. That's reserved for hard core accuracy guys like Tony Boyer.
 
Maple57 said:
The problem with the Cortina video is in what he does not say about his custom reamer or custom sizing die.

He is intentionally inflammatory and misleading... Much of what he says is directly opposite of what is said in the interview with Speedy.

The idea of full length sizing is born from short range bench rest where a stiff bolt open causes the rifle to cant in the rest. This results in a lateral group distribution because the gun was not level the same for every shot.

Cortinas point evades the reality of inconsistent pressure lost to case expansion when the FL resized brass does not fit the chamber which results in velocity spreads.... Again There are tricks to overcome this which Cortina also conveniently does not discuss.

Short answer to the OP is no you do not have to FL resize your brass, but you almost certainly need to neck resize... I say almost certainly because there are certain tight neck chamber configurations and neck turning practices that can altogether negate the need for any resizing, but its not likely what you are doing. That's reserved for hard core accuracy guys like Tony Boyer.
Click to expand...


You are mixing things up. Neck sizing was a benchrest technique associated with tight chambers. We were neck sizing only because the chamber are so tight that we had minimal brass expansion.
Full length sizing is the norm even with benchrest gun today. The difference is the benchrest gun use sizing and seating dies made with the same reamer the chamber is made off.

Full lenght sizing purpose is to bring back the brass to nominal clearance to chamber properly. Thats it. Reducing brass to chamber clearances is one of the process part of competition ammo making. Neck sizing has no business in factory gun. Eric Cortina and the 30 + national champion he interviews, all full lenght resize : for one reason ..the ammo must work. Same with hunter..range shooter.

For the OP..full lenght resize every time. You, your brass and rifle will be happy.
That trend to use advanced bench gun technique is a non sense. Very accurate ammo can and is produced by using good components and sound load development.
 
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That just isn't true.

Commercial chambers are notorious for being on the plus side of MEAN, especially on the NECKS.

A common practice to assist accuracy is to fireform the cases to a particular chamber.

When an individual full length resizes the case sidewalls, as well as the neck, the cartridge will be "tilted", only a few thousandths, but the tilt is still there.

By neck sizing only, the "tilt" is eliminated in the chamber of the firearm it was fireformed in.

Neck sizing only, also takes up the headspace, reducing it to almost zero, helping to keep everything aligned to the axis of the bore.

The real problem with neck sizing only, especially in commercial chambers is the stretching of the case, usually after 3 firings will not allow the bolt to close on the round.

For this reason most reloaders will "bump" back the shoulder a couple of thousandths of an inch.

This practice, along with proper annealing, will allow the cases to be reloaded several times.

Some people throw away cases after 3-4 reloads. IMHO that's a very expensive waste.
 
First you learn to walk, then you learn to run.

For a beginning reloader it's best to follow the KISS principle, (Keep it simple -------). However there is one tool that I think is mandatory to own and learn how to use. It is the lock and load head space gauge from Hornady. Add to that a set of Redding bench rest shell holders. Add a VLD deburring tool by Lyman and a primer pocket uniformer. I would not reload without those items. I wouldn't shoot 308 with anything but Lapua brass either.

Reloading is a lifetime learning experience. Enjoy.

Nitro
 
"Add to that a set of Redding bench rest shell holders"

Totally agree with that choice. Redding Competition shell holders.
If you plan on loading several different types of cases (ie: 223 / 308 / 300 Magnum) you will need more than one set but they are well worth the investment.
Also agree that Lapua brass is as good as it gets.
 
Janeau said:
You are mixing things up. Neck sizing was a benchrest technique associated with tight chambers. We were neck sizing only because the chamber are so tight that we had minimal brass expansion.
Full length sizing is the norm even with benchrest gun today. The difference is the benchrest gun use sizing and seating dies made with the same reamer the chamber is made off.

Full lenght sizing purpose is to bring back the brass to nominal clearance to chamber properly. Thats it. Reducing brass to chamber clearances is one of the process part of competition ammo making. Neck sizing has no business in factory gun. Eric Cortina and the 30 + national champion he interviews, all full lenght resize : for one reason ..the ammo must work. Same with hunter..range shooter.

For the OP..full lenght resize every time. You, your brass and rifle will be happy.
That trend to use advanced bench gun technique is a non sense. Very accurate ammo can and is produced by using good components and sound load development.
Click to expand...

Full length size every time in a factory chamber with factory dies will lead to head seperation in short order.
Probably the worst advice you could ever give a novice reloader.
Good job.
 
I'd like to hear more from the OP about their specific reloading situation.

OP - what rifle are you shooting? The more specific you can be, the better.

If it's a factory bolt-action rifle, the reloading approach would be different than it if were either a custom rifle or a semi-auto.

What distances are you shooting? For what application - hunting, benchrest / precision or just recreational plinking - this would also impact my handloading process.

What components are you using? What brass, powder, projectile and primer?
My process for reloading range pick-up brass for my semi-autos is different than reloading for my .308 precision rifles.

Tell us more and the amazing CGN community "brain trust" will offer excellent advice!
 
I size the brass just enough to allow chambering in the rifle with a slight resistance being felt when the bolt handle is about 3/4 closed.
 
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