redding neck die
- Thread starter aheppner
- Start date
I've got the .223 bushing dies in neck and FL. A pile of other calibers too. What I've found is that if you have a custom, minimum spec chamber that has a neck cut for minimal expansion they work very well with quality brass. I've never been able to prove that neck sized ammo shot any better than FL (or Partial full sized) sized in a minimum spec chamber, but thats a different topic.
With a factory chamber, standard cases and the typical huge neck clearance of a .223 its probably just an expensive way to make crooked cases. Even with my tight chambered rifles the FL bushing dies will make straighter ammo than the neck dies. So do some decidedly ordinary die sets.
The good news is that the micrometer seater is worth the price of the set by itself. I'll often use one with a FL die from a different set.
Across the board I would have been better off spending the same money on good barrels and good brass.
I find that everyone's conventional "neck sizing dies" size the neck about the same amount as their FL dies, then you have to drag that over-squeezed neck over that damned expander button. So (IMHO) you have most of the drawbacks of full length sizing with none of the benefits.
I don't know why bushing dies are more expensive than conventional dies, they don't cost any more to make. One of these days I'm going to experiment with annealing a conventional die and boring it out for a bushing.
I don't know why bushing dies are more expensive than conventional dies, they don't cost any more to make. One of these days I'm going to experiment with annealing a conventional die and boring it out for a bushing.
I like the bushing type dies the best, since you can use the bushing size that is optimum, allowing you to eliminate the expander button entirely.
As has been mentioned, some factory chambers are cut with a very generous neck diameter.
This means a lot more "working" of the brass in the neck area.
Neck sizing dies are not the best in this case. [Exception would be the 303 British in a Lee-Enfield, where longitudinal stretch is very undesirable.]
I am switching all my custom chambered rifle over to bushing dies.
One must still FL resize once in a while, of course.
Regards, Eagleye.
As has been mentioned, some factory chambers are cut with a very generous neck diameter.
This means a lot more "working" of the brass in the neck area.
Neck sizing dies are not the best in this case. [Exception would be the 303 British in a Lee-Enfield, where longitudinal stretch is very undesirable.]
I am switching all my custom chambered rifle over to bushing dies.
One must still FL resize once in a while, of course.
Regards, Eagleye.
the one i ordered is just a conventional neck sizer (expander ball type).
the bushing type is way too expensive for me
the reason i wanted one was for better case life, i also wont need to lube my cases before i size either
i think the neck in my savage is fairly tight because a new bullet fits snug ish into a piece of fired brass, iv never measured but with my 30-06 a new bullet will just fall into the case
neck only resizing should help my cases last longer ?
that's what iv always heard anyway
the bushing type is way too expensive for me
the reason i wanted one was for better case life, i also wont need to lube my cases before i size either
i think the neck in my savage is fairly tight because a new bullet fits snug ish into a piece of fired brass, iv never measured but with my 30-06 a new bullet will just fall into the case
neck only resizing should help my cases last longer ?
that's what iv always heard anyway
I've got a few standard redding neck dies too, usually from when I had to buy a deluxe set due to what local stores had in stock.
You won't have to lube your cases with the standard neck die. Whether you get longer case life will depend on how you are loseing your cases now.
If you are getting casehead separations due to over-sizeing then yes.
If you are loseing them to split necks, then no.
I usually lose my cases to loose primer pockets before the first two have time to make themselves known.
As long as a new bullet will slip through the neck of a fired case, you're good-to-go. Yes, it does sound like your chamber's neck is fairly tight, especially for a factory chamber.
I think that you're going to wanting to keep a close eye on the neck thickness of your brass.
If the neck of the case can't expand enough to cleanly release the bullet, the pressure will be a lot higher than it should be.
Even guys shooting super-duper, custom competition guns with custom-formed, mega-prepped brass, will need around 0.002" of neck clearance, and for regular guys like us that might shoot the odd factory round, 0.005" is a pretty tight neck.
Srsly, I have (and continue to) pushed some of reloading "rules"; but a neck that's too tight is really bad for your mo-jo.
I think that you're going to wanting to keep a close eye on the neck thickness of your brass.
If the neck of the case can't expand enough to cleanly release the bullet, the pressure will be a lot higher than it should be.
Even guys shooting super-duper, custom competition guns with custom-formed, mega-prepped brass, will need around 0.002" of neck clearance, and for regular guys like us that might shoot the odd factory round, 0.005" is a pretty tight neck.
Srsly, I have (and continue to) pushed some of reloading "rules"; but a neck that's too tight is really bad for your mo-jo.
Just keep in mind that one day or the other, you will have to use a full lenght sizer die if you want to keep you brass going, especially with sturdy loads.
You can't neck size only all the time because to chamber correctly (without having to apply force to the bolt handle) you need at least 0.001" clearance all around the case / chamber fit. That's why partial resizing is prefered by many.
I personally use the a bushing type neck sizer die for my target / varmint rifles, never for my big game hunting rifles.
You can't neck size only all the time because to chamber correctly (without having to apply force to the bolt handle) you need at least 0.001" clearance all around the case / chamber fit. That's why partial resizing is prefered by many.
I personally use the a bushing type neck sizer die for my target / varmint rifles, never for my big game hunting rifles.
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so if i got some new brass, i would have to full length resize the first time, then i can start neck sizing after then, maybe 4 or 5 times? then i should full length size again, and then get 4 or 5 more neck sizes out of them and my brass will probably be finished?
Maybe.
Frankly each gun is a law unto itself. Your question can't be answered.
How hot are the loads, what brand of brass? Are you annealing the necks? ...etc...
So how many times can you neck size before you have to f/l size again. Right now I'm using a lee collet neck size on my .308 win federal brass. And found that I had one round out of thirty that would not chamber.
Like I said before, every gun is a law unto itself.
I should be asking you... how many times can you neck size before you have to FL size?
Is not being able to chamber 3.5% of your reloads an acceptable error rate for you? If so, then try one more loading. If it's not acceptable, then you'll need to give your cases the "big squeeze" just a little sooner.
I should be asking you... how many times can you neck size before you have to FL size?
Is not being able to chamber 3.5% of your reloads an acceptable error rate for you? If so, then try one more loading. If it's not acceptable, then you'll need to give your cases the "big squeeze" just a little sooner.
The number of firings you can get from a neck sized case only depends on the caliber and the pressure you load it at. Now, usually, you don't need to FL resize new brass. You can neck size them to gain uniformity, but FL is unnecessary.
Personally, I rarely FL; most of the times, I partial size my cases so it easily fits the chamber of the rifle I want to use.
I neck size only a lot of brass in 6.5X55 and .308 Win for my Varmints / Target rifles and they last for much over 10 reloads, but I have to partial resize them about every 3 or 5 firings (of neck size only). I sometimes have to full lenght resize them in the meantime too.
In fact, you should at least partial resize your brass as soon as you feel resistance when chambering. Then, comes a time where even partial resizing won't fix the chambering problem, so you then have to full size all of them.
Personally, I rarely FL; most of the times, I partial size my cases so it easily fits the chamber of the rifle I want to use.
I neck size only a lot of brass in 6.5X55 and .308 Win for my Varmints / Target rifles and they last for much over 10 reloads, but I have to partial resize them about every 3 or 5 firings (of neck size only). I sometimes have to full lenght resize them in the meantime too.
In fact, you should at least partial resize your brass as soon as you feel resistance when chambering. Then, comes a time where even partial resizing won't fix the chambering problem, so you then have to full size all of them.
