neck sizing, how much does it help?

[matts318]

I just recently bought a neck sizing die for my 308 and was just wondering how much it actualy helps with accuracy, like should I expect just a little improvement in accuracy or should I expect more? And just curious as to anything else it might do, whats good and bad about doing this?

 

[Glock Man]

The biggest advantage to neck sizing in my opinion is the preservation of case life. This way the brass is not stretching, and then being sized again. A lot of metal fatigue that way.

 

[kraky]

I hate to say this but.....expect "0" improvement in accuracy. As a matter of fact alot of neck dies have trouble making as straight of ammo as FL dies. It won't hurt but.....I'll be shocked if it helps.

 

[matts318]

ok I was just curious as to what all it does, I picked up a redding neck sizing die the other day, even if all it does is prolong case life I will be happy because I shoot a lot, and brass aint getting any cheaper! thanks for the replies guys!

 

[coyotetrapper]

Neck sizing will help with longer brass life and also head space in your gun, fire formed brass has better head space than full sizing and you'll still have to run your brass through the full length, depending on loads used, as at some point it won't cycle right. Follow reddings advice and don't full resize the entire case just enough to get it to cycle nicely in your rifle.

Neck sizing is quick and easy and helps save money on brass and can help accuracy somewhat depending on your chamber dimensions and tolerances, as the fire formed brass can help keep things more in line.

 

[alpinecrick]

ok I was just curious as to what all it does, I picked up a redding neck sizing die the other day, even if all it does is prolong case life I will be happy because I shoot a lot, and brass aint getting any cheaper! thanks for the replies guys!

Most likely correct. If anything, one may get LESS accuracy. For a hunting rig, Partial Full Length Resizing (PFLR) is generally the best bet.


Casey

 

[matts318]

Alpinecrick, if I PFLR how much of the case should I resize? I was just planning on full length sizing for my actual hunting loads but am open minded, I got some cheap winchester brass for my hunting, the Lapua brass were the ones I was going to neck size, and maybe that hornady match brass that I have.

 

[Guest]

PFLR varies a bit from one handloader to the next, but I generally resize only enough to get things to rechamber reliably. I try not to bump the shoulder unless I just have to, as that keeps my headspace set where the rifle set it at firing, so to speak. You should be able to see the marks where the die sized the brass, and just size down to the base of the neck, without touching the shoulder, and you should be fine. If not, size some more. The first few times it will be trial and error.

 

[steve4102]

Partial Full Length Sizing, copied from another site.

1. Put the Shell Holder in the press and raise the ram.

2. Screw the Full Length(FL) Die into the press so it is about a "nickle's thickness" above the Shell Holder.

3. Lube a "Fired" case (walls and inside the neck) and squash it.

4. Remove the Lube and try closing the bolt on it in the chamber.

5. If the bolt closes with no resistance, screw the FL Die into the press about 1/8-1/4 turn and repeat steps 3 & 4.

6. As you feel the resistance begin, slow down how much you screw the FL Die into the press so you are at about 1/16 of a turn, or "Fine Tuning". At some point you will not be able to close the bolt and you are extremely close to having the FL Die in the proper position.
NOTE: The reason for this is because the FL Die has begun Resizing the Case-walls down to the Pressure Ring. As it does so, the Case-body lengthens slightly which in turn moves the Case-shoulder slightly forward. Then as the "Fine Tuning" continues the Case-shoulder makes contact with the FL Die and is moved slightly reward(or slightly shortens the Case-head to Case-shoulder dimension).

7. Stop when there is a slight bit of resistance when closing the bolt on the empty case. You now have a "slight crush fit" for the case in that specific chamber, or Zero Headspace.

8. Once you get it where you want it, take some masking tape or a black marker and put a Witness Mark where the FL Die Lock Ring is positioned to hold the FL Die in this position. Loosen the FL Die and return the Lock Ring to align with the Witness Mark and sung up the Set-Screw.Screw the FL Die back into the press and try squashing another case. It should have the same resistance as the previous one. If not, you need to re-adjust the Lock Ring so it does. But you are extremely close to where you want it, so make very small changes at this point.Occasionally check the fit of the cases in the chamber, say every 5th firing just to make sure nothing has slipped. Checking more often won't hurt anything and give you confidence that the Set-Up is still proper.
You have now Set-Up the FL Die to P-FLR and will have the very best opportunity at having long case life and the very best accuracy possible.If you are hunting in Dangerous Game country, you should forget P-FLRing or Neck Sizing, and always Full Length Resize so the case chambers and extracts easily.Best of luck to

 

[kraky]

This is my personal opinion but I would never hunt with brass that has ANY RESISTANCE to the bolt closing after resizing. Therefore I don't practice with ammo set up differently. I have found in my experience that any pressure for the bolt to close can cause a different point of impact than brass that chambers freely.
It's also my understanding that most benchresters are bumping the shoulders back ever so slightly for free chambering.
I have a stoney point headspace kit and love it for setting my dies to bump the shoulder about .002".
These are just my opinions.

 

[coyotetrapper]

SO you are doing this partial resizing after neck sizing alone won't get the brass to load cleanly? I have had neck sized 3-4 times that the bolt closes with resistance or won't close at all, so I then full length resize. So after you feel too much then partial resize the brass correct? I can get 3-4 firings from just neck sizing then I needed to fl size.

 

[matts318]

so should I check to see if an empty case will fit after each time its fired before loading it again? Is this the proper way to check it or does it need to be loaded to check it properly?

 

[kraky]

Depending on how you want to load your ammo you could do a neck size and then chamber a few shells before loading them all up. Putting in the powder and bullet won't change how it chambers. (At least it shouldn't).

Again....any resistance to the bolt closing and I go to full resize but only bump the shoulder back about .002".

It's been my experience that with full power loads I can't get more than 2 loadings with my lee collet dies (neck sizing) before I feel added tension when closing the bolt. You probably can get more than that if you are running light loads.

It's my feeling that anyone who is into reloading for the long haul should spend about $35 for the stoney point (now hornady I guess) headspace bushing kit to watch his headspace develope and set up his dies. You can do it without the kit but the kit is very very nice and easy to use.....and gives you the feedback you need to set up dies.