Neck Sizing

diverdown · Apr 21, 2018

I know this subject has been discussed in the past but I'm curious as to who is doing this and the results their experiencing. The particular cartridge I'm interested in doing this with is the .300WM. Any thoughts?

BretN · Apr 21, 2018

I use Lee collet dies and really like them. I do believe they pruduce more accurate ammo than my FL dies generally. But I also really like that I don't have to lube the cases. Eliminating a step makes the process go a little faster. I do still FL size in some guns and you will eventually need to FL size the cases after a few neck sizings. I would encourage you to try it. I have no real experience with belted cases though and how much of a difference it will make in them. I would guess that cases that perfectly fit the chamber are always at an advantage.

drakehammer · Apr 21, 2018

My case prep involves Redding FL bushing dies and annealing at each firing, regardless of cartridge. Headspace off the shoulder with those belted cartridges. I believe consistency makes the best ammo, so I don’t vary my resizing techniques from one firing to the other. This wins more long range tournaments and obviously kills critters. Other techniques will and have worked for decades, but the trends are moved toward what I have described. I have never tried the collet dies from Lee so that may be a good option too. But day in and day out, the Redding FL bushing die / competition bullet seater die makes great ammo and is my choice. Keep us posted. Good luck!

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hogginlong · Apr 21, 2018

Been loading for 30+ years and have yet to anneal a case. I use the collet dies for everything except the AR's. If I split a neck it just goes in the recycle bin. I don't know if it's considered match ammo but most of it shoots under 1" at 200yds.

Elkman · Apr 22, 2018

Been loading the 300 WM since 1970, using RCBS standard off the shelf dies. I just recently purchased a RCBS neck sizing die to help extend case life. I do anneal on but not on any set rotation. I get five or six rounds out of each case, and as I do not shoot the rifle much this combination more than meets my needs. The rifle shoots sub 1/2 groups, and is used for hunting only and as always got the job done.

flashhole · Apr 26, 2018

I never tried the bushing neck dies but I think they will work well. I get excellent results using the Lee Collet Neck Die and highly recommend it. I don't particularly like the neck dies that pull the expander ball up through the neck. Seems to defeat the purpose of neck sizing vs. controlled full length sizing.

truck driver · Apr 26, 2018

I'm sure it helps since the bench rest crowd does it but I haven't had any problems making good ammo with a full length sizing die that is set up right to fit my chamber. I do use a moly coat lube in the necks to ease the expander ball going threw the neck to reduce stretch. I also use Reading and RCBS dies but recently I prefer the Reading dies and I have added a micrometer seating stem to the seating dies since I found it to be the only way to get consistent seating depths since the o-give of the bullets are not always the same and I need to adjust the seating stem to achieve the same O.A.L. with each cartridge loaded.
Scotty taught me to anneal on the cheap side and I do anneal each case after firing which helps to maintain the same neck tension from case to case, doing this has save a lot of brass and helped with consistent neck tension.
If you want bench rest accuracy you can buy lots of tools to achieve it or just keep it practical and still produce great hunting ammo. JMO

ShadeTree · Apr 26, 2018

truck driver":1t6lb7ud said:
Scotty taught me to anneal on the cheap side and I do anneal each case after firing which helps to maintain the same neck tension from case to case, doing this has save a lot of brass and helped with consistent neck tension.
If you want bench rest accuracy you can buy lots of tools to achieve it or just keep it practical and still produce great hunting ammo. JMO

Agreed. The shooting industry is full of products that can add up to big bucks that the average person does not need.

I anneal cases. My setup consists of a cordless drill held lightly in a vice. 3/8" socket driver, a 3/8 extension, and whatever size socket loosely fits the particular cases I'm annealing. A handheld small propane torch and I'm in business. You can either depress the trigger to the desired speed with one hand while holding the torch with the other, or zip tie or tape the trigger to the desired speed. I'm set up in less than a minute with tools I bought long ago and their primary uses have nothing to do with shooting, and the end result I'm looking for is fast and easy to accomplish. Just one of dozens of examples of keeping things practical like you mentioned.