Tell me about neck sizing...

[Bimmer]

I respect Eric Cortina's opinion, but I haven't seen a difference in accuracy between neck sizing and full length sizing brass.

Me, too... In Cortina's defense, I don't think he's saying that neck-sizing is worse, just that it isn't more accurate that full-length sizing.

The article in the Blue Press also said that any accuracy gains were marginal... Maybe 0.1 moa better: No big deal.

Like the Blue Press article, I find neck-sizing appealing because it's so much easier (and I'm an avid shooter, but a lackluster reloader, nevermind a reluctant cleaner of guns).

[HKGuns]

I would believe you... What you're saying makes sense.

I watched the video. His points seem to be that

1. Neck-sizing isn't more accurate, and

2. Neck-sizing allows malfunctions due to cases growing.

I'm not expecting better accuracy (neither was the guy who wrote the Blue Press article), and it seems like I would notice pretty quickly if my cases are over-sized and not chambering/extracting easily.

On the other hand, I don't think that needing to lube (and de-lube) cases is going to make my life easier.

Just trying to provide information. It’s your choice obviously.

I really can’t help with neck sizing. My only experience with it was a set of dies I spaced out on and bought by mistake and couldn’t figure out why my gas guns wouldn’t chamber any rounds.

DOH!

[Bimmer]

Just trying to provide information. It’s your choice obviously.

I really can’t help with neck sizing. My only experience with it was a set of dies I spaced out on and bought by mistake and couldn’t figure out why my gas guns wouldn’t chamber any rounds.

DOH!

I really do appreciate it...

Originally I had dismissed neck-sizing because I'd been planning to load the same ammo on the same dies for both the Savage and the M1A

More and more that seemed stupid because (1) the M1A isn't that accurate, anyway and (2) I'm sitting on 4,000+ rnds of milsurp 7.62 for it and (3) it would be better to focus on making "precision" rounds specifically for the Savage, rather than regular rounds for the M1A.

If it hadn't been for that article in the Blue Press, I wouldn't have even known to ask...

[TomMcC]

I'll try that, since I already have Dillon's normal sizing die, as well as their "trimmer" die which is also a sizing die. (I have Dillon's trimmer, too.)

I'll see what happens when I stick of piece of brass in there, but won't a full-length die start sizing the body before it sizes the neck?




Again, I only have one .308 bolt gun, and I'm not loading for anybody else, and I can't see myself buying another .308 bolt gun anytime soon.

(Though a Bergara would be nice, I think I'll be satisfied with Magpul's new Hunter stock for the 110.)





It's hard to find anybody who DOESN'T like Lee's collet neck-sizing dies.

Lube: I'm hoping to avoid it, which would be a huge advantage.

Not sure, going off memory. I would think it would depend somewhat of the taper of the particular caliber. On a .308 the base is approx .4709, the beginning of the shoulder is .4539. If you set your die so that it's just off the shoulder I think you'll get minimal squeeze on the base.

[markm]

2. Neck-sizing allows malfunctions due to cases growing.

I don't know how that is even possible. With the LEE collet, you're simply mashing the neck back down against the Mandrell, but I guess some material could be squeezed to make the case longer.

Here's a worse tragegy. Shooting your f@#king ammo will make the cases "grow" some too.

I know it's not your video, but safest bet??? never shoot anything and you'll never have any challenges.

[T2C]

I really do appreciate it...

Originally I had dismissed neck-sizing because I'd been planning to load the same ammo on the same dies for both the Savage and the M1A

More and more that seemed stupid because (1) the M1A isn't that accurate, anyway and (2) I'm sitting on 4,000+ rnds of milsurp 7.62 for it and (3) it would be better to focus on making "precision" rounds specifically for the Savage, rather than regular rounds for the M1A.

If it hadn't been for that article in the Blue Press, I wouldn't have even known to ask...

If you are going to reload for bolt actions rifles, segregate brass and shoot it in only one rifle. You can neck size the brass and get away with it.

If you are going to reload for a semi-automatic rifle, full length size the brass every time you reload. Even if the reload is going to be fired out of the same semi-automatic rifle, you will most likely experience feeding issues if you neck size the brass. In some cases a small base resizing die may be required to guarantee reliable feeding.

[markm]

If you are going to reload for bolt actions rifles, segregate brass and shoot it in only one rifle. You can neck size the brass and get away with it.

That's the ideal approach. I can't do that with .308 or 6.5cm because I never know what handful of ammo Pappabear with grab to shoot out of an LMT MWS or a Bolt gun. I just body and neck die Everything.

[Bimmer]

Not sure, going off memory. I would think it would depend somewhat of the taper of the particular caliber. On a .308 the base is approx .4709, the beginning of the shoulder is .4539. If you set your die so that it's just off the shoulder I think you'll get minimal squeeze on the base.

I think I'll draw a couple lines up and down a once-fired case with a Sharpie, and see where it contacts the inside of the Dillon sizing die first.

If it's the neck, then I could squish necks with the Dillon die, expand them with the Sinclair mandrel, and I wouldn't need to buy anything.

On the other hand, the Lee collet die is ≈$20, and an undersized mandrel is $4 or $5, so it's not like I'd be betting the farm on them...

I don't know how that is even possible. With the LEE collet, you're simply mashing the neck back down against the Mandrell, but I guess some material could be squeezed to make the case longer.

His idea is that the body would grow and grow after repeated firings, until it wouldn't chamber/extract anymore...

That doesn't jive with my simple sense of how brass behaves, which is that it expands under pressure to fit the chamber, and then springs back to less-than-chamber-size once the pressure is off...

If you are going to reload for bolt actions rifles, segregate brass and shoot it in only one rifle. You can neck size the brass and get away with it.

Yep, this is now my plan... For now (probably for the foreseeable future), I only have one .308 bolt gun (really, only one centerfire bolt gun), so it should be hard for me to screw up.

If I catch myself trying to load .308 cartridges into my .17HMR or vice versa, then neck-sizing will be the least of my worries!

[markm]

His idea is that the body would grow and grow after repeated firings, until it wouldn't chamber/extract anymore...

That doesn't jive with my simple sense of how brass behaves, which is that it expands under pressure to fit the chamber, and then springs back to less-than-chamber-size once the pressure is off...

Throat errosion will offset the brass growth. Brass "growth" is a thing, but you can trim cases. After poking around on Accurateshooter.com a few years back, I found that there's guys that just DON'T trim brass.

So I quit even worrying about it for 6.5cm and 300 WM. Every so often, I'll bust out the trimmer and true up my .308 brass. And I run the Giraud for 5.56. I think I'll get a case holder to trim 6.5 because I finally got that miserable round to work for us.

[Artos]

The folks who win trophies at short range benchrest moved from neck only to min full length on their brass decades ago as neck sizing only is inconsistent from case to case & could lead to galling of the lugs on high dollar custom actions. On my customs I will remove the firing pin assembly & FL size a little at a time until the bolt falls with no resistance. I also recommend biting the bullet on the bushing die to help save case life...over tightening the neck only to stretch it back out overworks the brass.

Lapua cases are a good investment towards accuracy & case life.