backing out full length sizing die to neck size only?

[jaredr]

i splurged and bought a lot of 500 new WW .308 cartridges for a savage .308 bolt gun, full-length sized them all on the first pass (mostly out of paranoia - there was very little resistance on almost all of them so my guess is they were mostly in spec). now i'm loading them up for their second go around, have just backed out the die so I am just tightening up the neck (made sure I've adjusted the decapping pin so the expander ball is getting a pass through the neck). Seems to work fine, just curious if anyone else is doing this (or am I missing something critical here by tring to use a full-length die for neck sizing only)? I don't do much reloading for precision rifle (load a boatload of .223 on a 1050 but that is all for carbine work within 100 yards, mixed headstamp and cheap-o ball powder) so this is new territory for me. Appreciate any feedback folks have to offer.

BTW - bushing die is probably on the list next for the .308, but not sure if I feel like being that retentive. farthest I can shoot is 100 yards (without expending lots of effort) so if I can get MOA with this approach, I'll probably be happy enough.

[Corey]

A bushing neck die would be a good option as it would give you more control over the neck tension on your bullets instead of just living with what the die gives you. Depending on how tight your chamber is, you may need to use the full length die or even a body die to bump the shoulder back a tad if you have problems chambering rounds.

[jaredr]

A bushing neck die would be a good option as it would give you more control over the neck tension on your bullets instead of just living with what the die gives you. Depending on how tight your chamber is, you may need to use the full length die or even a body die to bump the shoulder back a tad if you have problems chambering rounds.

thanks - so far, i'm having no problem chambering rounds loaded in this fashion (i.e. backing out FL sizing die to just size the neck). I've loaded up some dummy rounds and then pulled the bullet (hornady amax 168) and i'm not seeing any signs of damage to the jacket. I'm loading a couple of batches of test ammo (using IMR 4064, WW large primers) so I'll see if Ihave any problems with bullet creep under recoil, but they pass a "press test" (using a comparator collar to exert pressure on the ogive and then seeing if I can push the seated round any deeper with hand force - so far, nothing gives so I'm not too worried that they'll jump in the magazine under recoil). just wondering if I am missing anything here?

[BillL223]

As you probably know, there are neck size only dies available. I tried them and went back to full case sizing using a bushing die. Your method does not bump back the shoulder and eventually this will lead to chambering problems. If you're working up loads, include Varget, SMK 175, and CCI BR-2 primers in your experiments.

[mscott]

Set up a full length sizer die for your rifle and don't look back. I've seen a lot of guys with problems trying to neck size only. Find a few pieces of brass you've fired in your rifle that the bolt is slightly stiff to close on. Now adjust your full length sizer die down a little at a time until your bolt just closes easily on it. Repeat on a couple more fired cases and you'll be fine. It's fine to have a little resistance closing the bolt on a cartridge every now and then, but it shouldn't be stiff.

[sleepercaprice1]

Neck sizing can be accomplished exactly as you are doing it- back the full length die out a bit. This has been a common practice for many years. The good thing about this method is that you can size your cases just enough to chamber easily.

[Chills1994]

gotta a case gauge?

I suppose it is good that you have a bullet comparator that measure's off the bullet's ogive.

at least for me on this forum, I don't read the word comparator used much on this forum.

I would be curious if your shoulders are gonna get bumped back at all when you push the rifle's bolt down.

I guess you could use the same comparator tool to see if there are any differences in length pre vs. post chambering....but I am thinking that hornady tool that clamps on your caliper's jaws might be a better choice.

post up pics of how that gun and ammo combo shoots when you get a chance.