Neck Sizing 308 brass

[dabeaven]

I have gone through my first 100 rounds of Lapua brass and Sierra MatchKing 168 HPBT. Now I am interested in neck sizing only; the press is an S 1050 and the current dies are RCBS. Since these rounds have fire-formed to my Steyer SPG I would like to load the second round by neck sizing only. What is the best method of accomplishing this, and what additional equipment, if any is necessary?

Thanks,

Don

[Erik S.]

I'm not sure what type of shooting you're going to use your .308 for, but if you're talking neck sizing, you're probably interested in extreme accuracy shooting. I am a long range shooter myself and personally FL size all the time with fine results, but considering the subject matter contained in these forums, you might want to check out a different site.

I'm sure you can find your answers here and with all due respect to those here and Brian Enos, might I suggest taking a look at the reloading category of the Sniper's Hide forums. I didn't see anything in the brianenos.com forum guidelines prohibiting references to other forums with good information, so here's the link:

http://www.snipershide.com/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=postlist&Board=13&page=1

There is alot of info there to take in and you might get a few responses suggesting you use the "search" feature if you post the same thing there, so I recommend reading the pinned reloading threads first and doing some searches. I 100% GUARANTEE you will find more reloading info there than you can digest in the next year.

*Moderators, if I am out of line here, please send me a PM or simply delete this post.

Edited January 9, 2011 by Erik S.

[Religious Shooter]

I have gone through my first 100 rounds of Lapua brass and Sierra MatchKing 168 HPBT. Now I am interested in neck sizing only; the press is an S 1050 and the current dies are RCBS. Since these rounds have fire-formed to my Steyer SPG I would like to load the second round by neck sizing only. What is the best method of accomplishing this, and what additional equipment, if any is necessary?

Thanks,

Don

I'd first make sure that the brass isn't too long. Sometimes even after the first firing the brass is too long. If it isn't too long...

Take 10+ cases and measure the outside diameter of the case shoulder/mouth. I usually use the average of these amounts.

Let's say it's .345". Depending on who you talk to you should squeeze the neck anywhere from .001" to .004+". The general idea being you want just enough tension to hold the bullet. Personally I would get three bushings. Given the .345" I would get .344, .343 and a .342. I get three bushings because I like to vary the tension to help see which bushing gives me the smallest group. For example:

http://www.midwayusa.com/viewproduct/?productnumber=610462

After that you will need to get either a 1) bushing neck die or a 2) bushing neck and bump die. An example of a neck die:

http://www.midwayusa.com/viewproduct/?productnumber=428412

If all you are going to do is neck size... that's pretty much all the new equipment you need.

Personally I bump the shoulder and neck size. If you don't bump the shoulder the bolt may or may not be hard to close. So I have a neck and bump die. For example:

http://www.midwayusa.com/viewproduct/?productnumber=481804

If you want to bump the shoulder you would also need some type of headspace tool to determine how much of a bump you need for you rifle and brass. I use the RCBS mic.

http://www.midwayusa.com/viewproduct/?productnumber=574297

With RCBS mic you would take those 10+ cases and measure the headspace and get an average. You would then take that number and use it to adjust the die. I bump the shoulder .002". Some say less.

I like using die shims to help set-up the die.

http://www.sinclairintl.com/.aspx/pid=33197/Product/Skip_s_die_shim_kit____7_8_14_

I set a lock ring on the die to make it over bump the case. Then I put the shims on and size. I then size and take away the shim(s) until I get the desired headspace.

[NTRP-CKA]

Life's a lot easier if you just FL size. Especially on a factory chamber. You're going to have to FL every 3rd or 4th re-sizing anyway. It's better to have rounds that chamber every time you close the bolt rather than trying to squeak out a little bit more of subjective accuracy.

Edited January 17, 2011 by NTRP-CKA

[dirtdarte]

Back off the sizing die a couple of turns so that the body of the case and shoulder aren't sized. Size the case (neck). Load the case into the chamber of your rifle and see how it fits and how the bolt closes. If all is good, Load up a few rounds and see how the bullet is held in the neck. It should be fine. This is the cheap way to go and accuracy will improve but this is firearm specific. You may run into problems if you are firing these rounds in several different guns.

[Erik S.]

I know I've already given my $.02 on this, but you might consider checking your dies. If you can't resize your dies all the way down to the base and you're sure the dies are set up right, they might be out of spec....

[Aaron M]

Are you only shooting this in one rifle? If so I would go with a Redding type-s busing die. The bushing die will allow you to size to the exact neck tension that you want and it will allow you to adjust for different lots of brass. I size a few hundred 308 cases a day and almost no two lots have the same wall thickness, so having multiple bushings is almost necessary. I mainly full length size for 308 because I am shooting in multiple guns so I need it to fit all of the chambers, but with one gun and expensive Lapua brass neck sizing is the way to go. In my opinion go with redding they are the best, not sure why everyone else in here thinks it is complicated because it is actually quite simple. Let me know if you have any questions. PS if you do decide to just full length size, I suggest buying a precision mic to check your shoulder, I would hate to see that expensive brass oversized and result in case head separation after 4 or 5 firings.

Edited January 26, 2011 by Aaron M

[Graham Smith]

If it isn't too long...

Great information! Now if I just understood everything you said ...

[dabeaven]

I have returned to this post several times and I want to thank everyone for their posts. I have not loaded much brass on the Dillon 1050, previously and still do use a Rock-Chucker, but I like the speed and accuracy of the Dillon S1050. I have recently joined a sportsman/shooting club and look forward to experimenting with the loads/accuracy. I especially enjoy to 556 and 308 shooting around 300 to 500 yards. Hopefully, I will learn to enjoy the 1,000 range as well with the 308.

The information and post from all are appreciated.

Thanks,

Don

[whistlepig]

+1 on the Redding S Bushing Dies. If you try them, you will love em. As far as using the 1050, my thoughts are these.....I load a lot of bulk ammo for pistols and rifles using Dillon progressives..... I also load lots of precision rifle rounds and for that I use two Rockchuckers. I find the rockchuckers are very accurate machines. I find that the big payoff in accuracy is not so much in full length or neck sizing only, but in case prep. Do you neck turn? Even in a SAAMI spec chamber, it works wonders, but just dont take too much off. I segregate cases by weight as well.

As far as good info goes, also check out 6mmbr.com. Good good stuff for precision rifle work. Don't let the name discourage you, lots of calibers represented there.

[dabeaven]

I also use a Rock Chucker that I bought in the early 70's. The too are a great machine and would probably be the best to squeeze out the lats 1/8 inch of accuracy. But, I am wanting to experiment with the progressives to compare the results; actually, I enjoy shooting and want the volume provided by these machines. I must say, thus far, I am really pleased with the results of the Dillon progressives; the accuracy of the powder and case dimensions are excellent (surprising consistent). I own two RL1050's and an S1050, and I am still in the process of tuning the last RL1050, that one, is an early production nickle plated machine; it currently is the most impressive of the lot. I cycling seems quite a bit smoother on the nickel plated machine than either of the other 1050's that are ductile iron.

I also have an RL550 on the bench with a very low round count (less than 2000) if anyone is interested. That being said, I will keep the 30+ year old rock chucker! After all, there are some things that are never outdated; does anyone own a 1964 Corvette split window coop that they want to sell?

Don

[AlamoShooter]

The bench rest / Paloma gun smith I know says the Redding full length size type S neck bushing die is the way to go. He says even with a bolt gun the rounds can stick for some slow = bolt manipulation-

I am just learning too so , just passing along what he is guiding me toward.

I am hard headed and went with the typ S neck only die first and will get a seperate full length s die latter

Edited May 29, 2011 by AlamoShooter

[justmike]

I am no expert but I shoot a fair amount of 600 yard f class matches a year. At the 300-500 range I don't think you will gain anything by neck sizing. I would recommend buying a head spacing gauge and set the shoulder back .001" when full length sizing. They will cycle smoothly and will put minimal fatigue on the brass. I have Lapua brass that has about 12 reloads on them and they are still going strong. Just my .02

[AnthonyL]

I'm going to vote for a regular full length resize die (w/o bushings). As someone else already pointed out you are going to need to FL resize every 3-4 firings anyways because otherwise it's going to be increasing difficult to drop the bolt. In the mean time between FL sizings, simply back the die out 1-2 turns so it will not touch the shoulder. This will size the neck only. I also highly recommend you purchase a case comparator tool. Hornady makes a nice set that uses your dial calipers.

This is the exact procedure I use for my .338 Lapua Magnum rounds and they are VERY accurate and the brass lasts several reloadings.

P.S. Also make sure you understand how the bushing dies work and what you need. Once you get into it, I think you will find it's way more than you are ready for...

Edited June 5, 2011 by AnthonyL

[Jack T]

I'm going to vote for a regular full length resize die (w/o bushings). As someone else already pointed out you are going to need to FL resize every 3-4 firings anyways because otherwise it's going to be increasing difficult to drop the bolt. In the mean time between FL sizings, simply back the die out 1-2 turns so it will not touch the shoulder. This will size the neck only. I also highly recommend you purchase a case comparator tool. Hornady makes a nice set that uses your dial calipers.

This is the exact procedure I use for my .338 Lapua Magnum rounds and they are VERY accurate and the brass lasts several reloadings.

P.S. Also make sure you understand how the bushing dies work and what you need. Once you get into it, I think you will find it's way more than you are ready for...

+1

I had Forrester set up/hone my FLS .308 die(s) without the bushing. One die for each chamber (Gas/Bolt)and it gives very consistent neck tension without overworking the brass. One week turn around. I only use Lapua brass to keep life simple.

Edited June 5, 2011 by Jack T