dies neck or full length

[scooterman27006]

i know i keep bringing up hot topics that i should already know the answer but i cant help it - i keep reading too much about this stuff and need pro info on it in order to make my mind up for my way of reloading - i dont have a lot of guns in the same caliber except 22LR so having said this - i have read the reasons for full length dies and from what i have read i dont think i should be using them but should be using just the neck sizing die- i dont even have just a neck sizing die - everything i have is full and i got all these thinking they were better - i have 220 swift- 204-223-22/250-243-and so on and pretty much one barrel in each caliber so as far as headspace is concerned wouldnt i be better off just using the neck sizer - what is your thoughts on this and what do you fellas use and why - my thinking is if i am only using the brass in one chamber then it should not need resizing and will shoot better but i gain this only from one read and it wasnt too in depth - so if this is right then new brass will not shoot as well as once fired in the same gun or am i missing something

[Rocky Raab]

You can't nexk-size forever. Sooner or later (usually sooner) you have to full-length size or the case simply can't be re-chambered.

Cases grow a bit with every firing, both in headspace length and in diameter. Because no chamber is perfectly round or symmetrical, and also because the case never goes in with exactly the same orientation, that means it soon becomes impossible to chamber.

Personally, I have never neck sized at all. I do partially size some cases using the FL die (backed off a quarter turn or so from full down) to get a slightly "fuller" chamber fit. That works well for me and I never have to change the setting.

[Esox357]

I bought a set of LEE dies for my 06. I buy new brass and full-length size them to get rid of any defects ect.
After that I reload and fire, depending on how hot the loads are and times fired, I will neck-size for 3-5 uses. Then I will full-length size once again. For all my hunting ammo I use only full-length sized brass to ensure proper fitting.
The purpose of neck sizing is to not stretch the case as much as full length sizing does and gives longer brass life for more reloading. Neck sizing is supposed to be better for accuracy as the shell has expanded to the dimensions of your chamber and will be a perfect match, lining it up better. Get yourself a neck sizer and see how it works, I have heard that occasionally full length sizing is more accurate. BTW once you neck size the brass you can only use it in that particular firearm until you full length size. Take Care. Esox357

[L. Cooper]

Rocky is right about the necessity to FL resize occasionally, but I neck size almost all my loads simply because it allows me to not lube the cases and saves time as a result. I lube the insides of the necks a little, and then run them through.

Once I detect an instance of "hard chambering" in a specific lot of cases, I FL resize and we're back in business.

Need some input from Rocky and other experts.

I tried the partial sizing route with normal FL dies, and it worked well except I think I was trimming cases more often with that method. Do cases get squished forward easier? Perhaps because of less "set back" of the shoulder by a slightly backed off die? Does anyone else think they trimmed cases more with partial resizing, or did I just have another episode of delirium?

[Esox357]

I haven't noticed the difference between a increase or decrease in trimming because of Full Length or neck sizing. I think it has more to do with how hot the loads are that will stretch the case neck. I trim before reloading everytime so I am used to it. It is a pain though. Esox357

[Rocky Raab]

Coop is probably right.

Of the three styles of sizing, partial sizing with FL dies is most likely to cause cases to "grow" a bit.

It's common sense, really. If you leave a tiny gap between the cartridge shoulder and the die, but squeezus the bejeezus out of the rest of the case, the brass wants to go into that gap. So the case "grows" a bit in length, taking the neck section right along with it. That's both the benefit AND the bane of partial sizing. It allows one to get a precise headspace setting for a particular chamber, but it also requires one to trim - at least once.

After the case is fireformed to that chamber, the stretching should be reduced or stopped for subsequent sizings. But there's also the expander ball drag. Either FL or partial sizing entails pulling the expander ball back through the neck as the final event in that loading step. Unless the inside of the neck has been cleaned of powder/primer residue, the expander ball really pulls hard to get through the neck. MOST case stretching happens right there.

Remedy? Clean and lube case neck ineriors or get a carbide expander ball or use a neck sizer of the collet or insert style that don't have expander balls.

Or just reload cases through two trimmings and then recycle them when they need the third trim. Most brass is cheap enough to make the "worries" go away. And you get money back at the recyclers!

[Cossack]

I've run the gamete from FL sizing to neck and back again. Can't see much difference in accuracy. Case prep and die allignment seem to make a bigger difference than sizing per se. Case life seems to be about the same. Pressure seems to be a bigger factor in that regard. Neck sizing using a FL die with expander plug seems to work the brass about as much as FL sizing. So, if you do go the neck sizing route, I'd suggest the Redding dies without expander plug and bushings to work brass less and assure straight neck alignment. But you'll still need to set the shoulder back every so often. You'll need a FL die, I've also used case forming dies for some of my wildcats for that purpose. and even trim dies.
Been hearing a lot of blow about RCBS X dies and Lee Collet dies being the cats meow to avoid case stretching but lack personal experience. Perhaps some of the folks will wade in on that topic.

[Catfish]

I am a neck size fan. I very rearly FL resize and have loaded alot of brass than was fired till the necks split without it ever being FL resized to set the shoulder back. But then, I don`t shoot semi-autos, only bolts and break opens. I also shoot several custom chambered rifle which tend to shoot alot better when neck sized only. Benchrest shooters never FL resize, or at least I don`t know any that does, and group size is their only goal. I find that unless I`m pushing the presure limits that I almost never need to FL resize my brass unless I`m going to fire it in a different gun.

[Cal Sibley]

I only full length size my military calibers. Everything else gets neck sized only. You'll still need a full length sizing die though for the odd time your shoulder gets blown out and cannot be bumped back with a neck sizer. The neck sized rounds don't usually have the same degree of run-out as experienced with full length sizing dies. Even better yet if you can eliminate the expander unit in the die. I use mostly Wilson straighgt line dies to minimize the run-out, and it works well. It's all part of a larger package that goes into reducing a lack of concentricity. Best wishes.

Cal - Montreal