Full Length or Neck Only; What's Best Resizing for Accuracy?

[Rich Coyle]

Group was not shot at match. He always does great shooting in practice. Bart has never put up target shot at match.

So are you admitting that he actually fired the group in question?

I used to hunt with a Freedom Arms .454 and regularly killed jackrabbits offhand both running and sitting at over 100 yards. One time I got one at 206 long steps. I went to a silhouette match one time and didn't like the attitudes there so didn't even fire a single shot in a match. Does that mean I wasn't as good a shot as I was. John Lachuck, who was Elmer Keith's editor, told me I was a better shot than Elmer. Did Elmer impress folks at matches?

 

[RD57]

Some of the best shooters out there have never competed in a match, but I enjoyed non-sanctioned competitions with them on military ranges in training and enjoyed their protection where the targets shoot back at you.

 

[misterc01]

When I get any once-fired brass, I full length size it before it goes thru my rifle. After that, for all fireformed brass in my rifle, I neck size it. My longest range shooting so far has been NRA Midrange matches at 600 yards, and I am consistently shooting sub-MA OA group. I was finally able get a membership (2 year average waiting period) a range where I can now go out to over 1000 yards, and see how that works.

 

[25WSM]

I bet if you ask all the top shooters at your new 1000 yard range they are all full length sizing. Good luck and have fun. It's addicting.
Shep

 

[Bart B]

My longest range shooting so far has been NRA Midrange matches at 600 yards, and I am consistently shooting sub-MA OA groups.

F class with a scope? Or prone with metallic sights and a sling?

5, 10 or 20 shot groups?

What's your load?

 

[Rich Coyle]

[/QUOTE]

I bet if you ask all the top shooters at your new 1000 yard range they are all full length sizing. Good luck and have fun. It's addicting.
Shep

It sure seems to me the full length size crowd approaches this subject with a religious fervor. They discount those who do well neck sizing. I did a 2,000 round test with a rifle. With its favorite load neck sizing ALWAYS did better then full length sizing. My present rifle most likely will never know if neck sizing would be better. This is one for hunting not experimenting.

 

[25WSM]

I hang out with most of the top shooters at our 1000 yd club and none of them neck size. Some of the best most winning guys set there brass back way more than the . 003 that I do.
When all the guys winning start neck sizing only I will think about it. When in Rome. Know what I mean.
Shep

 

[Bart B]

It sure seems to me the full length size crowd approaches this subject with a religious fervor. They discount those who do well neck sizing. I did a 2,000 round test with a rifle. With its favorite load neck sizing ALWAYS did better then full length sizing. My present rifle most likely will never know if neck sizing would be better. This is one for hunting not experimenting.

T'would be useful to learn the details of each method. Tools, measurements, test methods.

 

[Dean2]

The previous advice on squaring neck's, prepping the brass properly and making sure you are loading concentric ammo, works on all guns. From there what works in one gun doesn't always work in another. Work up a good accurate load, settle on COAL/jump etc. FL 10, neck size 2/3s of the neck length on 10, use the same exact load. Shoot them at 500 yards. Do this 3 times on different days without changing anything else. You will now know for yourself, with that specific gun, which works better.

That said, I neck size all my hunting ammo on my 2 main hunting rifles because that gives me the best accuracy with those two guns, but whether factory, FL or neck sized I make sure to cycle all ammo through the giun prior to hunting with it to make sure it feeds properly.

I said this on page 5 and I still think this is the correct advice. FL may be what all the target shooters use with their specialized equipment. For my hunting rifles I care they chamber well and shoot tight to 800 yards. I am completely agnostic. If FL worked better I would do that but since neck sizing works better in my two main hunting rifles 35 pages of people saying it can't be isn't going to change my mind. Do your own test and do what works best for your gun.

 

[Bart B]

Depending on ones accuracy test objectives, conditions and standards, any resizing method can be best.

 

[Dean2]

Depending on ones accuracy test objectives, conditions and standards, any resizing method can be best.

This sounds very wise and deep but it is nonsense. Same load, same gun, shot in rotation on the same day, done three different timeswith only the sizing method as a variable is going to clearly tell you which sizing method groups better, or that there is in fact no difference. That is the whole point of testing.

 

[Bart B]

This sounds very wise and deep but it is nonsense. Same load, same gun, shot in rotation on the same day, done three different timeswith only the sizing method as a variable is going to clearly tell you which sizing method groups better, or that there is in fact no difference. That is the whole point of testing.

What defines the load's accuracy?

Smallest few-shot group?

Smallest many-shot group?

Something else?

 

[Rich Coyle]

What defines the load's accuracy?

Smallest few-shot group?

Smallest many-shot group?

Something else?

For me this is not worth answering.

T'would be useful to learn the details of each method. Tools, measurements, test methods.

I tested random cases against weight sorted cases, squared heads against random heads, neck turned against factory necks, neck sized against full length sized, different primers with no other change, and probably other things. To this question, though.

The groups were fired at 100 yards from a concrete bench with sandbags front and rear. The rifle was a factory Savage .223 with a 26" heavy barrel in a cheap plastic stock. It received a trigger job. To do the neck sizing test I prepped all the brass the same and fired them a couple times. The neck sizing was only .100" because that's all the depth the bullets were seated. The full length cases were sized only enough to close the bolt with no resistance. The test consisted of five five shot groups of each on two different weekends. The difference in the two was .0828" with the neck sized cases "winning". A side note is the necked sized cases average about forty feet per second faster than the others.

 

[Bart B]

Rich,

`Tis my opinion they're statistically equal with the data provided.