How to Reload Unloaded Cases... Neck Tension?

[Airedale56]

My experience is older (1988-1995) but different than lots of the responders here.

I used to pull the 168 Sierra Matchkings from Federal Gold Medal Match .308 Factory loads and seat Nosler 165 Ballistic Tips to the same overall length.

Shot to the same point of impact in my Remington 700 Police 24" with both bullets. As I recall the BC of each bullet was very close to the other according to data at the time.

No brass prep, just pull one, seat the other and done.

Antelope and deer tipped right over.

It just plain worked with that particular combination.
I may not have been as educated on the necessity for addressing the minutia of more advanced reloaders of the day.
I only started reloading in 1972 and lots of the tools and info we have today didn't exist then.

We weren't shooting game much past 300 yards then.

Sharing my experience, not disparaging others.

 

[Full Curl]

These will be hunting rounds. Norma brand cases that were only a few years old Never fired. 100 rounds total. They have CCI mag primers which is what I'll load with so that was easy. I pulled all bullets last night and dumped powder. Empty necks were .002 to .003 larger O.D. than other brand new Norma cases I have that were never loaded. They would of held a bullet and I could have fired formed them that way but I decided to try and match the O.D. of the other new cases I have so I used a FL bushing die and went as low as I could on the necks without touching the shoulder at all. I didn't know if I should use the expander ball or remove it but ended up leaving it in. Sized all of them and now all neck O.D.'s match for these and my other brand new never loaded cases. I know I slightly "hardened" the necks by doing this and I'll keep them separate from my other brand new never loaded cases to compare but they should all be consistent now anyway and all ready to go after being fire formed this round. None needed to be trimmed at all as new Norma cases are usually really consistent in length, at least for me they have been. Now I just have to get to the range and bang them on paper. Thanks for all the good information and advice.

 

[Stonyman88]

I got my hands on around 100 loaded 300rum rounds but just want the Norma brass. The brass is new and never been fired. Been loaded for a few years time. Obviously, I can pull the bullets and empty the powder but won't my neck tension be off if I just reload them? And when I say off, I mean in comparison to other new, never loaded cases I have. Should I run them through my FL size die but just don't touch the shoulders? Or should I just load them and shoot them. Am I over thinking this? Thanks.

yes resize either way like just like cohunt said, did you measure the O.D. of the necks to other loaded rounds, will give you a good idea of tension.

 

[Stonyman88]

Like most above, I've always been in the camp of resizing the necks, but this video may have changed my position on the matter,

[Who's puller is that? standard threads I'm sure.

 

[just_jon]

[Who's puller is that? standard threads I'm sure.

Hornady.

 

[Full Curl]

Same puller I use. It works well. I cut part of the handle end off to better fit in my CO-AX press.