Stop neck sizing your brass!!!

That was what I needed to do Thanks FEENIX: I have to be 100 percent honest with you I don't really know how far the guys were shooting that he was talking to but, what he said makes sense on the most part. But I have not had any of the problems he talked about. My bolt works a little stiff when I'm getting near max. loads but never had to use excessive force to open it. That sounds like an excessive pressure problem when it gets that hard? Don't remember the guys at the 1000 yard range having that problem either, I have seen hard to open bolts when the brass was about shot or actually in the process of starting to split. I will have to get back up to the 1000 range sometime and catch up on the latest things that they are doing, and see the new rifles and calibers in action I would like to see the 38-378s and the 300 Norma magnums in action if anyone has them. Maybe I have not shot my guns enough to see that problem opening the bolt, or maybe the brass is better that I use ? Norma brass. Thanks again Feenix I have been having that problem with the video. I needed a fifth grader and didn't have one available. We need another earth shaking video soon to get us into spring. Good luck hunting and shooting in 2018.
Cheers!
 
You wouldn't if you didn't want the most energy available pushing your bullet out of the tube. In a neck sized only case more of the energy is used to push the bullet out of the barrel resulting in faster speeds, with a full length resized case, energy is lost expanding the case out against the chamber walls taking away some of the energy that could be used to push the bullet down the barrel, full length resizing also in my opinion causes the case to fatigue earlier due to actually bending it in and out of a different shape. A fire formed case is supported by the chamber walls and that results in more energy behind the projectile. 1000 yard bench rest shooters have done it this way for years, and that is where I was taught this method back in the 70s & 80s they were the record setters with this method. I have very good accurate rounds with this method and as the saying goes, if it ain't broke don't fix it. Everybody has their favorite ways of doing things and you will always have someone saying that " this new way is a better way" and the new way usually is money in some ones pocket, and it won't be yours. I do full length resize my deer hunting rifles because the rounds are used in different family members rifles. Neck resizing only here may very well result in rounds not chambering properly. The magnums loads are one gun specific loads worked up to near maximum loads for that one gun only, those are the only conditions that I will neck size only for, its all about accuracy at longer ranges.

I'm only bumping my shoulders back 0.001-0.002. How much energy do you think I'm losing? I'm also happy with the amount of brass life that I'm getting. My velocities are inline with what is expected of my cartridges, as well.
 
For what it is worth ...


I liked this video better than the other because it gave actual results. My take is this was not a magnum round, had it been I could not see the advantage of one over the other, because the difference is no more than what could be caused by the shooter other than slight change in velocities. The velocity difference may be greater with a magnum due to the much larger case than the 6.5's ; If the results are the same in the magnum calibers then I would definitely go with the full length resizing dies, at least with a new caliber. The set up I use now I can hit an oak leaf that's laying on the snow at 1300 yards, and I would not chance losing that at this stage. Thanks again FEENIX, your a gentleman and a scholar.
 
I'm only bumping my shoulders back 0.001-0.002. How much energy do you think I'm losing? I'm also happy with the amount of brass life that I'm getting. My velocities are inline with what is expected of my cartridges, as well.
If your full length resizing, your case walls are not touching the chamber walls as a neck sized only fire formed case would be and some energy has got to be used to push them back out. After watching that video I don't know how much difference there would be. The video was comparing neck only to full length results with the 6.5 Creedmoor, there was very little difference,. It may be a greater difference with a magnum being much larger. If there is only a small difference it wouldn't pay to only neck size unless you were in competition shooting and needed every little bit of speed you could get.
 
N2TRKYS :I'm all for if it isn't broke don't fix it. If something works for you and your not having any problems then the h+!! with what any body says. But after watching that video I would full length resize everything, the exception would be the magnums if there is a significant velocity advantage with neck sizing only over full length resizing. And the magnum calibers are the only ones that I neck size only now.
 
Below German Salazar explains the benefits of full length resizing vs partial full length resizing or neck sizing. If you do not have a case that is thinner on one side it will expand more on the thin side and the case will warp and become banana shaped. And this will effect the bullet alignment with the axis of the bore.

Reloading: Partial Neck Sizing
by German A. Salazar
http://riflemansjournal.blogspot.com/2010/06/reloading-partial-neck-sizing.html

"Now the last scenario, a full-length sized case in which the neck is also fully sized. There is clearance at the neck and in the body of the case, the closest fit anywhere is the bullet in the throat. If the neck to bullet concentricity is good (although it needn't be perfect), then the bullet will find good alignment in the throat and the case body and neck will have minimal influence. Let's not forget that the base of the case is supported by the bolt face or the extractor to a certain degree as well; this is yet another influence on alignment. As you can see, there are several points from base to bullet that can have an effect. My procedure is to minimize the influence of those that I can control, namely the case body and neck, and let the alignment be dictated by the fit of the bullet in the throat and to some extent by the bolt's support of the base. Barring a seriously out of square case head, I don't think the bolt can have a negative effect on alignment, only a slightly positive effect from minimizing "case droop" in the chamber. Given that a resized case will usually have a maximum of 0.001" diametrical clearance at the web, this isn't much of a factor anyway."

Above explains the "why" of the cartridge should fit the chamber like a rat turd in a violin case. The rear of the case is supported by the bolt face and by the bullet in the throat. And the case body and neck does not touch the chamber walls. Meaning far less chance of a warped case causing the bullet to be out of alignment with the axis of the bore.
 
N2TRKYS :I'm all for if it isn't broke don't fix it. If something works for you and your not having any problems then the h+!! with what any body says. But after watching that video I would full length resize everything, the exception would be the magnums if there is a significant velocity advantage with neck sizing only over full length resizing. And the magnum calibers are the only ones that I neck size only now.

Sounds good. The only magnum I have is a Remington Model Seven in 7 SAUM. I've settled on 2960fps with 160 grain Accubonds out of the 22" factory barrel. I don't know if it would be worth trying neck sizing it or not. I've got some buddies that swear by neck sizing and some that don't.

It's like you said, 'if it ain't broke.'
 
I've tried both, but for bolt action precision rifles, I'm going to keep neck-sizing, and for semi-autos I'll keep FL SB sizing. I haven't had any of the problems neck-sizing that he talked about.
 
No, neck sizing works for me. I have never had the problems he talks about. It sort of amuses me how people stuff it up, then come out with these hard and fast Rules that everyone else now has to follow. Reloading hundreds of 223 at a time neck sizing only without having too trim every 3rd firing is much better. I've tried full length resizing at various stages for just about all my rifles (reload 7 different calibers at the moment) generally neck sizing has been more accurate in my rifles, but I still try full length everytime I get a new rifle because you just never know. My rifles are hunting/varmint rifles not target or tactical rifles and if they go 1/2 MOA I'm happy but I have a couple that do 1/4.
Fail to chamber for me has always been a primer that hasn't seated properly which is totally my bad, I don't think we should have a closed mind, if I could get a real good tangible benefit I'd full length resize but as a whole that hasn't been my experience
Cheers
 
I've tried both, but for bolt action precision rifles, I'm going to keep neck-sizing, and for semi-autos I'll keep FL SB sizing. I haven't had any of the problems neck-sizing that he talked about.
I haven't had any of those problems either. I don't know for sure if I had any split necks with my magnums, I know I have with the 222, 270, 30-06 all full length resized, but some of them were really old, and probably are getting brittle. The 300 Win. mag (1 year old) and the 308 Norma bench gun I neck size only because that's what the 1000 yard competition shooters were doing that taught me, they had a lot of tricks, wish I would have wrote them down. The smallest thinks can mean winning or loosing a competition shoot. They must have had a good Idea that it helped, or why would they have ever done it even in the 80s?
 
If we adhere to this mindset, there is no innovation, only stagnation.
I sort of like knowing where I am and not sinking out of site in the quick sand. Many things stay the same , I hear cars are still running on rubber tires, and many still use gasoline.
 
I have quite a few rifles that shoot better .......far better......when I NS them. To stop doing what works because some dude on youtube tells me to, would be dumb. I also have a few rifles that shot badly when I tried to NS for them; and for those I FL size.

So it's a no-brainer. Do what works for your rifle. There is no cookie cutter solution that works for everything every time.
 
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