Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles Neck sizing die (newbie question)

So my Lee kit came in via UPS and I set it all up. All my supplies are here, but I'm still waiting for my dies and reloading manual to get here. In the meantime, I've been reading all sorts of stuff here and elsewhere and I came across a thread about how many times you can re-use brass. The gist of it was you can get more re-uses if you only resize the neck 9 times out of 10 and on the 10th, do a full case resize. Since I'm so new to all this, I wasn't even aware they existed. Should I be out shopping around for one asap in order to keep my brass life as high as possible?

I took some spare time the other day and took the calipers to some of the fired brass I've been saving up. It turns out it's all in pretty good shape as is. The necks are just big enough to drop a bullet in all the way. I assume this means they'd need to be sized down about 0.002 and then expanded just far enough to seat a bullet? Am I on the right track here?

There is no magic number for how often you can neck size before you need to push the shoulder back. Your rifle will tell you when it's required. When your neck sized brass becomes difficult to chamber it's time to bump the shoulder.

My recommendation is to buy a Lee Collet Die (LCD)and a Redding Body Die (RBD). Use the LCD for everyday sizing and when it's time to bump the shoulder use the RBD to do so. Then run the sized case into the LCD and you'll be golden.

For a Collet die, can I get away with a 308 die for a 300 savage? Lee doesn't list a collet die in 300 sav.

Nope but the .308 die can be modified to work on the .300.

I've done several.

Lee will also make you a LCD for the .300 for $60.

Neck sizing is great for target rounds. I would never neck size for a big game rifle where there were big brown fuzzies.

I've neck sized near every cartridge I own for 30+ years including some screaming Weatherby's. How many reloads until one needs to bump the shoulders? Seems that if a cartridge comes out of my chamber, it always goes back in.

Me too.
It's amazing how little my FL dies and RBD's get used. Hell, I could throw all my FL dies in the lake and I'd never miss them.

My WSM's seem to require more frequent trips through the RBD than other cartridges but still not very often.

Would this Lyman die do the trick?

http://www.amazon.com/Lyman-Expanding-M-Inch-Winchester-Savage/dp/B001GX8FZW

I use a Lee collet die on my Swift brass and the brass is usually trashed before I need to trim it. I'm not going to list the load because it ain't in the books.

Nope.

That's a neck expanding die for using cast bullets.

Buy the .308 LCD, send it to me and I'll modify it for the cost of shipping.

My suggestion is to not get too wound up in numbers. At least at this time. Get you a set of F/L dies and learn to make simple, straight-forward ammo. After that, if you want, you can get into some of the other types of resizing your brass.
Doing what is called a "partial full length" resizing has worked for a whole lot of people and it uses a f/l die and doesn't require buying anymore "thingies".

Good advice from Stillbeeman but using the LCD makes reloading much more enjoyable since you don't have to lube your cases.
Make great ammo too.

If you neck size with a Redding S die you don't have to lube your cases either. Or even with most other neck sizing dies.

OP did not say if his saved brass is all form his own gun. If not,1 st time needs to beFL

I don't have the problem with neck dies either, but I do with FL dies--FL dies tend to squeeze the body of the case a little, and that pushes the shoulder forward if you have the length adjusted so that the shoulder can go forward. I've rechambered fired brass just fine, then sized with an FL die backed off and found that it wouldn't chamber.

No, that die EXPANDS the case mouth, it doesn't size the neck. Most use them for seating cast bullets.

Thank you very much for the generous offer. If I can't find a collet die in .300 or if partial resizing with an FL doesn't work out I know I have a back up plan. I prefer not to impose, so I'll see if I can come up with an alternate plan first.

I brush and lube the insides of the neck along with lubing the case. I find doing that keeps me from having to fool with a bunch of thingies to see if my cases are straight, etc.

I've had a few bad experiences with neck sizing over many years of hunting mostly in adverse weather conditions.Two suggestions if you go this route,first chamber all rounds prior for fit[and I mean rotate them ever so slightly several times you may have a sloppy chamber] and I highly recommend you take along a cleaning rod just for good measure for a stuck case should it occur.Hunts are expensive these days and it doesn't take much effort to FL size for added protection...just my 2 cents

PFLR will work fine but you'll still be working the brass excessively.

Don't worry about imposing because I like doing it and it gives me another excuse to use my lathe.

Stillbeeman is still right though that getting the basics of reloading down and getting comfortable with the process is paramount.