Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Full Length vs Neck Sizing

Very true. Likewise if the case necks show much wall variation.

Bushing dies are designed for use with necks that are within .001-.0015 variation. If the necks very much more than that, the bushing can induce about double the run out of the neck wall variation. By design, most generally available bushing dies don't size the entire length of the case neck...leaving the bottom 1/16" or so unsized to allow the case to better center itself in the chamber. Sometimes this helps, sometimes not.

My preference in hunting style stuff is a standard Redding full length die with a carbide expander ball fitted. At times, I've refitted them with an expander stem that puts the expander higher up so the case is better supported when the neck goes through the expander.

Addressing the expander, adding a rubber flat washer between the die lock ring and the top of the press, actually measuring how much the shoulder is being pushed back and using a quality shell holder (Redding) solves most issues. Each die set here has it's own shell holder in it and it stays with that die set.

Just got a half dozen Hornady shell holders and they are truly awful for straightness and consistent thickness.


Good shootin'. -Al

On inner case necks, they should never be squeaky clean. Certain tumbling methods and cleaners are particularly bad in that respect.

On fired cases, the powder residue left in the case neck is all they need for seating. If you feel like you have to do something, a quick pass with a nylon brush and you're done.

For lubing the inner necks for sizing when using an expander... lots of stuff works well. You want to reduce the friction as much as possible so the expander doesn't pull the neck out of alignment with case as it passes up through the neck and expands it.

With a standard F.L or N.S. die, the best approach is to not excessively reduce the neck diameter in the first place.

Good shootin' -Al