Lee Collets work so well I can't imagine spending the money on a bushing die.
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Bushing dies squeeze the case neck to a uniform outside diameter. The thickness of the brass determines the inside diameter. Since brass thickness varies among different manufacturers any particular diameter bushing can produce different inside diameters. The bushing die manufacturers recommend getting a specific diameter bushing to match your brass.
The Lee collet dies squeeze the neck around a mandrel or spindle to a uniform inside diameter, regardless of outside neck diameter. The mandrel Lee supplies usually gives a light bullet pull but you can spin it in a drill with some sandpaper to reduce the diameter for a stronger pull, or just buy undersize mandrels from Lee which are pretty cheap.
If you use a bushing die to reduce neck diameter too much, IME "too much" starts around .003-.004", it can produce crooked necks.
The Lee collet die produces a straight neck every time. I sort my brass by neck concentricity, such that the good brass doesn't vary in thickness by more than .001" or maybe .0015". Those cases after sizing in a collet die will show total runout of .001 to .0015", i.e. the only thing being measured is the neck thickness variation. The collet die produced .000" of additional runout.
Bushig dies are expensive, collet dies are cheap.
They are a win, win, win situation.
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Bushing dies are most commonly used when loading for custom rifles with tight necks. Necks are turned and the bushing helps regulate neck tension in the custom chamber neck.
So unless you plan to take it to this degree, typically there's not material gain over a simpler solution such as a Forster neck die, or as previously mentioned the Lee Collet die.
Here's a 10 minute primer for you on the Lee Collet die.
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Bushing dies squeeze the case neck to a uniform outside diameter. The thickness of the brass determines the inside diameter. Since brass thickness varies among different manufacturers any particular diameter bushing can produce different inside diameters. The bushing die manufacturers recommend getting a specific diameter bushing to match your brass.
The Lee collet dies squeeze the neck around a mandrel or spindle to a uniform inside diameter, regardless of outside neck diameter. The mandrel Lee supplies usually gives a light bullet pull but you can spin it in a drill with some sandpaper to reduce the diameter for a stronger pull, or just buy undersize mandrels from Lee which are pretty cheap.
If you use a bushing die to reduce neck diameter too much, IME "too much" starts around .003-.004", it can produce crooked necks.
The Lee collet die produces a straight neck every time. I sort my brass by neck concentricity, such that the good brass doesn't vary in thickness by more than .001" or maybe .0015". Those cases after sizing in a collet die will show total runout of .001 to .0015", i.e. the only thing being measured is the neck thickness variation. The collet die produced .000" of additional runout.
Bushing dies are most commonly used when loading for custom rifles with tight necks. Necks are turned and the bushing helps regulate neck tension in the custom chamber neck.
So unless you plan to take it to this degree, typically there's not material gain over a simpler solution such as a Forster neck die, or as previously mentioned the Lee Collet die.
Here's a 10 minute primer for you on the Lee Collet die.
It is still good to lube the die and the necks at least for the first run. You can't go wrong with the collet die. The bushing die may require neck turning to reap the full benefits, this is seldom worthwhile except on custom varmint and target rifles.
In addition to the collet die you may want a body/shoulder bump die to keep the cases from expanding or sizing back when they do. These just bump the shoulder back .001-3" depending how you set them up. They hold the case so it is aligned and doesn't expand with the setback. You can do this with a FL sizing die it just works the brass a little more.
Look up the tutorials on polishing the collet die it makes them operate much better with less or no marks on the case.
Yes the collet die is a type of neck sizing die. De-primes too. See above, clean and lube the first time you use it then it only occasionally needs it only if it gets dirty.
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You can use it to deprime if you are only neck sizing brass for a bolt action. No need to lube brass as there is no press fit involved, the collet doesn't contact the brass until you depress the press handle, and then only squeezes the neck. I deprime before cleaning my brass, then body size only (no neck sizing) with a Redding body die, then I neck size with the Lee collet die. No expander ball involved to throw the neck concentricity out. Watch the video, all you need to lube on the collet die is the compression cone.
Mathman had a post laying out the proper way to set up the Lee Collet die, maybe someone can find it and post for you.
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