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Thread: Hand loaders poll

  1. #1
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    Default Hand loaders poll

    For hunting rounds, do you full length resize, partial resize, or neck size? I have always full length resized but now I'm considering the other two, mainly to prolong brass life. Opinions?

  2. #2
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    I've been reloading since the 80's. I started watching Erik's videos and have learned a lot of stuff for more accurate loads and shooting.



  3. #3
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    I’ve been loading 34yrs and have always full length resized. And yes primer pockets wear out faster than quality brass does.
    Yeah, but do you consider a dog to be a filthy animal? I wouldn't go so far as to call a dog filthy but they're definitely dirty. But, a dog's got personality. Personality goes a long way.


    You might take out a dozen before they drag you from your home and skull fuck you to death. Marsh Chicken 6/21/2013

  4. #4
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    If you set your dies up correctly you won’t over work your brass. I also don’t use an expander ball on my precision stuff. Carbide expanding mandrel. For less stretch and more consistent neck tension. As said above primer pockets get loose before necks crack.

  5. #5
    CWPINST's Avatar
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    I do whatever my rifle tells me to do. Most of them prefer neck sizing, but a couple prefer FL or partial sizing. For Semi-autos it is always FL though. I always test each sized case in the chamber before I load it. One thing to really look out for is incipient case head separation. I have a coupe of friends who have had some major problems when a case head let go. Usually in a bolt gun it is much less of a deal than a semi though. I toss a case when it thins more than about .008 from the surrounding wall. Probably conservative but brass is cheap, eyes aren’t. I think that I started reloading metallic around 1977.

    For quick and easy neck sizing with pretty darn good results, you might want to give the Lee collet sizer a try. It is also very good at making a (unloaded) case with a bullet “slip fit” so you can figure out OAL when the ogive is touching the lands. As you probably know, most rifles usually shoot the best with the bullet touching or very near the lands, so you need a easy way of figuring this out. The collet sizer makes it easy.
    Last edited by CWPINST; 10-14-2021 at 08:38 AM.
    If it ain\'t accurate at long distance, then the fact that it is flat shooting is meaningless.

  6. #6
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    I, too, have been hand loading for 49 years. I only use Lapua, Peterson, or AGD brass. I just thought I'd try something different.

  7. #7
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    Give all 3 methods a try but keep everything else the same. In years past, I had a couple of 7mm Rem. Mags that preferred partial sizing to neck or FL…..so you never know until you give it a try. Keep us posted. I would be interested in your results.
    If it ain\'t accurate at long distance, then the fact that it is flat shooting is meaningless.

  8. #8
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    I bump the shoulder back with a body die and neck size with a lee collet die for my bolt guns. I FLRS for my levers and semi autos

  9. #9
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    FL on all .

  10. #10
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    One thing to understand is that the competitors who FL size typically use custom dies that only size the body slightly not like you see in your standard RCBS etc. die that reduces the body significantly with an expander ball that can pull the neck off center. So not all FL sizing is the same. Bottom line is that you want the bullet to start its journey straight relative to the bore. Runout and the way the case fits in the chamber impacts this.
    If it ain\'t accurate at long distance, then the fact that it is flat shooting is meaningless.

  11. #11
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    Neck sized with a Lee Collet.
    Never had to trim and got 8 reloads out of lapua brass pushing a 155 at 2930 (308) before primer pockets got too loose


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  12. #12
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    Been reloading since 1972. Always F-L-R every cartridge. Since my "calibers" span multiple guns I don't encounter any problems.

  13. #13
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    It is certainly difficult to argue with the successes of the shooters in the video. Having said that, most of the HBR guys that I know, anneal and neck size their cases. It has also been my experience (for what that’s worth) over many years of load development that neck sizing usually results in greater accuracy when compared to commercially available full length sizers. The FL sizing gives more reliable functionality which is critical in semi autos but for me usually less accuracy. I wish it was not the case but that has been my experience. That is why I suggest to hand loaders that they try all methods of sizing to see what their rifle likes. If FL or partial works the best….go for it and enjoy. Over the years I have seen rifles and currently own two of them that preferred FL sizing. I have also seen a few that preferred partial sizing. I guess what I am trying to get across is just don’t get locked into one position just because someone says so without trying it for yourself.
    Last edited by CWPINST; 10-20-2021 at 11:41 AM.
    If it ain\'t accurate at long distance, then the fact that it is flat shooting is meaningless.

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