Neck Tension Depth

[Duy12B]

My google-fu seems to have failed me. I have a bunch of answers for neck tension (-.001), but it looks like my search terms aren't fulfilling my question.

How much of the case neck are you supposed to resize using the neck sizing bushing dies?

[kcstott]

Thats up to you. I've seen guys size the full neck, 1/2 the neck or as little 1/4 of the neck, it really comes down to what your loads require to produce good groups,

I suggest that unless you are shooting top level bench rest size as much of the neck as posible

[Duy12B]

Thanks. I'll start there.

[divingin]

I kind of disagree. Leaving a bit of the neck near the neck/shoulder junction unsized creates a false shoulder that will help to center the neck in the chamber. While it may or may not make any difference in a particular setup, it also won't hurt anything.

[Scota4570]

I kind of disagree. Leaving a bit of the neck near the neck/shoulder junction unsized creates a false shoulder that will help to center the neck in the chamber. While it may or may not make any difference in a particular setup, it also won't hurt anything.

Partial sizing is a recipe of stuck cases in the chamber. For benchrest, fine, they use different equipment. For hunting or target, you are asking for trouble.

When you almost full length resize with normal dies you can create a problem. As the case body begins to get squeezed it will push the shoulder foreward. That creates negative headspace and probably jams.

I have never once found neck sizing to improve accuracy with varmint or big game hunting bolt guns. I have however spoiled a hunt by jamming my rifle with such ammo.

The actual neck tension in reguar dies is set by the size of the expander ball on the decapping pin. Some dies really over size the neck. I have actually made brass laps and increased the neck portion of dies to minimize this. Overdoing the neck sizing only causes distorted necks and makes crooked ammo. The dies run much smoother if the neck is closer to the final diameter too.

[LynnJr]

Since you said neck sizing bushing dies you can only size a little under 0.350 without stacking two bushings on top of each other.
That said you should keep the base to boattail junction atleast 0.050 in front of the neck/shoulder junction and then size enough to hold your bullet in place.
Bushings are around 3/8 inch tall but not all of it gets used without stacking.

[divingin]

Partial sizing is a recipe of stuck cases in the chamber. For benchrest, fine, they use different equipment. For hunting or target, you are asking for trouble.

Different equipment? Nice, generally custom bolt rifles, but nothing all that different.

When you almost full length resize with normal dies you can create a problem. As the case body begins to get squeezed it will push the shoulder foreward. That creates negative headspace and probably jams.

Fine. Read the original post, which was about neck sizing, not full length sizing.

Neck sizing implies a case fired from that rifle; case diameter will larger than FL sized, but still smaller than the chamber (due to springback after expansion.) Case base to shoulder *could* cause a jam, which is why you measure that and bump if necessary (sorry Guffey.)

[smoothy8500]

and bump if necessary (sorry Guffey.)

You just had to go and conjure the Devil, didn't you...

[divingin]

You just had to go and conjure the Devil, didn't you...

Guffey's not the devil. Pain in the ***, but not the devil.