First reloading experience and a question

[JagerDog]

Yea I pulled it apart last night, the expander ball was .224 on the dot. It's sizing the inside of the case mouth to .2230 to .2235, tried it on 5 cases.

I will sand it down a bit later today.

My Redding set (which I hold well above Lee) is 0.222.

That said, I really like the leee collet die for bolt actions.

But yes, checking opening after resizing without the expander ball could be a useful exercise.

[JagerDog]

Yea I pulled it apart last night, the expander ball was .224 on the dot. It's sizing the inside of the case mouth to .2230 to .2235, tried it on 5 cases.

I will sand it down a bit later today.

If you could move the bullets by hand there isn't even a 0.0005" interference.

[Ezkill]

Yea I agree....I mis-typed and just noticed it now. The stock lee sizer was re-sizing to .2235 -.2240. The micrometer wavers between those two values. I'm sure there are much better then Lee but I'm just starting out and supplies where fairly limited. I did snag a RCBS FL X die which according to reviews and articles will prevent future need to trim. I'll see how that works. The RCBS lube die I just picked up is working really well though...kind of wish I had that earlier. Lubing was taking me a long time.

[Ezkill]

Just an update, I resized the lee sizing ball to .222 as people suggested.

Huge difference. The bullets seat with a lot of neck tension to where a crimp would not be needed. Had a hell of a time removing the bullet from the test piece of brass. Probably wacked against the bench 2 dozen times with my bullet puller before it came out. Couldn't change the overall length by pressing it in against a bench either. Now I get why people don't crimp...just need an in-spec resizing die.

Who knew

[JagerDog]

Just so you know, you'll want to start over on working up your load. now that you have good neck tension, the bullet won't be jumping out to soon, effectivly increasing case capacity. You may not see a difference, but it would be smart to work back up.

[wxl]

I use a RCBS resizing die and the expander ball is slightly smaller than the bullet and I get a very tight fit without crimping. One down side to this is that it makes seating flat base bullets very difficult. I use mainly boat tail bullets so it is not a factor most of the time. But the few times I used flat base bullets I had a very difficult time and some of the bullets got shaved by the casing.

[JagerDog]

I use a RCBS resizing die and the expander ball is slightly smaller than the bullet and I get a very tight fit without crimping. One down side to this is that it makes seating flat base bullets very difficult. I use mainly boat tail bullets so it is not a factor most of the time. But the few times I used flat base bullets I had a very difficult time and some of the bullets got shaved by the casing.

Chamfer tool is our friend here. Though BT's are easier, flat based shouldn't be problematic.

[GeoffLinder]

Just an update, I resized the lee sizing ball to .222 as people suggested.

Huge difference. The bullets seat with a lot of neck tension to where a crimp would not be needed. Had a hell of a time removing the bullet from the test piece of brass. Probably wacked against the bench 2 dozen times with my bullet puller before it came out. Couldn't change the overall length by pressing it in against a bench either. Now I get why people don't crimp...just need an in-spec resizing die.

Who knew

Now you got it :-)

Neck tension is all that is ever needed IF you have the right set of numbers for the interference fit. The ID can be as little as .221 after pulling an expander plug back through the neck and it will not hurt anything. Accepted range of interference fit is .002 to .003 under bullet diameter (.224) for loading ammo to be used in an auto-loader. Crimp, especially with a FCD is a terrible thing to do to a bullet.

It is important to have a chamfer on the inside of the case mouth to help gently seat the bullet without scratching the jacket especially with flat base bullets. Personally, I only use boat tails in .223 and this helps with gentle seating greatly. You can get away without a chamfer with boat tails, but having a chamfer to ease lead-in is always a good thing IMHO. I use a Gracey power trimmer on all my .223 brass and it automatically chamfers the case mouth for me. Once brass has been chamfered, it won't need to be done again until you trim them again.

Agreed with the point on working your load back up now as the increased bullet release tension will change the pressure characteristics in your recipe.

[Ezkill]

Agreed with the point on working your load back up now as the increased bullet release tension will change the pressure characteristics in your recipe.

I will work the load back up as I'm certain it's the right thing to do.

However, doesn't putting a solid crimp accomplish the same thing as proper neck tension? At least that's what people that are fans of crimping are saying. The powder has to create more pressure before the bullet releases and it improves accuracy because of that etc. Not doubting anything you guys are saying, just asking to clarify my own understanding.

[JagerDog]

I will work the load back up as I'm certain it's the right thing to do.

However, doesn't putting a solid crimp accomplish the same thing as proper neck tension? At least that's what people that are fans of crimping are saying. The powder has to create more pressure before the bullet releases and it improves accuracy because of that etc. Not doubting anything you guys are saying, just asking to clarify my own understanding.

Neck tension and crimping are in the same "family", but not equal. There's a lot of engagement real estate with neck tension vs. crimping.

Crimping isn't by itself an accuracy enhancer. Consistency is.

[GeoffLinder]

Neck tension and crimping are in the same "family", but not equal. There's a lot of engagement real estate with neck tension vs. crimping.

Crimping isn't by itself an accuracy enhancer. Consistency is.

That is exactly right. Excellent answer to this :-)

BTW, crimp will only ever be "consistent" when brass is trimmed and is all of the same case thickness.