if I pull bullets is it necessary to resize before reloading

I feel one should resize the case. Once you seat a bullet it expands the case neck and I feel if you pull the bullet and re-seat another bullet it doesn't have the same neck tension.

No. Not when I have done it with military ammo.
If your bullets are loose, then yes.

Every time I have pulled bullets and checked neck tension they were all too loose to reload and required neck sizing to achieve enough tension to keep the bullet from falling out.

I do because I'm a stickler for consistent neck tension to achieve top accuracy.

Needed-no, probably not since I seriously doubt the bullet would fall out.

Wanted-Yes, for consistent neck tension so I resize whenever I've needed to pull bullets. (this is usually needed when working up a load and I've hit the rifle's max and still have loaded ammo a couple sets of 3 which are even hotter...so they need to be pulled)

With that said, nothing about pulling and re-seating w/o sizing is dangerous.

My 2 cents for free,
Zeke

quote:

Luckyducker
posted 07 May 2020 03:41
Every time I have pulled bullets and checked neck tension they were all too loose to reload and required neck sizing to achieve enough tension to keep the bullet from falling out.

I think resizing to achieve even neck tension is best practise and is what I also do for loads that matter. But I found not all bullets are the same. Some would seat with tension into necks from which other bullets were pulled. When I shot some experimentally, at no more than 100 yds, they shot OK from my 30.06 but not so well from my .270W
Overall though, after pulling, it's definitely best to resize at least necks if you intend to reseat ( other ) bullets.

I agree with this.

quote:

Originally posted by ZekeShikar:
I do because I'm a stickler for consistent neck tension to achieve top accuracy.

Needed-no, probably not since I seriously doubt the bullet would fall out.

Wanted-Yes, for consistent neck tension so I resize whenever I've needed to pull bullets. (this is usually needed when working up a load and I've hit the rifle's max and still have loaded ammo a couple sets of 3 which are even hotter...so they need to be pulled)

With that said, nothing about pulling and re-seating w/o sizing is dangerous.

My 2 cents for free,
Zeke

quote:

Originally posted by Luckyducker:
Every time I have pulled bullets and checked neck tension they were all too loose to reload and required neck sizing to achieve enough tension to keep the bullet from falling out.

Me too

My brother shot many a deer with a pulled tracer bullet and seated a bullet back in.

Used a collet die.

thanks for all the usefull info, looks like I'll resize because I'm a little anal about consistency.
I figured that resizing would be the consensus, but doesn't hurt to ask.
Thanks again ALL of you.

Did one last night; bullet reseated perfectly well and as tight as originally. I wouldn't do it for bench rest shooting but I don't do that anyway.

I have never had to resize after pulling a bullet but if I did I would only neck size.

I neck size to have equal tension from shot to shot and so that I don't get a bullet that slips down into the powder space..Its just a good idea.

Adds brass life too, IMO.

quote:

Originally posted by Luckyducker:
Every time I have pulled bullets and checked neck tension they were all too loose to reload and required neck sizing to achieve enough tension to keep the bullet from falling out.

Does anyone ever measure the amount of effort necessary to pull a bullet and or seat a bullet. I took another picture of my gages; sense the first picture the weight of the picture has increased by 400 pounds. I can measure bullet hold but I find it impossible to measure bullet tension. For me life is much simpler because my tension gages measure pounds.

None of my tension gages measure tensions. I would like to go to tensions in all of my reloading but as sure as I do someone will recognize tensions as a lofty term that can not be measured.

F. Guffey

I wouldn,t get that technical, I do a few bullets and see what the tension is by pushing the bullet agains the bench, but you can pretty much tell by the seating process..Ive found feel an important part of reloading both in feeling tension and particularly in the use of a powder measure..

Its smart to resize the neck as that's what holds the bullet..not much of a problem and you know you have the same tension..why not?

What Zeke said above.

quote:

Every time I have pulled bullets and checked neck tension they were all too loose to reload and required neck sizing to achieve enough tension to keep the bullet from falling out.

If I pulled bullets and the neck lost tension I would say I was confused about neck tension.

I do not use neck tension, I use bullet hold and I understand that confuses most because I do not go back and forth. I stick with 'what brought me', I started with bullet hold, I am staying with bullet hold. I can measure bullet hold, unlike 'ALL' other reloaders I do not have a tool that measures tension.

F. Guffey