Need help...I have been reloading rifle ammo for about two years and have always used FL dies to deprime and resize my ammo. Lately I have began to reconsider this deciscion and have started to consider picking up neck sizing dies in .22-250, .243, and .270.
If I understand correctly this change would reduce unecessary wear on brass. Eliminate my need to lube cases, and restrict use of ammo to my rifle only since cases will be fireformed to my guns chamber. I am correct in this thinking? Are there any negatives to neck sizing?

You will still need to FL size your brass occassionally. I have several neck sizing dies and have gradually had to acquire FL dies. Bottom line is don't sell your Fl dies.
Peter.

I think you only need the FL die.

Just PFLR in between FL resizing. You'll get better accuracy if you only size 1/2 the neck.

I have a Redding 3 die set for my 264 Win Mag and really don't use the neck die anymore...

i've always bought full length dies and just backed them off to neck size. if you do any buying of once fired stuff it's almost mandated to be able to full length the case first, so you might as well just get the full length set right away.
the only negative to just necking them would be if you shoot the same cases in more than one rifle, but i don't think most of the guys on here do that and i see that you plan on not doing it as well.

I have only needed and used a neck sizer die in one rifle, a custom barreled 264Winmag. The chamber was cut so that the brass stretched on the first firing and it over-worked the brass tremendously with a FL sizer. If I don't have the need for a neck sizer I don't use one. I tried to partial neck size using the FL die and I couldn't even start on the neck until the case shoulder had been set way back. I think you would know if you need to neck size.

I neck size only on my 300 ultra mag. i bought the full size when I first started out and I only use the rounds in one gun. My other rifles are all full size dies.

You can partial neck size using your FL dies if you wanted to try neck sizing. Just raise the ram, adjust your die in till it hits the shell holder, lower the ram and adjust the die up or back out 3/4 of a turn or more. It will neck size about 3/4 of the neck and leave 1/4 fire formed size



What you are doing is stopping your FL die from sizing the case body or hitting the shoulder.

That being said, if you want to get rid of the expander ball, get rid of lube in the neck, have less runout and be able to neck size when you want to or size the case body and push the shoulder back when you want to, then you should get a Lee Collet Neck Sizer
and a Redding Body Die. That way you can neck size as long as you can until you develop a crush fit and then size the case body and push the shoulder back with the body die.

I prefer to neck size for most bolt action/single shot rifles. I have gone to Lee collet dies for most things and am very happy whit them.

I neck size for just about everything, but that means sorting and storing brass for each rifle if you have more than one of same calibre.
When they won't chamber I use a body die to bump back the shoulder. Best of both worlds.
robz

quote:

Originally posted by Blackhawk83:
Are there any negatives to neck sizing?

When using standard dies, FL & neck, the neck area of the brass is worked the same.Its sized down then opened back up by the expander. If you want to upgrade, try the Redding Full Length Sizing type S Bushing Die.The Redding die is much faster than doing 2 operations using a body die & Lee collet die. You can size all or part of the neck with Redding. Plus you have a choice to use the expander or only the decapper. Your reloads will always chamber, unlike particial neck sizing with a FLRS die. If you control how much you push the shoulder back when FLRSing you brass will last longer and be accurate as its the same each and every loading.