Full length sizing ??

09 March 2004, 19:22

Per March 2004 Precision Shooting , Dick Wright writes....

"As the sport of benchrest shooting has matured, many of its competitors, the writer included, have taken to full-length resizing their brass after every shot. Nowdays we are using higher pressure loads and have found that cases which are neck-sized only will expand and refuse to chamber after a very few firings. Since the modern brass does "work harden" after a few shots, full-length resizing after every shot has become a common and necessary practice. Work hardened brass is very springy and can be difficult to re-size...."

"Therefore, most shooters now use full-length dies which use replaceable bushings..."

Has bushing-based full-length sizing dies replaced the debate concerning neck-sizing only ?

Hammer

09 March 2004, 19:40

Geo.

Bushing dies are now s.o.p. for benchrest, with or without a f.l. sizer die body to go with them. Since they can be had, if you look hard enuff, as dies that do not touch the body (just use the ring), dies that f.l. size (and use the ring, too), and variations of custome dies that size the whole case, but only very slightly.

You can buy custom made dies that will only bump your shoulder back 0.001-0.0015" and not touch the sides or base. You can buy a die that sizes the shoulder and the base of the sides only 0.001-0.0015". The idea here is since they shoot such hot loads to reach an accuracy sweet spot, they only want to size the case barely enuff to get it to feed reliably, but still retain the inherent alignment of a non-sized case. Hope that helps.

09 March 2004, 19:46

Hammer

Geo.

Thanks for your reply.

What does this say to those of us who use conventional rifles for varmint shooting, big game hunting, etc. ?

Should we use bushing based dies, like Redding ?

Hammer

10 March 2004, 00:34

Hammer

Geo.

Are you next going to tell me that benchrest shooters no longer reload using plastic mallets to drive their cases into their sizing dies and arbor presses to seat bullets ?

And they don't clean between each relay with Hoppes ?

And then you'll say that sleeved Remingtons don't dominate.

(Sorry, it's been 25+ years since being at a registered benchrest match.)

Hammer

10 March 2004, 03:00

Hammer

Geo.

Are you next going to say that, not only does the 222 Remington not dominate, but that the ruling cartridge doesn't even have the 222 headsize ?

Hammer

10 March 2004, 13:53

Hot Core

Quote:

...What does this say to those of us who use conventional rifles for varmint shooting, big game hunting, etc. ?

...

Should we use bushing based dies, like Redding ?...

Hey Hammer, First off, I agree with the writer that Partial-Full Length Resizing(P-FLR which is what they are REALLY doing) is generally more accurate when compared to Neck Sizing. Anyone who has a known "accurate rifle chambered for a bottle-neck cartridge" and that has good shooting technique, good concentration and some good Test Loads can prove the same thing to themselves - with conventional Full Length Dies. If any of those items are missing, then it will be either more difficult or totally impossible to prove P-FLR is indeed more accurate.

It just says there is an advantage to P-FLR.

And if you do get the Redding "Bushing Style" Dies,(Full Length Resizing Style of course instead of the Neck Size ONLY), then you can have both the advantage of P-FLR as well as reduced "working of the brass" in the Caseneck.

But, you can prove the "accuracy advantage" to yourself with regular old Full Length Dies. It is because the CenterLine of a P-FLRed Case is closer to the CenterLine of the Chamber than it is with a Neck Sized Case. Nothing tricky or magical at all.