Just bought a Hornady neck sizing die in 25 cal for my 25.06.Set up involves screwing the die down until visual clues of neck sizing are seen.Warning in literature to not go too far down or the shoulder could collapse.I just ran up a load and there is now some stiffness in closing my bolt.This is only once fired brass.
Do I need to neck deeper?
How do I know when to stop?
Thanks for the help.

Your expander ball is probably pulling up the shoulder as you remove it when you finish your sizing operation. Lube the insides of the neck well and your problem will probably disappear. As the shoulder is pulled out it makes the case harder to chamber.

Thanks Bob338.
That makes sense.

I have found the Lee Collet nek sizer dies give me the most consistant neck tension and the least runout. The expander ball type neck sizer die in my view will, increase runout. Powdered graphite as a neck lube along with 660 emmery cloth to polish the expander ball will dramatically reduce friction when neck sizing cases. It is much better to squeeze the case neck around a mandril than pull a expander ball through the neck to size a case. The Lee Collet dies also work the brass less than the expander ball typ sizer.
It is possible to stretch the case if to much force is needed to pull the expander ball through the case neck. The less you work your brass, the longer that brass will last, also limiting runout improves accuracy and the mandril type neck sizer die is the ticket.

Thanks Reloader66.
Is Lee the only company making collet dies,or are there others?

TurnerHunter,
Lee is the only company that I am aware of making collet neck dies. $57 for a custom made and sized die set including shipping is IMO very reasonable.

Redding makes (expensive) collet neck sizing dies. The Lees are all I've used, and I like them.

turnerhunter,
There's nothing wrong with a slight crush fit for shooting at the range, although some shooters prefer .001-.002" clearance for hunting loads. Headspace is completely eliminated with the crush fit. Normally, once fired brass has enough elasticity to spring back enough that closing the bolt shouldn't be difficult.

Something else to consider. Is your case length too long? Fireforming a new case to the chamber normally shortens a case slightly, but your expander ball can stretch the neck if not properly lubed, or if it is in need of polishing. If the mouth of the case is hitting the mouth of the chamber, chambering can be difficult, and this can be dangerous. The case mouth can pinch the bullet, dramatically raising pressure. I trim all cases to the same length (-.010" from max) after fireforming. I'm sure you thought of this, but I'm just playing devil's advocate in case the "What if?" syndrome bites you.

NotRicochet,
I, obviously, am not familiar with Redding's collet die but I have some experience with their outstanding bushing dies, both Type S and Competition series. The neck dies in these categories are outstanding but no more likely to size a case straight than the collet dies from Lee.

I use hornady dies quite a bit. I love them. The eliptical expander is the best in the business. I think you are letting the dies size too much. If your brass chambers after being fired it should chamber after neck sizing. When you neck size a piece of brass you can see how much of the neck has been resized. There will be very fine abrasions going down the neck. Stop about 1/10" from the bottom of the neck. That way you don't disturb the shoulder area. You will have plenty of neck tension to hold your bullet PLUS there are some people that claim by not resizing that last little bit of the neck the case will actually center in the chamber better.
If you have any trouble visualizing how far the die is "acting" on the neck use a little talc or baby powder on the outside of the neck and you will easily see where the sizing has stopped.

RuffHewn, I reckon I used incorrect terminology for Redding's dies. I know they have a great reputation, but I've never used them. I'm happy with the Lees.