This is a follow-up to the Lets talk dies post.

bfrshooter stated in that thread:

quote:

I have the same trouble with revolver brass that I neck size. After so many shots they no longer go in the cylinders without force so they need full length sized once in a while.

I never got a reply to my retort:

quote:

I'm confused...how do you neck size a straight-walled revolver cartridge, or is this a bottle-necked revolver cartridge? I don't think I've ever heard of neck sizing pistol ammo before. I know the 357SIG, for example, is a bottle-necked, rimless, semi-auto pistol cartridge, cause I reload them. [But they'd need moon clips to function in a revolver and I've never seen a revolver chambered in 357SIG.] They always get full length resized in my Dillon carbide die set. There are other bottle-necked pistol cartridges...9x25 Dillon, 7.62x25 Tokarev, 30 Mauser, 30 Luger...but I've never heard of any of them being neck-sized on a regular basis.

Please enlighten me on neck sizing revolver brass.
Anyone else do it? If so, how?
Can you still neck size if the cartridge doesn't have a neck?

Hmmm...both my 500 Linebaugh dies (CH4D and Forster) resize only the top half of the brass sufficiently to grip a bullet. You can see the transition in case diameters with the naked eye after running a full stroke. It actually looks like a faint bottleneck about half way down the cases.

It really is bothersome because I have extraction issues long before the brass has any other signs of being unloadable.

They are steel dies, not carbide and I think therein lies the difference to some degree. Most carbide inserts lie low in the die. There must be some fear of sticking the Linebaugh cases in the regular steel dies.

The thought is to only size as far the bullet is seated. Since the brass has expanded on shooting and fits the cylinder chambers, the results would provide more consistant performance. I don't have conclusive proof, but it seems to work in the 41 mag I had Jack Wiegand build for me several years ago.

Of course, since the chambers for all revolvers are different, the "one set of brass for one gun" rule applies, just as it does for rifles.

quote:

since the chambers for all revolvers

Are all chambers the same in the same revolver? Are they cut one at a time or all at once with 6 different reamers? I have no clue just asking.

When I asked S&W that question, they said they cut them one at a time with the same reamer. It makes some sense to me as I have two S&Ws that are obviously of different vintage that have different sizing, as does my Ruger from the rest. I asked since I went to the trouble of numbering the chambers so I could always start with the chamber that shot "best" or most precisely to point of aim. I'm not sure if your gun is well made, as mine are, that it really matters that much since I am not shooting silhouette.

I really don't know for sure, but all of the cylinders for each one of my revolvers have similar sizing for that cylinder, if that makes sense. In other words, S&W #1 has all chambers very close in dimension, S&W #2 are all close and Ruger's are all close, but #1 and #2 cylinders are slightly different. My #2 is tighter than the other, for all chambers.

quote:

Anyone else do it? If so, how?
Can you still neck size if the cartridge doesn't have a neck?

I don't and never have.

Just terminology. You are talking about sizing just the portion of the case that retains the bullet. This is ok if you have a specific purpose for it and know the limitations of the results. Your ammo may not fit all guns chambered for that cartridge.

Only revolver I own that I do serious accuracy work on is a S&W Custom Shop Hunter in 44Mag since I use it on hogs out to 125yds. Heck I even tried marking the cylinders and keeping brass specific. I saw no difference. I do have several chambers that shoot more accurate than the others. I have never tried to minimize the resize. Only FL

You'll always have the most reliable ammo if you full length resize. That goes for any ammo IMO. Returning the case to factory spec or slightly smaller will allow it to fit any chamber. I partial or neck size reimless rifle rounds but everything else, including rimless rifle rounds for service rifles, gets full length resized.

Since bfrshooter has not responded to this post, can I surmise (I don't want to ASSume) that the term 'neck' size of a straight-walled revolver case is not appropriate since they, by definition, have no neck? Partial full length might have been a better description. In any event, it seems pretty rare.

"Does one need to full-length size brass prior to loading?
Generally speaking, Starline cases require no resizing prior to loading. Due to variances in diameter of different bullet types, it is a good practice to size the case only as far down as the bullet seating depth. When full length sizing is required, it will be noted in the box with the brass. The only Starline case that requires full sizing is the 454 Casull."

Apparently Starline recommends this short resizing as normal practice. As my Dillon Square Deal B's sizing die is not height adjustable, I cannot perform this short sizing no matter what. So this post was a learning experience after all. Thanks to all who responded.

An RCBS news letter years ago had the subject of "neck sizing" of pistol and revolver brass.This is a good idea as carbide dies do not consider the taper on a lot of cartridges using a taper. The brass is sized just below when the base of the bullet would stop. I tired it with 45acp, didnt work for me. When you have a case like the 45 Colt with a taper to its body, this neck sizing keeps from over working the brass using a carbide die. The old steel dies didnt have this porblem as the flrs die had the taper built in. Now if you go look at drawing of the 45 Colt, the modern drawings show NO taper of the case body what so ever. But the web is .480" and the mouth is .477" iF i remember correctly. The 9mm has a larger taper but we still use carbide dies on them. The 45acp less of a taper.

I like for revolver ammo to drop freely into the chamber, so I FL size it. Same with stuff for a semi-auto.