Figured I'd start anew with this one...

I'm in a holding pattern right now pretty much due to the weather. I have been pondering on something that I can't figure out. So here goes...

After discussions with HotCore et al, I prepped NEW brass (didn't need trimmed) and loaded mild loads with bullets "jammed" into the lands.

After firing (I have not yet), I will PFLR to get the brass fitting MY chamber. Now here's my question. Do I trim the brass, and how?
I use Lee's cutter/lock stud thingy and think they work great. But, they reference the head of the brass not the shoulder. I am stretching the case to fit my chamber and NOT relocating the shoulder (much) due to PFLRing.
Will this cause a problem? Is it possible to NOT have enough neck? Or should I worry about trimming at all?

Hope that all made sense... I may be worrying about nothing at all, but am going to patiently await everyone's opinion. I guess I'm probably a bit too anal about hunting ammo anyway

You will need a case trimmer. I ordered a new Wilson today with a mic and I will sell my Lyman cheap. It works fine but I wanted to spend a little cash on an upgrade. PM me if you are interested. You will need a cheap set of calipers to measure your brass so you will know when it gets too long which is about the 2nd or 3rd firing resizing.

quote:

Originally posted by CharlieHo:

I use Lee's cutter/lock stud thingy and think they work great. But, they reference the head of the brass not the shoulder.

Every chamber has a set distance from the head of the case to the end of the neck. Like for a 30-06 that distance is 2.494". If your case is too long the neck of the case will bind in the chamber and cause problems.

The Lee Case Length Gauge is usually about .007" less than the overall allowed length of the case. The "trim to" length has nothing to do with the shoulder location.

If you have a Neck Sizing Die you could just size the neck for the first few reloadings until the case grows too much and you have to PRLR.

Essentially, Neck Sizing is almost the same as PFLR.

quote:

Originally posted by CharlieHo:
...I use Lee's cutter/lock stud thingy and think they work great. But, they reference the head of the brass not the shoulder. I am stretching the case to fit my chamber and NOT relocating the shoulder (much) due to PFLRing.
Will this cause a problem?

No.

quote:

Is it possible to NOT have enough neck?

No - if you stick with the Lee Case Trimmer/Gauge. Yes - if you go with a Lathe style Trimmer.

quote:

Or should I worry about trimming at all?

I do. Simply because of consistency. Trim, de-burr the outside, chamfer the inside and do a final Polish with some 0000SteelWool wrapped around a 22cal Bore Brush.

quote:

I may be worrying about nothing at all, ...I'm probably a bit too anal about hunting ammo anyway

Me too!
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The Lathe style Case Trimmers are excellent Tools(not in the "thingy" category). They can be a bit of a pain to get set up and they do have good uses, especially when forming cases from other cases and a lot of trimming needs to be done.

I prefer the Lee design for my routine trimming because I can carry it out on the porch and trim away or in front of the TV watching an old John Wayne flick when it is miserable outside.

Best of luck to you.

Thank you all for the replies. I think sometimes someone just needs to say, "Quit worrying and go shoot!" I guess I just like to think things through thoroughly.