I have found chamber dimensions to be the factor in case life and determining to F.L. or N.S.. Whenever possible I manufacture my brass to fit the chamber. For example, I have an old mauser 98 manufactured by steyr that was arsenal re-barreled to 7.62 NATO, the bore\land measures .299" and the groove is .306". However the fired necks are .345"o.d.. So I got a .308 Win TRIM die and manufacture brass from .30-"06. then I neck turn them so my finished product has a neck dia of .343. This makes brass that is extremely concentric and seems to be pretty much everlasting although my .308 loads are pretty tame. This creates 2 possible situations though. #1 somebody tries to use my stuff in a tight-neck or saami min. .308. or #2 trying it in a .30-"06. We all have to make our own decisions. #2 is more likely the culprit and would definitely be messier. I like crafting rounds whether they be wildcats or just homerolled so box labeling is critical for me, just something to keep in mind next time you are poking around an estate sale. Also since I am manufacturing the cases I can make up the difference between 7.62x51 and .308Win headspace. Also .308Win just happens to be one of those cartridges that you can find every conceivable die available even a neck bushing die that doesn't over work the neck when using such generous dimensions. This also may not always be the "case". Punny haha

You have to remove the last period from the link:

www.three-peaks.net/reload.htm

That should work now.

Vince wrote:

Hey Fixie...the link is bruck mate. Cheers, Vince

I fixed the link Vince

wncchester wrote:

Neck sizing with standard neck dies doesn't do much, if anything, for case life and rarely does much for accuracy. Cases usually die from split necks and, on average, neck dies work them as much as FL dies do.

I think it should be pointed out that this is one of the reasons bushing dies are becoming more popular. They are a better alternative to the standard die.

As for accuracy......I believe the NK die will add more consistency to your groups rather than actually shrinking them.

I do agree with FN..... chamber dimensions do play a role !!!
I've thrown batches of brass out after the body of the case split on a number of cases. Had I been using a NK die I believe I would have gotten more life out of the cases.

ok heres my 2 cent worth
from MY experience my .270 is set to partial lenght resize as per my nosler manual says how to because it HATES neck sized rounds. they are super hard to chamber which I believe is caused by a slightly off set chamber or something like it.I dont full lenght resize as I dont need to for this rifle. my .223 when Im using GI brass gets the FL treatment as its not fired from mine and come to think of it the die stays this way what ever Im loading.
my pet hate is hard to chamber rounds after loosing a red hind years ago by not being able to shut the bolt on a tight round NSed of course. I will always shut my bolt on a chambered round then hunt with a half open bolt so I know it will close when I need it in a hurry.

Elvis, If your running max or upper end loads it's also possible your stretching the brass beyond it's elasticity !!!

I started neck sizing when I got "J" splits near the middle of the body on my 3006 reloads using military brass. My loads were never hot by any means but they were close to max loading listed in the books. I always started at -10% and worked up to get the most accurate load I could. Then I would test the load over a few months to make sure it was consistent and when I got both in one load i would keep it. Typically I was loading 97% of max or close to that. My neck sized brass has been loaded 20 times with no sign of problems. All my loads shoot under MOA at 100 yards and seem to be consistent out to 200 yards.

chambered221 wrote:

Elvis, If your running max or upper end loads it's also possible your stretching the brass beyond it's elasticity !!!

not this kiwi!!! my loads arent hot at all. been there done that cant be bothered with the finicky bits needed to do it safely so just a good acurate enough middle of the road load does me fine now.