Bob

I'm a little confused. You said that you're using a "standard Redding necksize die, not the bushing type. The die is set to give a .002 shoulder bump for resistance free, snug chambering." As far as I'm aware, neck dies do not bump the shoulder. Are you using a Redding neck die or a standard sizing die to bump the shoulder? If it is the Redding neck die w/o the bushing, is this something that Redding recommends or something you found works through trial and error? After 15 firings, more likely 3-5 IMO, even mild loads need to have the shoulder set back to ensure trouble free chambering, so I'm sure you're bumping the shoulder.

Rich

Rich....glad you asked. To accomplish setting the shoulder back using a standard neck size die, material needs to be removed from either the face of the die, or the shellholder needs to be thinned to allow the fired case to be driven deeper onto the die. As shell holders are cheaper than dies, reworking one makes more sense to me. Necksize dies are larger in the body, but close to the same size of a full length die in the shoulder and neck, just machined a little deeper.

The shellholders are also hardened to 50-52 Rockwell C and do not cut well in the lathe even with carbide tooling. I simply ground .020 off the top of a couple of them while holding them in the collet of a drill and tool sharpening grinder.

So each time a case is neck sized it gets a .002 shoulder bump.

To answer your question, it works very well and lots of folks use this method.

Another way of doing it, is to get a RCBS Precision Mic measure around 5 fired cases, find the average headspace and then adjust your dies to that measurement. I've been told that to prolong your brass life it is best to bump your shoulder back 1-2 thousands. If you are getting 15 loadings from Winchester brass without any case head seperations or neck splitting, then you are blessed. I have loaded more than 15, but with Lapua brass. The down side to a RCBS Mic is that they are only made for common chamberings.

Joaquin stated he has about 20 firings on his brass so far. Maybe he would be kind enough to describe his loading methods in more detail? What brass brand are you using? As far as being blessed....maybe. It all boils down to chamber dimensions, head spacing, loading die adjustment, pressure, quality of brass. I do believe from experiance that Winchester brass is the best domestic produced available.

Update on Shakes reloading blunder

I tryed what you knowledgeable fellows suggested only with my full length sizing die for .260. I took out the internals, lubed the case and ran the loaded round through the press slowly, no problems on that end. Took out the firing pin, put a round in the chamber and whola the bolt closed like butter. Was able to shoot a match on sunday with no ammo problems. Thanks agian for all of your help guys.

Shakes....if you ran the loaded round all the way into the full length die, there is no doubt that the neck and bullet were reduced in diameter. Kind of like an extra jumbo full length neck crimp. You probably could not feel this reduction taking place. No real harm done, but did the bullets feel loose, how was the accuracy?

We suggested using larger diameter caliber dies to eliminate disturbing the already seated bullet.

And please dont tell us that you won the match with this ammo......

Gotcha. No not that lucky to win the match. Accuracy didnt seem to be an issue. bullets were still tight. Shot a 18 in standard and a 16 in hunter with a couple of rams laughing at my just above dead center shots.

As also being a newbe to HP rifle cartridge reloading this is interesting. Wish I lived closer to you Bob or Tony to go through all the things I maybe missing, or worse should be doing/checking...

Boy them straight wall pistol cartridges I'm so used to reloading sound so easy now....

Guys....this is not intended to sound condecending or like a smart ass.

Just about all you need to learn about proper handloading is covered in the intro pages of all loading manuals. Tips like ours are learned over time and from mistakes we made.

Suggestion....get a subscription to Handloader magazine. There any many usefull tips provided that are not covered in basic loading manuals.

Bob Mc Alice wrote:Guys....this is not intended to sound condecending or like a smart ass.

Just about all you need to learn about proper handloading is covered in the intro pages of all loading manuals. Tips like ours are learned over time and from mistakes we made.

Suggestion....get a subscription to Handloader magazine. There any many usefull tips provided that are not covered in basic loading manuals.

Got them and more Bob.. but I always find it's beneficial to watch and learn from someone who's done it a lot. I'm sure rifle cartridge reloading with it's tricks are as second nature to you as pistol cartridge is to me.

Also Sierra puts out a couple of videos on reloading! I had one with David Tubb on High Power, so long ago it was on VHS. It was very informative! If someone starting out reloading wants to see it, send me a PM and I'll get it from the person that I loaned it to a couple of years ago!