Additional update: I think I may have figured this out….
When I was using the Redding body die to push the shoulder back and then the Lee collet die to set the neck tension (undersized mandrel), the neck would be .289 at the tip of the neck, then half way down it would be say .290 and then near the base it would be approx .291. Loaded OD of neck is approx .291.
I thought that was weird so I tired my FL die RCBS with expander ball. OD of neck at top, middle and near base was .289.
So I FL sized 9 pieces ( Lapua on their 4th firing, no annealing) . I used a beam scale and a webcam to zoom in so I got very consistent powder charges of H4350 down to the kernel.
Seating pressure was a fair amount more compared to the Lee (make sense since neck OD is all the same) and my COAL fluctuated by as much as .007” so I think annealing would help there
But I’ve never been anywhere near this low of ES/SD with H4350 in this rifle but this is the first time I’ve tired FL sizing the Lapua brass instead of Redding/Lee combo
Moral of the story KISS and just use a good ol FL die (not hating on the Lee collet die)
When I was using the Redding body die to push the shoulder back and then the Lee collet die to set the neck tension (undersized mandrel), the neck would be .289 at the tip of the neck, then half way down it would be say .290 and then near the base it would be approx .291. Loaded OD of neck is approx .291.
I thought that was weird so I tired my FL die RCBS with expander ball. OD of neck at top, middle and near base was .289.
So I FL sized 9 pieces ( Lapua on their 4th firing, no annealing) . I used a beam scale and a webcam to zoom in so I got very consistent powder charges of H4350 down to the kernel.
Seating pressure was a fair amount more compared to the Lee (make sense since neck OD is all the same) and my COAL fluctuated by as much as .007” so I think annealing would help there
But I’ve never been anywhere near this low of ES/SD with H4350 in this rifle but this is the first time I’ve tired FL sizing the Lapua brass instead of Redding/Lee combo
Moral of the story KISS and just use a good ol FL die (not hating on the Lee collet die)
