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Neck sizing and trimming issue....

InfScout1/69

Sergeant
Full Member
Minuteman
May 11, 2014
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Am I the only person having this issue ?

I'm using a redding FL bushing sizer. I wanted to play around with neck tension but if I size the neck more than .001 neck tension it won't fit over the trimmer pilot
(.304). For instance.. Doesn't matter Hornady brass or federal brass if I have more than .001 neck tension using appropriate bushing I can't trim since it doesn't fit over the pilot. I'll give an example.... For Hornady brass I use the .335 bushing to get .001 neck tension, but I I want .002 tension I use the 334 bushing but I can't trim because it won't fit over the trimmer pilot. Same issue with fed brass. Any suggestions?
 
Yeah,, assuming that you have an electric drill and a small, fine file, chuck the pilot in the drill and hit it with the file to knock a few thou off the pilot (while running the drill of course)...
 
I NO size most of the time, With my obturated neck diameter, I have to put it though the NO die twice. So I trim in between the first and second bushings.
 
I NO size most of the time, With my obturated neck diameter, I have to put it though the NO die twice. So I trim in between the first and second bushings.

NO size? I'm still fairly new to reloading, please explain.
 
Neck sizing and trimming issue....

I do not want to file down trimmer pilot..it's diameter is at .304. If it file it down it would give me a lot more neck tension then I want


I guess I'll have to get another bushing worst case
 
I may give the Lee die a try before buying a bushing. Got the Lee die set for free. Anyone have any reviews on it? Runout? Consistency?
 
I do not want to file down trimmer pilot..it's diameter is at .304. If it file it down it would give me a lot more neck tension then I want


I guess I'll have to get another bushing worst case

Unless I'm missing something, the trimmer pilot won't affect neck tension. It will just make it easier to go into the neck. What trimmer?
 
Unless I'm missing something, the trimmer pilot won't affect neck tension. It will just make it easier to go into the neck. What trimmer?

I think it would. ID of the neck ater sizing is
.303 and if I file the pilot then the ID of the neck would still be .303. I want my ID to be either .307 or .306.

I'm using the Hornady cam lock trimmer
 
Your missing something somewhere. If your neck ID is .303 then you have way more than .001 neck tension. Your neck bushing determines the neck tension, not the trimmer pilot.
I use a .337 bushing with Hornady brass and have more than adequate neck tension to cycle ammo through a semi-auto with no bullet movement.
 
Neck sizing and trimming issue....

Hmm. The Hornady brass I have I use the .336 bushing.. Neck thickness is .014-.0145 After it's sized my ID is 307.
 
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When I used the .335 bushing on the Hornady brass I had the same issue I am having now. Since I switched to .336 bushing problem went away.
 
Maybe I need to wait for the brass to spring back alittle? How long before the brass usually springs back?
 
Maybe I need to wait for the brass to spring back alittle? How long before the brass usually springs back?

A couple nanoseconds. Don't hold your breath....

What is the OD of the case necks after sizing with the problematic bushings? For whatever reason, sizing down too far (.344" to .335", for example) can cause the bushing to size to a smaller diameter than the bushing is. I have no idea why this is, but a lengthy email to Redding's customer service confirmed this, along with my own experience since. The solution is to use an intermittent bushing. I use a .339, followed by a .335 or .336.
 
The step down with bushings like Temp9 has commented is aided/assisted to a significant degree by annealing.Too bigger gap is going to cause those issues i.e. you want the brass to do too much in one step.
 
heres a thought: neck size to fit trimmer pilot, then neck size again to desired tension

This is it. Trim after you size for the trimmer then run your neck to the dimension you want. You don't need to trim in between each bushing size. You may not need to trim every time in any case so measure the cases, make sure they're not too long and run the bushing you want to try. If you're stretching the cases between bushings then something isn't right.

Frank