redding bushing die question

[wburke2010]

I am currently using a regular Redding fl die. But now that I am switching to ss media, I bought a decaping die and will do that before sizing. But I also want to switch to a redding bushing die for sizing.

Two questions, How do I figure out what size bushing that I need to order?

Also when I use the bushing die should I take out the decaping rod from it, or just leave it in?

I am shooting a 243 with lapua brass.

Thanks

Walter

 

[Assault116]

Bushing size, will be .002-003" smaller than your neck diameter of a loaded round. Different brass, or neck turned brass will require different sized bushings.

I run with the decap rod in place but without the expander ball to reduce work hardening the brass. It's pretty much completely optional and up to you.

 

[wburke2010]

Bushing size, will be .002-003" smaller than your neck diameter of a loaded round. Different brass, or neck turned brass will require different sized bushings.

I run with the decap rod in place but without the expander ball to reduce work hardening the brass. It's pretty much completely optional and up to you.

If you take the expander ball off, do you have to run it through another die?

Walter

 

[Assault116]

If you take the expander ball off, do you have to run it through another die?

Walter

Nope, by selecting your bushing correctly you're already adjusting your neck tension appropriately.

 

[wvlapua]

Measure the neck on a loaded round. Subtract .002 and .003, order those sizes. I remove the rods on my bushing dies. Some may say the expander is needed to straighten the necks, but I haven't seen this.

 

[wburke2010]

10-4, Thanks a bunch. So the expander ball is basically just fixing the necks and not doing anything else to the case?

Walter

 

[wvlapua]

10-4, Thanks a bunch. So the expander ball is basically just fixing the necks and not doing anything else to the case?

Walter

Yep..unless you have some seriously dented necks, its not needed. Even then, an expander mandrel is a better tool to use for consistency imo.

 

[Assault116]

Yep..unless you have some seriously dented necks, its not needed. Even then, an expander mandrel is a better tool to use for consistency imo.

^^^ This, I forget a lot of folks are running gas guns and are a lot more prone to getting dents in the necks. For that the decap rod w/expander ball on it will work, but a mandrel expander is a better way to go about it.

 

[wburke2010]

Thanks a bunch. This is in a bolt gun and right now I don't do much more than range trips and hunting with it so the brass doesn't get beat up too bad, But I hope to start making some matches later this year and starting next year.

Walter

 

[TireMan]

What everyone else said
Plus, you'll want more than one bushing. Get a range

 

[QuietShootr]

also, spend the jack and get the titanium nitrided bushings.

 

[1J04]

With the Type S - Full Bushing Die won't you end up having to turn the necks ? Just picked up a Remmy 700 .308 5R MilSpec and got all the goodies but dies cuz I'm on the fence too of which way I wanna go with this gun. Got Lapua brass and due to their reported slightly thicker necks just wondering if turning necks is in my future going this way. I do not really wanna go down that road of adding more to this process.

 

[wvlapua]

With the Type S - Full Bushing Die won't you end up having to turn the necks ? Just picked up a Remmy 700 .308 5R MilSpec and got all the goodies but dies cuz I'm on the fence too of which way I wanna go with this gun. Got Lapua brass and due to their reported slightly thicker necks just wondering if turning necks is in my future going this way. I do not really wanna go down that road of adding more to this process.

No sir, not unless you have a tight chamber. Your factory cut chamber will not require turned necks.

 

[1J04]

No sir, not unless you have a tight chamber. Your factory cut chamber will not require turned necks.

Outstanding!! Only thing holding me back now is to find the type s two die fl bushing set and a few bushings. Only problem at this point is finding it in stock

 

[mtang45]

No sir, not unless you have a tight chamber. Your factory cut chamber will not require turned necks.

OR you have neck thickness variation. Doesn't do any good to run a case through a good FL bushing die if the neck is .016 on one side and .013 on the other.

 

[wvlapua]

OR you have neck thickness variation. Doesn't do any good to run a case through a good FL bushing die if the neck is .016 on one side and .013 on the other.

Lapua brass is pretty dang consistent in neck thickness. No worries OP.

 

[mtang45]

Lapua brass is pretty dang consistent in neck thickness. No worries OP.

Check it ; normally Lapua is very consistent, but I have Lapua 308 brass that's no better that Remington on neck wall thickness

Sent from my SGH-M919 using Tapatalk

 

[mdmp5]

Just measure the neck diameter on a couple of loaded rounds and subtract .001 or .002. Remember that Redding bushings are typically undersized by half a thousandth. For example, if a loaded 308 round measures .337 at the neck, a 336 bushing may size the neck to anywhere between .3355 and .336, giving you a neck tension anywhere between .001 and .0015. I shoot for .001 to .002 of neck tension.

 

[damoncali]

In case anyone's interested, I wasted an evening measuring a lot of case necks a while back: Norma 6mm XC Brass

100 out of the box new Norma 6mm XC cases. There is a good bit of variation from case to case, and in the neck thickness at various points on the same case. Not enough to get upset over in a factory chamber, but if you're screwing around with neck bushing dies and trying to get a precise tension, I think it's pretty clear that you *must* turn necks. Otherwise, the brass thickness variations will overwhelm your bushing's precision.

This is getting into benchrest territory, but when looking for small velocity spreads, sometimes it's easier to just do the work than to test to see if it matters.