Couple 6.5 Creedmoor Sizing Questions

[sig2009]

First. I noticed that the Hornady ELDM factory ammo diameter of the seated 140gn is .291. Mine seated the diameter of the neck is.290 I am using the Redding FL Sizer die just bumping back the shoulder. I'm not using a bushing neck sizer die. Why does their factory ammo have a .291 diameter and mine is .290. Same componets. Hornady brass and bullets.

Second. I was able to pick up a Redding Type S Neck sizing die on the forum here for 6.5 Creedmoor. Being that my loaded rounds without the neck sizer are .290 should I be looking to purchase the bushing in .290 .289 or .288?

The reason I ask is that when I seat a bullet some seem to seat easily and some seem to seat where you can really feel it grab the bullet when seating. All brass is prepped and trimmed with the inside and outside debured. I'm thinking this may be a uniform neck tension issue which hopefully the neck sizer die will cure.

 

[demolitionman]

My Redding FLS die finishes my seated 65 Creed rounds at .290 +/- a thousandth. I bump the shoulder .002/.003 and still use the expander ball as its designed, although I polished it. It shoots so damn good I never ended up buying bushing dies for the rifle. My advice is not to worry about the difference and just simply go shoot your handloads and see what the groups tell you.

I reccomend using a VLD style inside the neck chamfering tool, and then make a pass on the outside of the case mouth after, then run a nylon brush when all done.

 

[sig2009]

My Redding FLS die finishes my seated 65 Creed rounds at .290 +/- a thousandth. I bump the shoulder .002/.003 and still use the expander ball as its designed, although I polished it. It shoots so damn good I never ended up buying bushing dies for the rifle. My advice is not to worry about the difference and just simply go shoot your handloads and see what the groups tell you.

Groups are telling me not a lot of consistency so I'm trying different things out. And everyone raves about the Neck Sizer Bushing die so I bought it to try out. I really think a lot of this precision reloading is a bunch of snake oil but I'm willing to see if I can improve and see any difference using the Neck Sizing Die. Funny because my .308 load with 168gn SMK gets be 3.9 SD with NO Neck Sizing Die.

 

[padom]

Do you anneal before sizing? If not this could be why your feeling different seating pressure.

 

[sig2009]

No. I anneal after sizing. Am I doing this wrong?

 

[pell1203]

sig2009, I always anneal before sizing. I've seen others argue it doesn't matter whether you anneal before or after sizing just as long as you do it.

For me, annealing before sizing, reconditions the brass to be more malleable prior to bumping shoulders and sizing neck. I would also expect minimum brass spring back while undergoing the sizing process if it brass has just been annealed.

I will say I have had much improved results by annealing on every firing/reload cycle.

 

[918v]

Annealing after sizing increases bullet seating effort over annealing before sizing. Therefore variability in annealing will show itself to a greater degree if done after sizing. How are you annealing? Torch and eyeball?

 

[rduckwor]

Anneal BEFORE sizing. This will help with sizing consistency. Bushings are typically bought 0.002 - 0.003" smaller that your desired final neck size WITH A LOADED ROUND IN PLACE. This controls the amount of neck tension you want.

Good Luck,

RMD

 

[Bull Arms]

Tag, good info

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

 

[Milo 2.5]

First. I noticed that the Hornady ELDM factory ammo diameter of the seated 140gn is .291. Mine seated the diameter of the neck is.290 I am using the Redding FL Sizer die just bumping back the shoulder. I'm not using a bushing neck sizer die. Why does their factory ammo have a .291 diameter and mine is .290. Same componets. Hornady brass and bullets.

Second. I was able to pick up a Redding Type S Neck sizing die on the forum here for 6.5 Creedmoor. Being that my loaded rounds without the neck sizer are .290 should I be looking to purchase the bushing in .290 .289 or .288?

The reason I ask is that when I seat a bullet some seem to seat easily and some seem to seat where you can really feel it grab the bullet when seating. All brass is prepped and trimmed with the inside and outside debured. I'm thinking this may be a uniform neck tension issue which hopefully the neck sizer die will cure.

First, if you would have measured case length, you'd have found the brass grew .008-009" with the first firing, the neck stretched causing thinning. so smaller dia. Also too, if you measured right at the mouth, they may not chamfer the mouth, skewing things.
288 or 289 bushing is standard, you figure what works best.
Annealing was mentioned, it helps, when seating bullets, if 100% feel the same, you are one awesome dude, cull the irregulars from the standard and shoot close ranges with them, the next firing they may be the standard and other cases fall out.