Hornady Custom FL vs. neck resizing die

[Ape_Factory]

I've been using Hornady custom grade FL dies to process brass for all my gas guns for some time. I recently added a bolt gun and I'm still using the same FL die for it.

My normal process is to remove the expander ball and use a separate expander mandrel and it works quite well for me.

I've now purchased a Hornady custom grade neck sizer only die, a first for me. Is that die pointless if I pull the expander ball and continue to use the mandrel method to control neck tension? Or should I be using both the expander ball and then the mandrel? This is not a bushing die and I'm assuming there's no change to the shoulder.

I'm assuming one would need to keep the chamber pretty clean to use this method? I'll obviously load up some dummy rounds to make sure they chamber but just curious before the die arrives.

 

[spife7980]

Just return the neck die and get your money back. You were doing it better before.

 

[Ape_Factory]

Isn't full length resizing for a bolt gun overworking the brass when it's not needed?

 

[spife7980]

You don’t have to take it all the way to minimum specs. Just .002 of shoulder set back is adequate and the full length also sizes the base and shoulders to ensure that you don’t have case walls jamming into the chamber when you’re trying to load it.
You won’t know what’s needed until it’s too late so full length the same way on every firing and you’ll remove one variable you have to chase.

 

[Ape_Factory]

Makes sense. I’m already bumping it two thou. Wasnt sure if there was any advantage to just sizing the neck.

 

[acudaowner]

one uses bushings one doesn't I take the guts out of the non bushing die using just the die body to close the neck enough to hold the next bullet on top and the expanding mandrels to set my neck tension . and 9 reloads later the factory brass and it's still rolling along just fine . I tried the bushing dies and after buying 6 bushings that did not work I gave up on them .at least that is how we are running it . best of luck to you .