Re: Sizing brass without expanderball?
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: YAOG</div><div class="ubbcode-body">
Having custom dies ground this way limits you to cases with a neck thickness that is the same as whatever case you used. This is an expensive way to size a wide variety of different lots of brass unless you only use neck turned brass.
I don't turn necks and can use a wide mix of Remington, Black Hills Match and FGMM .308 brass some of which has been reloaded 10-20 times. I'm currently using Redding bushing dies and I typically see loaded cases with neck run-out numbers in the 0.0015"-0.002" range with the occasional TIR of 0.003". But all of the cases with case neck TIR more than 0.002" are old very R%P cases which have been reloaded 15-20 times and with neck thickness which varies up to 0.0035".
AFAIK a loaded case with a case neck run-out bellow 0.002" is well bellow what will cause significant accuracy issues even at very long ranges as many other factors have more influence over POI at long ranges.
That being said I'm a tactical shooter so I'm more concerned about reliably hitting the black every time than making the distinction between a 10 or X.
HTH!
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It seems some of you get better runout than I get on average with a tuned up Redding and no touch necks.
I certainly agree with your assessment with regard to tactical rifles. In my tactical rifles I generally don't care so long as the runout is less than 5-6 thou..It just doesn't seem to make a noticeable difference in the big guns.
FWIW when I get a new barrel I buy all the brass I need to shoot the barrel out with room to spare.
One run of brass seems to help a lot and after a few long hours of sorting and blueprinting I'm off to order a few custom die bodies..usually three. One for the small virginal stuff, the next on at about 5-6 firings, and one for the old lumpy stuff.
With lapua brass I generally run 2 dies and NT at about 6 or so firings or when it gets too thick.
In terms of cost difference it isn't as much as you might think nor do you loose flexibility.
3 Forster custom ground sizers cost about $200.00 to my doorstep while with Redding you have the sizer and three bushings (depending on which die and bushings you choose)for about $140.00. Then you need the good expander ($40.00) for a cost of around $180.00. So the cost is much closer than you might think.
