Neck size only for Handi reloads?

[prairiedog555]

I would like to start reloading for my .223 Bull Handi.  I will probabily get Lee dies and only shoot from same barrel.  I have noticed that some cases already are sticky and hard to remove, (Wolf) ammo. 
So, can I get away with only neck sizing?
I have heard that this is more accurate and gives longer case life.

And I have read here that throat polishing will help, is this also true of neck sizing?

[Fred M]

Whatever you heared is not applicable for the Handi. Full sizing ia what you have to do, but be carefull not to push the shoulder back too far. The case needs to be flush with the back of the chamber. 223 brass is cheap so do not worry about the brass. Polish the chamber will help with extraction.

[greg916]

I only neck size my reloads and have never had any problems. I am using Lee Classic dies (the kind you hit with a hammer) I  also only reload for rimmed cartridges. That may make a difference. My 22 Hornet shot awful until I started reloading for it. You could throw a cartridge and last weeks laundry in the chamber. Neck sizing fixed that! All it took to make it shoot good!

[gendoc]

had sorta the same problem with my hornet..
then i found a 50gr nosler and set her on fire.. its beyond deadly now!!

[merkelerk]

I agree, neck sizing only and the right bullet weight and powder brought my grouping down below 0.5 inches at 100 yards (.223 Handi bull barrel)

[PHATINJUN]

Greg if your chamber is as loose as you claim "You could throw a cartridge and last weeks laundry in the chamber." If you bought your Hornet used you may want to make sure some one did not make it into a K Hornet before you...seen it before. Kurt

[Dean of Id]

If you bought your Hornet used you may want to make sure some one did not make it into a K Hornet before you...seen it before. Kurt

Surly he would notice the difference when he ejected the shell.  Wouldn't ya think?

My H&R Hornet has a big ol' chamber too.  I have a couple hundred cases for it that have never felt the inside of an FL die since they were new.  Neck sized or collet sized only, and none of them have been hard to chamber in this rifle.  Good shooting gun, too.

[torpedoman]

if the wolf is the laquered stuff it will not eject from mine peroid. Have to knock it out with a dowel rod. Neck size only will improve your groups as noted by others if you are shooting it from the same gun you should never need to full size your brass.

[greg916]

Kurt, My Hornet was factory fitted through the barrel accessory program. The chamber is within SAAMI specs but on the large side.

[Guy Pike]

All my Handi's are throated way deep. I can't  touch the lands with a bullet and have much left in the case. BUT, it doesn't seem to matter one lick! With the advice in the stickies and the right handloads they shoot very well.I neck size only on shouldered cartridges and full length on my straight sides.

[Sourdough]

If you are 100% sure you will never need that ammo to shoot in another gun then neck sizing is OK.  But what do you do when you get into a good hunting area and your partner who caries the same caliber loses his ammo on the way in.  Or say you lost your ammo and your partner has only neck sized ammo for his gun and it won't shoot in yours.  One day of hunting lost.

 

[sr sawyer]

If you are 100% sure you will never need that ammo to shoot in another gun then neck sizing is OK.  But what do you do when you get into a good hunting area and your partner who caries the same caliber loses his ammo on the way in.  Or say you lost your ammo and your partner has only neck sized ammo for his gun and it won't shoot in yours.  One day of hunting lost.

You should never shoot anothers reloads if they have not been worked up for your rifle.   Shooting loads developed in one rifle and then shooting them in a different one is not a good idea. Not only is it dangerous to the shooter it can destroy a rifle.

That out of the way, every rifle is different, I have one that shoots better if FL sized over neck sizing.  Also have two 22 hornets that I have to keep separate so the cases won't stick.  I use different color Sharpies to mark the primers to keep them separate.     

[cwlongshot]

Whatever you heared is not applicable for the Handi. Full sizing ia what you have to do, but be carefull not to push the shoulder back too far. The case needs to be flush with the back of the chamber. 223 brass is cheap so do not worry about the brass. Polish the chamber will help with extraction.

 I agree with Fred.

   Personally I am not a big fan of neck sizing for the handi, with the higher intensity chamberings. (Like the 243,308, 25-06, 270, 30-05 and 35 Whelen). Its just a bit different then loading for a good bolt. I feel that the action has too much "spring". If you look at a bolt, the rim of the case is less than an inch from the locking lugs of the bolt. That is very little steel to compress, move or "spring" upon firing. Conversly the Handi has no locking lugs, it has a breech face/recoil shield that the case head sits against. But the barrel is connected some 4+ inches INFRONT of the cases rim at the hinge. This makes for a good amount of steel to deflect or "spring" upon firing. A couple factors are at play here, but it my opinion this is the reason that the neck sizing is not so good in a handi type action. (With high intensity calibers.)

(Many here know this.) What neck sizing does for you is work the brass less thru the body of the case. But also stops you from moving the shoulder with a FL resize. Combined this makes the brass more stable, IE less difference shell to shell. You tend to get better accuracy and longer brass life. But with the Handi and the "spring" in the action is different and the shoulder will move on you. After a couple loadings will no longer close on a your loaded case.

 What I do is a modified neck sizing with a standard FL sizing die. Using good brass. Preferably new, but not imparitive. Load and fire an amount of cartridges. Back at your loading bench, be certain the cases are shot from the Handi. Set your die up so its about 1/16+ off the shell holder and tighten it in the press. "Smoke" one with a candle and run it all the way up into the die. This will partially resize the sides and part of the neck. Pay perticular attention tothe soot on the neck and shoulder of the case. Repeat as you adjust the die down. Stop when the complete neck has the soot removed and the shoulder is just kissed by the die. (Be careful NOT to push it back. Its better to stop a couple thousands early.) This is a suedo neck size and has worked well for me when loading for the handi single shot action.

  Something else I have found is to avoid the heaviest of loads. It not for the guns strength. Its perfectly safe with any commercially avalible load for the calibers the factory has chambered in it. Its to mimamize the "springing" on the action I mentioned before. I have a couple larger, higher pressure calibers in handi's and I do enjoy them. It's my opinion that the handi would be best served with rimmed cases loaded only to about 45,0000 cup.

 

 CW

[mtbugle]

I have a question on neck sizing.  I tend to leave about 3/4th of a turn from FL sizing inorder to not size about .05 inch of neck.  I feel that this more centers my round in chamber.  But have seen others saying should neck size to kissing the shoulder.  Last night I first used a NK sizer die and by putting all way down to full length neck size it tends to push the shoulder to body junction out enough to make loading hard. I backed die off 1/2 turn and it stopped the junction protrusion.  Perhaps some of the more experienced necksizer reloaders could help clear this up for me a little.   Thanks Don.

[quickdtoo]

The key is to only size the case just enough so it will chamber flush or just slightly above the chamber mouth, depending on the barrel to frame gap, due to the flex in the action, warm loads with high pressure rounds tend to grow too long to allow the case to fully chamber and the shoulder needs to be pushed back just a little. If your fired case will fit in the chamber complete flush with the chamber mouth using a straight edge across the headstamp, you're fine. If not, FL size it just enough to make that happen. If the case is too long, the action won't close completely and insufficient latch engagement that it creates will cause poor accuracy and even pop-opens.

Tim

[cwlongshot]

I have a question on neck sizing.  I tend to leave about 3/4th of a turn from FL sizing inorder to not size about .05 inch of neck.  I feel that this more centers my round in chamber.  But have seen others saying should neck size to kissing the shoulder.  Last night I first used a NK sizer die and by putting all way down to full length neck size it tends to push the shoulder to body junction out enough to make loading hard. I backed die off 1/2 turn and it stopped the junction protrusion.  Perhaps some of the more experienced necksizer reloaders could help clear this up for me a little.   Thanks Don.

 If you follow my outline, you will in effect neck size only with the first loading. Then as/if the case grows, your die is already set to your chamber. So the shoulder is bumped back ever-so slightly. But NOT farther then it needs to, or as far as it would in a regular FL resizing. This is the reason I specfied you start with new brass and be certain that it was fired in the handis chamber. Now your DIE keeps all things equil instead of the case. Does that make sence?

CW

[mtbugle]

I appreciate the advice.  It seems towork pretty well with the FL type dies.  But with a NK marked die it allows the bulge at the junction.  Possibly I am not using the NK dies properly.  I do not have instructions with them and have not used NK sizing only dies before.  Also any thoughts on the leaving a bit of neck full size to center bullet in chamber?

[cwlongshot]

 You talking about bullet runout. If you want to keep this tite, you need to invest in better dies... Redding comp dies for example. You can also get a gage to check runout, but frankly I think your wasting your time and money with that on a handi. There are easier and more efective waysfor better accuracy gains in this rifle. JMHO 

CW

[Winter Hawk]

I use a Lyman 310 tool for reloading .30-30, .308 and .30-06.  It neck sizes only (the 310 dies for straight cartridges do FL resize, to the best of my recollection).  After resizing, I run the unprimed brass through the rifle to check that it chambers all the way.  If it doesn't, it gets FL sized with a Lee hand press & dies.  I haven't had to do this for quite a long time now.  I don't load hot but for the best group, so that probably is why I don't seem to have a lot of case stretch.

Before someone mentions that Lyman doesn't make 310 dies for the .308 or .30-06, let me say that they did in days gone by, and I have had mine for 30+ years....

-WH-