Sizing fired cases?

[ShortStake]

Gents and Madams,

One can read volumes on loading and reloading black powder cases and opinions vary as to which method of sizing fired cases is preferred.

It seems that some that early on advocated neck only sizing of fired cases now have transitioned to full length sizing of fired cases.

Silhouette and long range target shooters may well prefer to neck size fired cases to insure a more cavernous case capacity for powder.  With the current use of Swiss powder and now days GOEX the penchant for MORE powder may be lessened.

Black Powder cartridges prepared for serious hunting most likely don't have any bullet grease grooves exposed to preclude contamination.  Crimping of bullets into cases loaded for and dedicated to serious hunting most likely require full length sizing.  

Tight chambered firearms may well be the deciding factor for case sizing?

How many are full length sizing fired cases?  How many are only neck sizing fired cases?  And why?

[Kodiak]

And I suppose, there are those of us who do NOT resize their brass at all. That might be another poll, sometime.

Kodiak

[ShortStake]

Kodiak,

Very good point.

"No sizing of fired cases".

Added same to poll.

Thanks,

[Cuts Crooked]

I neck size only. But only because my decapping rod is part of my resizing die and cannot be adjusted far enuff ta decap without some amount of resizing. I would not size at all otherwise.

I may end up investing in a universal decapping die to avoid this.

[HWooldridge]

Another variable is what type of cartridge and rifle you are shooting.  I do not size my 45-70 brass for my single shot Sharps using paper patched bullets but I full length resize my 44-40 ammo for rifle and pistol.  The Sharps has a tight chamber and fired cases need only to be decapped and cleaned before loading again.  My 44-40 ammo has to fit and cycle in either weapon so must be brought back to factory size.

[The Shrink]

I'll go with HW.  I do not resize my 40-70BN Shiloh Sharps cases, nor did I resize Trapdoor 45-70 cases, and the bullets are slip fit with just enough crimp to hold them in place.  

I'm just starting in on 44-40 and expect I will be full length sizing those for use in my Uberti Cattleman, and this will be necessary when I get a 44-40 rifle and swap back and forth.  

Wayne

[ShortStake]

Gents and Madams,

An adjunct question for those that shoot single shot BPC rifles with sized or unsized cases.

Allowing that factory barrel chambers can at time be generous vs minimum tolerance chambers by others.

Are any of you belling the case mouth to function as a chamber scrapper and for cartridge case centering/alignment?  Logic being to preclude loaded round "droop" onto the bottom of the chamber.

My loaded rounds are bell mouthed sufficiently that thumb pressure is required to chamber a loaded round while the bell mouthed case is conforming to the chamber walls.  Before and after measurements of the bell mouthed case mouth average about .003 difference. (Bullets are seated with two bands & one grease groove exposed and usually .020 off the lands.)