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What hornady neck bushing to use??
Hi all. Just wondered if some clever soul could help me out with a reloading problem.
I have just started reloading my new T3 stainless varmint 1:8 in .223 rem & bought a Hornady “New Dimension Match Grade full length sizer die for it. Upon their advice, I also got a 0.246” bushing for it and set about sizing a couple of dozen cases. When I tried to chamber these cases (unloaded) into my rifle the bolt was pretty hard to close at the last 3 or 4 mm and when I took the cases back out I tried to rest a variety of bullets onto the case necks and the bullets almost fell into the cases as there was so little tension.
So, can anyone tell me if I need to go down a size in bushing, like a 0.244″ or even a o.242″ (a bit tight I think) does this sound about right? I don't know if it makes a difference, but I'm using a Forster coax press and I have the die right down onto the shell holder.
Thanks for any help guys. -
5 Replies
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You should be using a bushing that is .002-.003 smaller then the OD neck size of a loaded round that chambers in your rifle. Sounds like the bushing you have is far too large to provide any neck tension at all if you can actually press a bullet in the case manually by hand…measure a factory round, if possible with the same brass and bullet type you plan on using to get the best starting point… if possible.
You also have to note that various brands of brass will have different wall thicknesses so a bushing you may use for Hornady brass + bullet combo may not work with Lapua Brass + bullet combo…
BUT…If you neck size your brass you can use the same bushing, its the only way to have consistent neck tension across various brands.
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I use a Redding full length bushing die with a .245 bushing and a carbide expander with Lapua .223 brass. My goal was to size the neck down just enough so that the expander lightly contacts the inside of the neck. The idea is that with a no-turn neck the irregularities tend to get pushed to the outside by the expander without messing with concentricity too much.
The 6.5 guys weblog explains the reasoning and it seem sound.
Good luck! -
Good post Eric. You can pick up some nice tricks and info from these guys…
These 6.5 guys are enjoying life way too much!
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Yea the 6.5 guys enjoy the sport! One other point about bushing size, annealing can affect the amount of spring back Thant happens with brass. Work hardened necks may require a smaller bushing to achieve the same neck tension that softer brass would exhibit. So, unless you anneal regularly, you will want a small selection of bushings to deal with changes in hardness and brand.
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Newbie here, but not to reloading. .003 smaller then the loaded round dia. is what you want. Also, when you only neck size the brass, you can reload them many times. Now when you neck size only the brass, you have to use them in the same rifle. When I started shooting competitively back in the mid 80's, Wilson hand dies were recommended to me as the best, and that's what I have using ever since.
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