Neck sizing

[jgh4445]

I was looking at some 30.06 dies and noticed most all of them are FL die sets. I read on the rcbsw site that boolit casters need a special neck expanding die in order to reload cast boolits. Can't the FL die, in a 2 die set, be adjusted down to only size the neck? Would this "special" neck sizing die be the 3rd die in a 3 die set?

[RFWobbly]

Not certain about special expansion needs for lead boolits, but I can add this... Once the brass is fired in your gun, you don't need FL resizing. That will only stress the cartridge and lead to its early retirement. Try sizing just the neck with a "collet die" and your brass will last twice as long.

[Maven]

jgh...., You can use a FL die to PARTIALLY size your '06 case necks, but you'll still need to lubricate the case bodies & neck interiors prior to sizing. To do this, take a few cases fired in your rifle, lubricate them and set up the FL die so that it leaves a ~1/16" portion of the neck unsized. I.e., you should see a ~1/16" ring at the neck-shoulder junction. Make dummy rounds from those cases and try chambering them. If they chamber with normal effort, mark your die and set the locking ring so as to allow repeatable results. Btw, I do this for several of my rifles, but the Lee Collet Die set (very little run out; don't need to lube cases) is what I use in my '06. As for expanding & belling the case necks for CB's, Lyman sells a M-die (30L; also works on .308Win. & others) for that purpose. You'll need one if you partially size your case necks with a FL die, but not necessarily with the Lee Collet Die.*



*I have 3 Lee collet die sets: the .30-06 die doesn't require the use of an M-die, but my .243Win. and 6.5 x 55mm sets do.

[Bullshop]

May I take a stab at an explanation?
I think the referance there is that, A cast boolits are often times larger in diameter than a jacketed bullet of same caliber, and B, they are softer so can actually be sized down when being seated in a tight neck. There may also be a referance to an M die that puts a step in the mouth of a case so a cast boolit may be started without shaving lead from the boolit.
There is realy no need for a special die to do any of these things. Possibly very helpfull in a standard FL die would be a custom size expander ball. The ball can be mated to the neck thickness of the brass type being used to get just the right neck tension needed.
Bushing dies are really nice for that and eliminate the need for an expander ball alltogether. A tight expander ball passing through a work hardened neck can cause case length problems.
Another way to address neck tension for oversize cast boolits and still stay with a standard FL die and neck expander ball is to neck turn or ream the thickness to mate with the diameter of boolits that work well with that particular bore dimensions.
For my money if I was just getting set up for a caliber and expected the absolute best I could get from it I would invest in a bushing die with a set of bushings that would give me a wide flexability to work with differant lotts of brass with differing rates of neck wall thickness.
If I was trying to make due on the cheap I would simply stay with my FL die set, then start with an oversize neck expander ball and by the most simple means possible (drill motor and file/abrasive cloth) set its diameter so that it gave the desired ID neck when my brass is drawn over it.
As for starting bullets without shaving necks can be belled by tapping with any object that has a bit of a bevel. Since there is always a bucket of scrap brass lying about in my shop I simply find a case of smaller caliber than what is being loaded, invert it, incert its neck into the neck of the case being loaded and give a light tap with a small hammer that lives on my loading bench for just that purpose.
There ya go now that should be as clear as mud for ya.
Blessings
BIC/BS

[jgh4445]

Thanks guys. Actually its real clear and answered my question. I'm gonna load this particular round for my Drilling. The dies will be set up strictly for that gun. A set of Lee collet dies may be the very thing.

[Bullshop]

The Lee collet die may or may not work well depending on how well the mandrel matches the ID case neck you need. Idealy you would want a set of mandrels in varying diameters. That way you can adjust for differant neck wall thickness of differant lots and brands of brass.
Remember the standard mandrel in the Lee collet die is targeted at jacketed bullet diameter. That pretty much puts you back in about the same place as the standard FL die set.
And being this is for a Drilling you may find something unusual in bore/groove dimensions.
What is the caliber?
Blessings
BIC/BS

[jgh4445]

Drilling rifle barrel is 30.06. My mold is a 311041.