.308 Win. Lee Neck sizer work for .30-06

[dhaid-06]

Can I neck size only .30-06 in a Lee .308 Winchester Collet neck sizing die?

[wallenba]

Can I neck size only .30-06 in a Lee .308 Winchester Collet neck sizing die?
Logic says maybe, if the upper limit can be found and overtravel into the die can be prevented. I'm not an expert so I'm prepared to be shot down on this. I'm currently looking to find a short 30 cal neck sizer to use on my .30 Herret as the RCBS is over $100.00 and the wait is over 90 days. I'm waiting for an e-mail back from Lee on this. If they say yes I'll get back with you.

[Johnch]

Yep
But you need to make up a spacer to make up the differance in case length
And it needs to be pretty close to the right height

If you look at the 308 Collet die
It works when the collet is pushed up by the shell holder

I am using a 358 Win collet die for my 35 Wellen

I took 2 thick 1/2" washers
Measure their thickness compaired to the differance in case length between the 358 Win and 35 Wellen
The used a belt sander to thin out 1 washer
I then super glued them togeather

Drop the washers over the case and size
That easy

John

[chuebner]

Not sure about the -06 but I use the Lee .308 Win collet die to size 7.62X54R by using a large washer that is .096 thick with a 1/2" dia. hole. The idea is to use the washer to make up the difference in case length. Just slip the washer over the case to be sized and setup the die in the normal manner. I imagine the same can be done with the 30-06 case by stacking washers. The idea was not mine but came from the surplusrifle.com site.

charlie

[dhaid-06]

Tell me about neck sizing with a full length sizing die. I have one of those in .30-06

[wallenba]

Tell me about neck sizing with a full length sizing die. I have one of those in .30-06

You can't size just the neck with a full length sizer die, it brings the whole case down to unfired dimensions. You would have to have the die machined out, and you would probably collapse the neck into the shoulder.

[NSP64]

Tell me about neck sizing with a full length sizing die. I have one of those in .30-06

You would have to open up the area of the die that sizes the body so that there is no contact. but it will work. Or buy a rcbs or Lee neck size die for 30-06.

[SierraWhiskeyMC]

OK, let's have a look at this.

A .30-06 cartridge is .479" longer than a .308 Win cartridge, if they're both trimmed to specifications.
A .308 Win has a neck that's .303" long.
A .30-06 has a neck that's .385" long.
So the .30-06 neck is .082" longer than the .308 Win case.

Subtracting the longer neck length from the longer case length leaves a difference of .397"

Just going by the neck height, we get 1.712" (.308) vs 2.109 (.30-06) for the same difference of .397".

Depending on how much higher the neck was in the fire-formed case vs a full-length-sized case, you'll need a slightly thicker spacer to make up for that.

The question remaining is, will the Lee .308 neck sizing die accept a neck that's .082" longer than the .308 specification? I don't know; I don't have one of those.

[wallenba]

OK, let's have a look at this.


Depending on how much higher the neck was in the fire-formed case vs a full-length-sized case, you'll need a slightly thicker spacer to make up for that.

The question remaining is, will the Lee .308 neck sizing die accept a neck that's .082" longer than the .308 specification? I don't know; I don't have one of those.

Yep, that would be the limiting factor.

[dhaid-06]

Awh heck, I just buy the dang .30-06 collet die.

[SierraWhiskeyMC]

Awh heck, I just buy the dang .30-06 collet die.

Dang! Not even going to try my suggestion?

What's at risk here, a few minute's time and a case worth a dime?

I'll go even further and suggest that if you set that neck die about .405" above where you use it for .308, you might get pretty darn close on the first case. Just go easy so you don't ruin the cartridge; just in case it bottoms out in the die.

You could buy powder or primers instead...

[jimkim]

Tell me about neck sizing with a full length sizing die. I have one of those in .30-06

6 Steps To Great Handloads
A little extra work at the bench brings better performance in the field.
By Wayne van Zwol

Neck size only. Unless you have a tight chamber, do not screw the die body down onto the shell holder. Leave a space the thickness of a penny between the two when the ram is at the top of its stroke. Adjusted in this way, the die will squeeze down the neck but will not push the shoulder back or compress the case body. Brass will conform to your chamber after one firing, so unless you want to use the case in another rifle, there's no point in making it smaller than it is when you extract it. All you need is neck compression so the expander ball can go to work, ensuring just the right inside diameter for proper bullet seating.

If you neck size only, you eliminate excessive "working" of the case that occurs with full-length sizing. Just as a paper clip will break after you repeatedly bend it back and forth, a cartridge case will fail if you subject it to repeated expansion (firing) followed by repeated compression (sizing).

http://www.rifleshootermag.com/ammunition/6_steps_great_handloads/

[Jim]

Put the shell holder in the ram, raise the ram, screw the die in until it makes contact with the shell holder, back the die off one full turn and lock the ring.

[dhaid-06]

Put the shell holder in the ram, raise the ram, screw the die in until it makes contact with the shell holder, back the die off one full turn and lock the ring.

I think I will try this one first.

[wallenba]

Awh heck, I just buy the dang .30-06 collet die.

Prob-Lee best. (brand indorsement [smilie=1:) Also noticed today that this Hornady neck sizer can size both .308 and 30-06 necks. See http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/?productNumber=116484

[bgokk]

I neck sized for years (.30-06 and .270 Win.) by using a full length sizing die properly adjusted for full length sizing. Here's how. Find a large flat washer with the hole large enough for the 7/8" die to go through and screw the die through it into your press. The one I used was about 3/32" thick. I'm not where I can mic the thickness. I also cut out one side of the washer so I could just slip it in between the die and press.

When I was resizing brass not shot in my rifles and wanted to load some that had been. I just backed the die out a bit slipped the slotted washer in tightened the die back down and neck sized.

Worked for me! Left a little bulge in the neck just forward of the shoulder. :-)

PS: You can use the same washer with the seating/crimp die to avoid the crimp. This avoids having to be constantly readjusting the die to the press. You only need to back out the seating stem run the cases back thru and crimp in a separate operation.

[1hole]

"Originally Posted by dhaid-06 -- Tell me about neck sizing with a full length sizing die. I have one of those in .30-06"

Okay, I've done several. The die needs to be drilled out to the junction of the shoulder/body so that it leaves the neck untouched but the body makes no contact at all with the case. Size dies are case hardened so you MUST use a carbide drill bit. Fortunately, the required bits are cheap and easy to find; I use a 1/2" bit made for cement-concrete; they can be found everywhere from Walmart to Lowes, etc.

Do it in a drill press. Clamp the die mouth straight up in a drill press vise. Feed the bit down in stages so you can look inside and see how well it's progressing. Stop at the neck. If you do score the shoulder slope it really won't matter but DO NOT cut into the shoulder-to-base-of-the-neck, that will leave a difficult to remove hard burr at the entry to the neck area. (IF you do cut that deep it's not a total loss, it can be lapped smooth but that's an unwanted task.)

FYI, you can make your own "body" dies the same way by boring an FL sizer neck about 10 thou larger than normal with the same type drill bit. You will have to grind a too large bit to the proper size first, and make a wood dowel mandrel to hold a scrap of carborundum paper to smooth the shoulder transition.

And, yes, you can use a Collet 30-06 neck die for a .308 if you obtain the proper spacer. But, IMHO, the effort is too clumsy to make it worthwhile. As it happened, I found used Lee -06 collet and crimp dies for cheap at a yard sale. It was easy enough to cut them down in a lathe so they work quite well; I do things like that largely because I have the tools and enjoy doing it. New Lee dies of the correct size really aren't all that expensive to buy new!

I can't fathom why anyone would bother with using a washer/spacer to reduce case entry into an FL die. Why not just back the die out?

[Rick459]

here are some pic's of the 30/06 and .308 collets. as you can see the 30/06 collet is longer. washers would work on the shell holder to get the collet to squeeze the neck. with a 30/06 case inserted in the .308 collet it sticks out about a 1/8th of an inch where as a .308 case sits flush it might work. HTH
Rick
http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o301/rick4570/Picture065-2.jpg

[Terrier]

johnch,
Where did you get a .358 collet die? Lee does not list one and I can't find it on Midway or Grafs.
Terrier

[Johnch]

johnch,
Where did you get a .358 collet die? Lee does not list one and I can't find it on Midway or Grafs.
Terrier

They used to , probely droped it

I just looked at Lee's web site
Looks like they droped it [smilie=b:

They have a bad habbit of dropping aanything that isn't selling great

Only chance now is a used one or a custom one from Lee

John