Neck sizing pistol cases.

[Hickory]

I was wondering if anyone has tried this, or even heard of it.

When a case is resized I do not resize all the way or simply said I do not run the case into the die for the full length of the case. Only enough to give a good grip on the boolit (neck tension). The rest of the case remains expanded (unsized), there by offering support, to help bring the boolit in line with the axis of the bore.

This difference is not much, but dose aid in the reduction of group size. The only noticeable difference is at 50+ yds. I’ve used this technique to get a higher degree of accuracy when loading straight wall pistol cartridges in revolvers. I would not try this with semi-auto handguns.

I first used this method when shooting metallic silhouettes back in the 80’s with a Contender.

[bobthenailer]

i also use neck sizing in 357 mag , 30/20 , 7 mm ihsma and 22 hornet in my single shot pistols, and also got better accuracy! and i also found that a very slight taper crip also helped as i belled the case mouths slightly to use cast bullets in the 357,30/20 and 7 mm the 357 would avg 2 1/4 inch 25 shots groups at 100 yards the 30/20 1 1/4 for 25 shots at 100 yards and 7 mm 3/4 inch for 25 shots at 100 yards with cast bullets. the hornet ony gets jacketed bullets as the not very expensive

[bobthenailer]

i also use neck sizing in 357 mag , 30/20 , 7 mm ihsma and 22 hornet in my single shot pistols, and also got better accuracy! and i also found that a very slight taper crip also helped as i belled the case mouths slightly to use cast bullets in the 357,30/20 and 7 mm the 357 would put inside of 2 1/4 inch for 25 shots groups at 100 yards the 30/20 1 1/4 for 25 shots at 100 yards and 7 mm 3/4 inch for 25 shots at 100 yards with cast bullets. the hornet ony gets jacketed bullets as the not very expensive

[BABore]

Yes I've used it now and then to get the upmost accuracy out of a gun. I back the sizer off quite a ways so that I'm only sizing maybe an 1/8" below where the boolit base will be. With a well fit boolit that is centered in the throat, the unsized rear of the case centers that end for perfect alignment. I usually only get a couple firings out of the case prepared like this til I will have to FL size it. When neck sizing, I try all the cases in the cylinder before expanding so I don't get a surprise come shooting time. You also have to remember that partial sizing changes case capacity. You could get into trouble working up a load in neck sized case, then latter stuff the same amount in a FL sized one. Not a huge difference in capacity, but depends on case size and load intensity.

[44man]

What Babore said.
Except the .475 and 45-70 revolvers give me a chambering problem too fast. Tighter chambers is what I think. The .44 can go quite a while before FL sizing.

[Wireman134]

Yes, for all my heavy loads in my big 45 Colt chambers. Also in my opinion eliminates mixed brass load inconsistency do to brass stretching. Custom cartridge for your cylinder, sort of fire formed.

[cbrick]

Yes, always for revolver rounds. I'm not sure tight chambers would be the reason to need occasional F/L sizing. My FA has pretty tight chambers and this hasn't been a problem. After a few hundred rounds lube builds up in the cylinder and can make things a bit sticky but cleaning the cylinder of lube fixes the problem, not F/L sizing.

Rick

[44man]

Yes, always for revolver rounds. I'm not sure tight chambers would be the reason to need occasional F/L sizing. My FA has pretty tight chambers and this hasn't been a problem. After a few hundred rounds lube builds up in the cylinder and can make things a bit sticky but cleaning the cylinder of lube fixes the problem, not F/L sizing.

Rick
In the .475 I will get scratches on brass at the expansion ring when they get tight. The rear of the case will not enter. About 3 firings is all they will take.

[shooting on a shoestring]

I use neck sizing to help my boolits find center in the very generous .45 Colt chambers in my one and only long barreled Blackhawk. My .357s all get full length sizing b/c the brass has the chance to see any of 4 revolvers.

[9.3X62AL]

I do it in 45 Colt (Ruger BisHawk) since the chambers are so BIG and the T/C sizer die (RCBS) reduces diameter so much. The other revolver calibers don't have this level of variance between chambers and sizing die results. The RIGHT thing to do would be to have a new cylinder made with less generous chambers, but I have the concoction running well as it is, so I'll leave well enough alone.

[pjh421]

I've been doing this for maybe ten years, now...just to work the brass less.

Paul

[Bret4207]

Yup, been doing it for years with some guns. The only thing I've found you have to watch for is that the case doesn't offer quite as much support when seating the boolit and it's possible to seat a boolit a bit crooked, especially as gunk builds in the die.

[Rodfac]

I've used .45 ACP dies to further reduce .45 LC brass so that it would hold .452" dia. bullets with adequate neck tension. The LC dies were Lyman's from the early 70's and were designed for .454" bullets. Rodfac