223 neck expansion feels easier than 308

[mek42]

Before today the only bottleneck cartridge that I have reloaded is 308 Win using once fired (by me) Remington and Winchester brass. This was done with an RCBS neck sizer die set (that was purchased new by me).

Today I started to reload some 223 Rem brass. The headstamp is RP 223 REM but the brass itself is of unknown provenance (it was sold to me by a friend who inherited it from one of his friends). The return stroke of the sizing die (using a previously enjoyed RCBS full length sizing die) gave much less resistance than I am used to when reloading my 308 (though there was some resistance). Is this cause for concern?

Should I invest in a new sizing die, perhaps a neck sizing die? I plan on shooting my reloads in a T/C Contender with rifle and pistol barrels. If I invest in a new neck sizing die I have enough case variety to segregate pistol and rifle ammunition by headstamp.

Thank you!

 

[Sunray]

"...Is this cause for concern?..." Nope. As long as the seated bullet stays put, it'll be fine.
You should be able to adjust your existing sizer die to neck size only. You'll have to separate the cases by firearm anyway. Doing it by headstamp isn't a bad idea.

 

[YodaVader]

The R-P designation is Remington - Peters , so you have Remington brass. In a .308 the neck has more surface area that is being resized maybe that is why there is more resistance. The .308 and the .223 have been the only two bottleneck cartridges I have ever reloaded I have noticed the same thing myself.

 

[Ol` Joe]

In a .308 the neck has more surface area that is being resized maybe that is why there is more resistance.

Yep. You are moving twice the metal when sizeing the 308. You will find the same thing when sizeing 44 mag vs 32acp, more metal to move. A larger chamber such as found in a auto-loader or machinegun will also allow the brass to expand out more and require more effort sizeing. There is also more surface area for the die/expander to work on, more friction = more effort.
It`s normal don`t fret it.