die question....

[SSN Vet]

total re-loading newbie here.....with a follow on question to my "setting up shop" thread.

When setting up to re-load .30-30 win to be shot in my Marlin 336, I'm not sure if I should get the Lee PaceSetter die set and full lenght size my brass, or get the Lee Deluxe Rifle die set and use the Collet die to neck size my brass.

I'll be re-loading brass from Rem. and Win. factory loads that have been fired once in the same rifle I'm re-loading for.

I've read that lever action rifles can be finicky if the brass is not full lenght sized. Is there any one out there re-loading that can comment on whether the Marlin 336 action requires full length case sizing?

I've also read that there are advantages to only neck sizing....if I understand correctly, the specific benefits are that you'll get more turns out of you brass , you have to trim the case length less often and if you seat the bullet out to almost touch the rifling you can reap an accuracy improvement. Do I have this right?

If my 336 will reliably feed re-loads that have been neck sized with a Lee collet die, will I still need to use a factory crimp die? or will doing so be giving up a potential gain in accuracy? Or is this level of accuracy improvement beyond the potential of the .30-30 win cartridge all together?

 

[The Bushmaster]

Lost me...I load .30-30 for a 56 year old Winchester mod 94. I have to move the shoulder forward .030 inch by firing it in the rifle then resizing with die set .030 inch from touching the shell holder. I full length resize and use the Lee FCD. I would amagin that you would use the Lee FCD for the collet die too.

Accuracy? My ol' Jack Handle, if I do my part, will put three bullets inside a 3" dot at one hundred yards. I use Winchester and Remington cases, W-748 powder and either CCI 200 or WLR primers.

 

[SSN Vet]

If I lost you Bushmaster.....

It's because I'm reading to much "sales and marketing speak" and have yet to ever set my hands onto a press.

I'm starting to get the impression that aside for the absolute necessity to accurately measure powder, being prudent in selecting loads and paying attention to what the heck your doing......

this whole enterprise is a lot simpler for average Joe loaders (or in my case loader wanna-bees) than the sales and marketing types want to let on. The more of their mumbo-jumbo I read, the more "stuff" it seems I need to buy.

For the 200 or so rounds a month I'm planning on re-loading, I'm beginning to wonder if I shouldn't punt my turret press plan and just get a Lee "anniversary" kit with the aluminum Challenger single stage press and spending the savings on supplies.

The I suffer the curse of an engineer.....I overanalyze EVERYTHING!

 

[The Bushmaster]

If you are loading rifle don't go with the aluminum frame press. Stay with your original press. And you are correct. If you pay attention and follow the guide lines it isn't that hard. You can load with a minimum amount of equipment. You will have to decide where you want to start and where you want to finish up. Oh. Did I forget calipers? Cheap...$25.00 or less.

I started out just like you did 20 years ago. As cheap as I could.

 

[Ben Shepherd]

If it's for a lever action, full length resize and be done with it.

It isn't worth it to have a case stick on a deer hunt or other inoportune moment trying to neck size only to get a couple more reloads out of a 8 cent piece of brass.

 

[Idano]

You can get away with neck resizing if you shoot the brass in the same gun and it is a bolt action. However, if the action of the gun is pump or lever you may need to full length resize. If you don't like trimming your cases, but do want to full length resize I would recommend buying an RCBS X-Die for resizing. The brass needs to be trimmed one then the X-die prevents the case from stretching when the decapping mandrel is extracted from the case. I have used one on my .223 with excellent success.