full length resize

[Drifter27]

Hey I don't know if this has been answered or if it even matters. I was looking through my Modern Reloading (or ABC's of Reloading, one of the two) book, and it made it very clear that full length resizing for hunting rounds must be done. Why? Isn't fireformed brass more accurate if used in the same rifle? I don't understand why I need to do something that will hurt my chances of an instant kill. If this is something that I dont need to pay attention to please let me know. Thanks

 

[Marlin 45 carbine]

to insure trouble-free chambering. must do for anything but single-shot break action and strong bolt action. you won't lose much accuracy if OAL and right powder/crimp is used.

 

[steve4102]

Fire-formed/neck sized brass may or may not be more accurate. Only your rifle can tell you that. I have a few rifles that work better with the shoulder bumped back a few thousands, a few that like a crush fit and a few that like just a plain old neck treatment. None of these sizing techniques is enough to cause the accuracy to suffer enough to "hurt chances of an instant kill".

The main reason for the FL sizing of hunting rounds is reliability. It is possible for a fire-formed/neck sized round to cause feeding problems in the field.

If your rifle likes neck sized best then go for it. If you are worried about feeding problems, run them through the action before the hunt just to make sure.

 

[Drifter27]

Thanks for the response, thats what I was looking for.

 

[ranger335v]

"...very clear that full length resizing for hunting rounds must be done."

Not really an iron clad rule but a good rule of thumb. Actually, I usually neck size only for my .243, .30-06 and .35 Rem. hunting rifles. I DO check each hunting round for easy chambering before going into the woods but, so far, they always have. I will continue to chek tho.

 

[oneeyesnipe]

If The Brass Was Fired Out Of A Different Rifle It Must Be Full Length Resized Which Basically Forms It Back To Factory Specs Once You Fire Out Of Your Gun It Forms To Your Barrel Chamber And Then Only Do You Neck Size Only Usually When You Full Length Size It Stetches The Case So Check Your Case Length

 

[snuffy]

If by "instant kill" you mean shooting their eye out, then you may have a point. If you mean the heart/lung area of a normal sized deer, then the difference between a 3/4 inch group and 1.5 inch group is not critical.

It's surprising what some consider "sighted in". We have a yearly sight in days at our gun club. Most are happy with a 4 inch group at 100 yds, they kill a lot of deer with that type of accuracy. These "hunters" grab the rifle from the closet once a year, that's most likely the only time they shoot it. Some though aren't happy unless they have 5 bullets in a 1" group. The deer they shoot are just as dead as the guy with the 4" group.

 

[Slamfire]

It's surprising what some consider "sighted in". We have a yearly sight in days at our gun club. Most are happy with a 4 inch group at 100 yds, they kill a lot of deer with that type of accuracy.

I have seen guys sight their rifles on milk jugs at 100 yards. Once they hit the jug, they are happy. One guy who was doing this, I insisted he shoot on paper. I put the targets up and he was at least 10 feet off at 25 yards! How these guys bring back deer every year is beyond me.

While there are those who advocate bench rest reloading practices, such as neck size only, or putting the bullet out .001" from the lands, these practices will cause trouble in the long run.

In time the neck sized cases work harden and you have to beat the bolt handle down to get the thing to chamber. And once it is jammed in the chamber, it gets even harder to peel off the chamber walls. And as for seating the bullet out, I will bet lots of people have found that once they extracted the unfired case, the bullet remained jammed in the throat.

As for increased accuracy with all these bench rest techniques, I challenge anyone to shoot their rig and ammo off the bench. Like sitting, or standing. The biggest source of error is the human factor. Assuming decent rifle and ammo.