SmallCaliberCentral

Ok.... my Hornady die set is not going to cut it. The only other die company I can find is Redding and they only make it in a bushing model. Never used one before, but understand how they work. My question is how much neck tension do you run on your reloads? I see numbers between .001 to .005. Need to figure out what bushing I need to order. As always, thanks for help and advice.

For my .20's, I run a .226" bushing, loaded neck dia. runs right at .228". Most of my chambers mic .232" at the neck.

So as you can see, typical neck tension runs .002".

.226 in mine also

Out of curiosity... what brand of brass do you normally use?

Mine is R-P, no particular reason probably just what was available at the time

Mine runs right with Rick's in neck, bushing die and final measure. As for brass, mostly Nosler 221 necked down and reformed 5.56 LC. I have a set of Hornady 20 VT dies and my main ones are a set of Whidden's for the 20SCC. Bill K

All my older 20VT cases were formed from R-P cases, but the majority were formed later, all from both Nosler and Lapua. But brass brand does not always make the difference, as my smallest groups ever shot from any caliber of mine were all shot with my Cooper 20VT using R-P brass....go figure.

I guess I must be running really lite neck tension on my reloads… Chamber neck is .232 from the reamer print I got from Pac-Nor and when I measure a loaded rounds it’s .231 I will order a bushing die and some more bushings too. Thanks again.

trigger: A bushing is not going to cut it for what you describe, although you'll need it for forming cases to your chamber properly. It appears you'll need to outside neck turn as I do. I've never been able to neck down a 221FB case of any brand and be able to load and shoot. Virtually ALL my 1,200 cases for my 20VT have been neck turned to fit my chamber....every one.

Lots of equipment choices out there, but if you intend to proceed, you will want to consider to start pondering those choices and read up on the practice if you're not familiar with the task. Even a light clean-up of 50-60% will make a big difference in regard to concentricity.

Do this: The dimension of the bullet is .204". Measure the actual brass thickness of your case necks. Add the three dimensions (bullet, neck x 2) and you'll get something like the .231" you describe. You should have at least .001" 'per side' of neck clearance for safety. Do the math yourself and come up with the 'loaded neck dimension' you need. THAT will give you your bushing size, minus .002" for that neck tension. As mentioned, for my rifle with a chamber dimension of .232", bushing size of .226" my loaded neck is .228". Clear as mud?

Thanks Rick....I understand what you are saying and will start researching.

I pretty much do what Rick has stated and with my VT I use a .226 bushing in the Redding die. As for neck turning, if I just resize .221 Fireball brass I haven't needed to neck turn but when I made 500 rounds from .223/5.56 brass it all had to be turned. Unfortunately, about 25% of that brass won't chamber but I suspect if I anneal and resize the brass it may work. I'm thinking the brass is doing a little "spring back" at the shoulder due to the thicker material once the .223 brass is cut down to VT length. Just a theory at this point though. Randy.

One thing I found that helped me and another shooter ( Varmint Shooter) after forming brass, especially from 5.56/223 LC, neck turn them to .012, Anneal either before or after forming, then run them into your FL die and check for any further length trimming. Bill K Note.. It does not hurt to neck turn them regardless, if nothing more than taking the high spots off.

I feel like I'm missing out!!!! Every piece of 20VT Brass I've ever made I've just shot. No neck turning at all. I've used R-P 221 Fireball and also 222 Rem made into 20 VT. After fireformed out I only neck size for my Cooper. Haven't loaded any after fire forming for my custom build. I just use the Hornady .204 neck sizing die and it works great once it's set up. Maybe I should invest in a neck turner. But I'm shooting in the LOW .2's. They both shoot so good its almost boring at times.

20VarTarg wrote: ↑Tue Jul 16, 2019 9:37 am But I'm shooting in the LOW .2's. They both shoot so good its almost boring at times.

"If it ain't broke........"