neck size vs FL?

[JeffG]

My franken-savage .204 (factory stainless barrel) seems to have a chamber slightly larger than my RCBS dies ( 1x fired base dimension .381" with my cheap calipers). I have to work the cases pretty hard, because I only have a FL die.

Should I be considering a neck sizing die?, different Mfg. dies? new barrel?

Thanks!
Jeff

[ryutzy]

Dont just consider a neck die, BUY ONE! It will improve your accuracy and greatly extend the life of your brass. I highly recommend the Redding Dies. They're expensive, but wish I would have done it from the get go. It would have saved me money and frustration. Redding offers different neck sizers. A standard neck sizer, type S bushing neck sizer, or the Competition Bushing Neck sizers. You would be happy with any of the three, but I particularly like the bushing neck sizers. I use a .224 neck bushing for my 204 and I'm happy with it. It gives me the proper neck tension for my gun with my brass. If you buy the complete 3 die set it will save you money versus buying them individually. For the bushing die sets, Redding makes a body die only and for when you need to FL resize, you will have to run your brass through the body die and then through your neck sizer. It's an extra step, but I've had great success with this process. With having a good neck sizer you should be able to reload 3-5 times before FL sizing is necessary. I'm sure others will chime in.

[futuretrades]

For a factory chambered rifle, I don't think you need a bushing neck die. I may be wrong though. In my factory chambered rifles, my own personal preference is a Lee collett neck size die. I am not punching paper and I am not a competition shooter, but I load volumes for the rat fields, and the Lee neck sizing dies seem to do a very good job for me. I just finished loading some brass in 204 that I have reloaded 6 times now with out a hick-up. I do have a Redding shoulder bump die for when I need it. I will also mention my 2 loads for my Howa in 204, will group @3/8 in. w/39gr SBK's and the second load will shoot well under 1/2 in w/ 32 gr, V-Maxes.

[DoubleUp]

+1 on the Lee Collet Die for neck sizing and the Redding Body Die when needing to bump the shoulder back. Works great.

[ryutzy]

You wouldnt need a bushing die, however it sure is nice to be able to adjust the neck tension. I am shooting an AR so having enough neck tension is more important for my gun.