Body Die or FL Die - Preference and Why?

[Mikecr]

I prefer fitted Redding body dies, and Wilson inline bushing neck dies, followed by Sinclair/PMA mandrel expansion.
With this, I control every single thing as separate.

 

[BrentM]

Full length neck bushing die and comp floating head seating die have been winners for me. If you want extra ocd include a mandrel neck expander.

 

[Greyfox]

Having used both methods, I see little difference in performance given a quality die. Given that my preferred approach for my precision rifles is to use a Redding competition FL "S" bushing die. I'll use a body dye on those rare occasions when I neck size only.

 

[JayCee49]

That is not rude.

I ran a ballistic research lab here in CT for 8 years...

... and consulted to several small ammunition reloaders.

... a third company called me about two 55 gallon drums of 223 (almost a TON) that were returned by Stag Arms, that would not chamber - they argued about whose fault it was, but when I was called in, they had two kids pulling the bullets on Rock Chuckers to salvage the components.

The ammunition was too long in the shoulder, and it took a day going through their loading machines to find the problem... anyway, at the rate that the kids were going, it would cost ~$11,000 in labor to pull the ammo down.

So I bought two Redding .223 body dies. We made a large lubing pad out of felt in a wooden frame, and bought 3 gallons of RCBS-II water based case lube. We hired a girl to lube the cases in bulk - took the two kids 3 weeks to FL size the whole 110 gallons of 223.

Stag Arms was so angry that they canceled the contract. I bought the company and turned out ammo for 4 more years.

I sold the ammunition in bulk bags.

What a great story!!!

JC

 

[redneckdan]

I have had the best results for reducing run out by using a redding body die and a lee collet die. .223 gets annealed every time and bumped .002 every 5 firings. My .338 lapua has to be bumped every time. Hunting ammo gets bumped every time, range ammo varies between every 3-5 times.

 

[Blackhawk]

Body dies were made for guys who neck size and need to occasionally push a shoulder back to get brass to fit again. Just use the full length die Everytime. The Forster dies that they home for you are great. But a Redding s die allows you to change neck tensions. I had a body die and a neck die for my 280ai. Twice as much work because you end up running them twice. Got a full length s die pretty quick for that one. I use full length bushing dies on everything.

Shep

The Redding Body Die used in conjunction with the Competition Shell Holder set will allow your brass with expanded case heads to once again fit as well as function smoothly in a weapons action, as it sizes the brass cases entirely down to the head itself. (even an amount as little as .0005" swell can can result in feeding or extraction problems )
If used with the competition shell holder set you also gain the added advantage of bumping your shoulder - .002" - .003" depending on your preference.
All this is as stated previously will not affect your case necks mouth , O.D., or necks I.D.
This will not alter the neck tension that you created using your FL resizing die with the appropriate bushing insert.
Yes I will agree that it is an extra step, or two.
However one that I will gladly perform in order to ensure an accurate and reliable feeding of my rounds.
If you have ever encountered an extraction or feeding problem ( and who hasn't) just one time you'll understand my logic!
This is my added insurance policy in order to prevent this kind of stoppage form reoccurring ever again.
Just My 2 cents worth !

 

[Warbird2006]

Not gaining anything. Just use a full length bushing die. No need to size the body and neck in a separate operation. Bushings allow you to choose an appropriate size so you don't overwork the brass like with a conventional full length die. Another option is a Forster full length die with the neck honed by them to the appropriate diameter. Still another good option is a body die with a Lee Collet die.


John

That is the best way in my opinion. I use collet dies for years. Lee will make you a custom set if you sent them few fired rounds. For $70, its the best deal under the sun.

 

[Chuck32571]

I use a body die on my AR10 ammunition. Normal FL sizers and in some instances SB sizers result in jams when the head of the case is not sized.

 

[FlyGuy11]

My 2 cents will match most of the other folks but a more simplistic reason. Full length resize so on that cold or hot day you take a shot there is no doubt the round will chamber. Neck tension and bullet seating depth are icing on the cake of being a reloader and a hunter. I noticed that other manufacturers are now putting out information that Berger has put out for years on seating depth testing. Have fun with it.

 

[25WSM]

The body die Redding sells is the same as a full length die except it has no neck functions. I don't know why you would use a full length die and then run it through a body die. As per Blackhawk. And 95% of full length dies will bump your shoulder back with out buying special shell holders. The occasional die will need . 005 trimmed from the bottom of it to get it down far enough. Or you could modify a shell holder or buy the compatition shell holders. To me it's easy to just stick it in a lathe and take some off the bottom. The body die comes in a set of dies also. The neck sizing set. The body die doesn't come in a set with a full length sizer because it's redundant.
All you guys using the body die with the Lee collet is doing a good thing. It will definitely make straighter ammo. I only use the full length die because it makes ammo straight enough for me. If I thought straighter ammo shot better I would do it too. I've shot 3 inch 10 shot groups at 1000 yards in a match with my crooked ammo. There are far more important things to accuracy than straighter ammo.
Shep

 

[Tree Farmer]

I likewise have gravitated to a body die and the Lee collet die because it dramatically reduced bullet runout. Since I'm not capable of anything close to 3 inches at 1000 yds (maybe 3 feet), I get my satisfaction from straight ammo.

 

[misterc01]

I do both. New-to-me once fired brass -Fl resize. My fired brass - neck sized. Once I have a case fire formed to my chamber, I know what I want for neck tension and setback, so I neck size. It works for me and that is "good enough.".

 

[BrentM]

I just checked 8 rounds I loaded up to test and found they ranged .001-.002. Actually surprised me they were off by .002. I expected max .001. This was 4 rounds 135a, 4 rounds 144 vld.

 

[25WSM]

Straight ammo doesn't really shoot any better than ammo with . 002 run-out. Your ammo is not what lines the bullet up with the rifling. The freebore does this and the bullet hitting the leade angle helps straighten it to some degree. The straight ammo being more accurate has been debunked by so many match shooters that it's just a fact now. I'm not saying straight ammo hurts anything but the extra time spent on it is not helping. Unless your crooked ammo is worse than . 002 which just about any die can achieve.
Shep