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There are two issues here. 1. Your neck tension will be affected requiring neck sizing. 2. Pulling the bullet will stretch the sholder requiring set back. Use a full length die with neck bushing and get both done in one step. Always start from the same starting point when reloading. It's about consistency.
At least in my experience, I respectfully disagree. I pulled down 1500 new .308 mil rounds a couple years ago that I got from a contract cancelation. All were LC 14, 15, and 16. I measured every one to determine neck tension and sholder bump. Not one passed spec. All required full length resize and neck tension reset. I used a full length die with neck bushing to do the job. 90% also required trimming. And lets not forget removing the mil crimping. I ended up with 1425 usuable cases due to some having neck cracks and body denting. After the math, I spent about 29 cents per case. The bullets and powder had already been removed by the contractor. Every case required removal of sealent and some powder stuck in the sealent. The primers were to be considered unservicable. Having said all this, not sure I would go through it all again. Very time consuming. And that sealent was a real bear to remove, even using various solvents.
I have used cheap 223 factory shells and pulled the full metal jacket bullet and reseated an hornady v max in it they shoot really good for what I use it for. Actually they shoot better than I expected for an automatic rifle and never had a problem with bullet movement. Maybe in a bigger case I don't know. David
I anneal and full length size with bushing EVERY time. No exceptions. I measure the sholder bump and case mouth tension of every case and trim as required. I prep all my cases the same way. I always start from the same starting point. This is my way of controlling variations and ensuring consistency as much as I can. Is it time consuming and sometimes a PITA, yes. But I never need be concerned about my cases or where I start from.I don't know about your LC brass, but I've been reloading and shooting LC 308 Match brass for years. I bought a bunch of it from a gunsmith I know. I think those cases are harder than Lapua, by far. I don't have an annealer, so broke a press handle trying to resize...
I was trying to resize a 308 case into 8.6 blackout. The Hornady 6.5CM cases resize just fine, but are not near as tough as those LC 308 Match cases. Are those the cases you're reloading? I think the cases I have came from Camp Perry, but not 100% sure.
To RCBS's credit, it was a Summit 2000 press that I've used for 15+ years, and they sent me a replacement handle for free. I didn't expect that, but they didn't have the original handle for sale, only the short one. I use a roller lever handle on it, so no worries...impressive support considering I bought the press used for $100...
The problem I have if I don't run them through the resizer is the neck is often tight in the chamber. I don't know for certain, but have always concluded that the case expands to the chamber when it is fired, and it makes sense that the neck is going to be tight, as normally it has space so that it chambers properly. I have just always run them through the process to get them to fit.
Are you also checking case length? They will stretch out after firing requiring trimming. The entire case will expand to fill the chamber. Brass will do that. Annealing the case neck will help make it softer allowing it to be resized without cracking. It reduces work hardening. But you may lose a few cases after a few firings. That's just the way it is. If you will be reloading your cases, annealing is a required step at some point to increase brass life. Also, make sure your brass has been cleaned good before reusing them. Inspect each for defects.
