How much neck tension for hunting loads?

[Jeffrey Van Zandt]

I got my first bushing resizing die, for my 6.5 gap, and not sure how much neck tension is best for hunting loads. I have heard a lot of bench shooters go with .001 but I'm worried that is too little for ammo rattling around in a pack on a hunting trip. How much tension do you recommend for hunting loads?

I use 4tho on my 300 win and 3tho on the 6.5 PRC

 

[Matt_C]

Try it but mike your bushings and the neck after sizing but before seating. In my experience lots of bushings are off...

^^^^^Yep I just received a Redding bushing Tuesday that said .271 and it was .270 All my other Redding bushings were exact measurements.

 

[nksmfamjp]

Are the bushings sized by what they produce, or what they measure?

 

[Tiny Tim]

Are the bushings sized by what they produce, or what they measure?

By their measurement.

 

[TRG65]

neck tension is something that varies based on rifle/load. I've tested a few of my rifles. several prefer .002, but my 338 shot best with .001. I like to size .001 under and then use an expander mandrel to size it back up to my goal. seems to provide the most consistency

 

[vancewalker007]

I got my first bushing resizing die, for my 6.5 gap, and not sure how much neck tension is best for hunting loads. I have heard a lot of bench shooters go with .001 but I'm worried that is too little for ammo rattling around in a pack on a hunting trip. How much tension do you recommend for hunting loads?

For years and years of reloading, carrying ammo in the field I've found about .002 and up easily stands up to field use. For that matter when I start a new load effort I always start at .002. Now the caveat here is the brass needs to not become work hardened. You must be annealing properly and keeping you case necks fresh. I did some ad hoc testing a few times with different brass where I loaded up and shoot the same loads until I started noticing seating issues, .ie start noticing seating depth/feel difference or resizing issues which is indicative of work hardening. It seemed to always be around the 3-4 shots. So, to never waste my time on cases that might be work hardened but avoid annealing after every use I never shoot a case more than twice with out annealing.

I guess the easiest thing would be just to anneal every time but I am a little lazy.

 

[L.Sherm]

^^^^^Yep I just received a Redding bushing Tuesday that said .271 and it was .270 All my other Redding bushings were exact measurements.

This is why I order all my Bushings from Whidden

 

[aushunter1]

I use .002 bushings.

I have used .001 but found I could push the projectile back into the case if I pressed against a hard surface.
Not what you want in a hunting round imo.

 

[guy2205]

I use 2 thou. Tension on my 300 win

 

[MOOSE39465]

I use a 1 thou Wilson mandrel, and I always get a little spring back. One thing I always do is mix finger nail polish and acetone then using a syringe to put a little around my bullet and primer. It helps with moisture, and keep that bullet in place.

 

[Colin78]

For years and years of reloading, carrying ammo in the field I've found about .002 and up easily stands up to field use. For that matter when I start a new load effort I always start at .002. Now the caveat here is the brass needs to not become work hardened. You must be annealing properly and keeping you case necks fresh. I did some ad hoc testing a few times with different brass where I loaded up and shoot the same loads until I started noticing seating issues, .ie start noticing seating depth/feel difference or resizing issues which is indicative of work hardening. It seemed to always be around the 3-4 shots. So, to never waste my time on cases that might be work hardened but avoid annealing after every use I never shoot a case more than twice with out annealing.

I guess the easiest thing would be just to anneal every time but I am a little lazy.

Sounds like I really need to get on board with annealing. I'm just alot lazy. LOL

 

[vancewalker007]

Sounds like I really need to get on board with annealing. I'm just alot lazy. LOL

I am lucky because my father has been doing it for years and he inherited a Dual torch Bench Source Vertex annealer from a late shooting buddy that we use. So every gathers up brass as we shoot and then we just do big annealing sessions. Once you're setup you can work through 100-200 pieces in 15-20 minutes. It really returns the necks to unfired flexibility.

 

[nksmfamjp]

Sounds like I really need to get on board with annealing. I'm just alot lazy. LOL

Look into Annealeez...easy and fast. I'm sure somebody will tell me it does't work like the AMP!

 

[Axl]

I saw this on accurate shooter today:

Grip on Bullet — Many Factors Involved, Not Just Bushing Size « Daily Bulletin

Many novice hand-loaders believe that neck bushing Inside Diameter (ID) size is the only important factor in neck tension. In fact, many different things will influence the grip on your bullet and its ability to release from the case neck.

bulletin.accurateshooter.com