hunting bullet neck tension

User00030

Well-Known Member
hello was reading a post yesterday and it got me thinking of neck tension on my bullets what do you guys think is the best neck tension for hunting rounds mine are at around 3 thou i allow up to 4 thou of runout before i cull brass i dont turn necks but this i beleive will help with runout if i do though

so is it worth turning necks and what do you guys or girls prefer for neck tension or am i looking to deep into this

kris
 
hello was reading a post yesterday and it got me thinking of neck tension on my bullets what do you guys think is the best neck tension for hunting rounds mine are at around 3 thou i allow up to 4 thou of runout before i cull brass i dont turn necks but this i beleive will help with runout if i do though

so is it worth turning necks and what do you guys or girls prefer for neck tension or am i looking to deep into this

kris

Kris - I think you are looking too deeply into this and will potentially fall in a hole that could fund a new rifle. PM me a number if you want a chat. Rgds JCS
 
cheers jcampbellsmith i was hoping you come in on this one you seem to be the reloading guy on this site your definatly right all this is due to 2 custom rifles and these have all the assosiated problems for owners looking to sqeeze every last mm of accuracy

thanks mate think i was just looking for that warm fuzzy feeling of someone like you telling me

kris
 
Neck tension, I have refrained from measuring them (head buried in sand) :oops:
All I have checked is that the guide part of my Lyman flaring die is not
opening the case neck up.

Neil. :)
 
cheers neil im taking it the general feeling is leave this alone unless your a long range bench shooter
 
Would some kind soul educate me as to how tension in/on the neck is measured?, the actual frictional measure exerted upon the bullet? how is it's value arrived at?.......... I just crimp in varying degrees.
 
i do it by measureing a empty sized case then a loaded one and subracting the remainder is your neck tension guys can adjust it by using a bushing die or tinkering with a conventional die apart from measureing and understanding it most of it is beyond me to be honest and as stated above by cleverer men than not really that much of an issue mate
 
gr1ffer.. im also interested in this.. im getting about 7 thou neck tension through my standard RCBS die. Im also worried that by using a standard resizing die with expander ball that not only are you reducing case life but possibly ruining your cases. Im also thinking that around 3 thou is optimum as any less and the bullet may move in the case in the mag under recoil. hmm. Im from the club where if you have the time and are interested then do it.. Its a fascinating subject and it grips my poo when people say its too anal, and we should get out and stalk more.. let me know your findings and i will do the same. Im in the process of getting some dies and bushings to try..
 
cheers flyfishing man it will good to compare as im loading for a 7mm08 also done alot of research on subject at the minute i use lee dies and to be honest im happy as my neck tension and runout seem fine however im looking into down sizing 308 lapua brass to 7mm08 and was looking as i think ill have to start neck turning i reckon i can get away not reaming inside but i think ill have to turn necks
let me know what you think on this subject i would appreciate any input as you load same caliber

cheers
kris
 
cheers norma brass is good isnt it i can only find winchester in 7mm08 but the local gun shop sells lapua for dirt cheap like i use 243 for £60 i love how it comes annealed
 
Im using nosler custom brass, while its expensive, its good.. Very uniform. Ive tried 139gn SSTs, 139gn Interbonds and 140gn VLDs with H4895, Varget and H335 powders. My rifle is a stiller predator action with a LW 23'' button stainless barrel. Its a 1:10 twist. Ive had reasonable results with the SSTs and Interbonds but nothing astounding. I have found the VLDs fantastic, worst, just over MOA and have seen groups as small as 0.25MOA with an average of 0.75MOA. I have tried varying the OAL in line with Bergers recommendations and found that seated 36 thou off the lands gives best results in my rifle. I also tested the 140 VLD/H4895 combo and found that 40gn produced best results and i didnt see any pressure signs until i was 1gn over MAX (THIS IS IN MY RIFLE, I DONT RECOMMEND YOU TRY IT.. ). Im getting an average velocity of 2770fps with 140 VLDs and an ES average of about 40fps.

I did use some .243 cases necked up which on the whole worked ok. Im sure the .308 lapua will be just fine. Ive just had all my brass checked for run out and annealed to extend case life. I use RCBS standard dies and neck size only.


Oh and ive not had any problems with VLDs blowing things up or not expanding. theyre just fine. (limited experience at the moment, rabbits, foxes and a few deer..)
 
cheers thats some nice rig mines a gbr custom action pacnor 24" super match fluted on a fibreglass kevlar stock by sss the rifle is pretty new and not worked a load yet i generally use a custom 243 and the 7mm replaced a 270 styr prohunter which was a great action but let down by everything else
going to try h4350 and rl17 as well as varget as i have a good supply for 243
i have also found vld style bullets very difficult to find a sweet spot in my 243 gave up in end and went for sierras

theres some good guys on here with a wealth of knowledge thanks all
 
I found varget good, same results as H4895 but because i use 4895 a lot and have tubs of it usually, i stuck with it. I really like the 7-08 and find its the only rifle i go for now..
 
Jesus. I'm going to get yelled at again.

Neck tension, or pull weight, is the amount of pressure it takes to begin a bullet moving in the neck. As the article said, their definition of neck tension was akin to interference. You can measure and bush and measure again but true neck tension will change at each firing as your brass ages. You can measure pull weight fairly easily (and with reasonable accuracy) if you are inventive enough and feel like wasting your time and money. I did when I was shooting cast bullet Bench Rest 25+ years ago. How I did it: I mounted an RCBS collet -type pullet puller in my press, and fit a torque wrench measuring in inch-pounds (IIRC) where the handle of an old C&H press was by brazing on a hex head bolt and using a socket. I ran a dummy round, with a bullet seated up into the collet, clamped the life out of it, and then watched the needle on the torque wrench as I lowered the ram to see how much load was put on it before it broke loose. Not dead-nutz accurate but it was darned close. Anyhow, you get the idea and can rig something similar if interested.

Now is it worth it for a hunting rifle? Not a chance. It wasn't much worth it for BR shooting. Do what Finn says: experiment with varying degrees of crimp and see if it helps.~Muir
 
bloody ell you lads know how to put me off starting reloading lol ! sounds a bit technical to an old keeper like me .:lol:please tell me it dont have to be quite that indepth and you guys are just mad into it !
 
Im with Hornet 6 Everytime
When you have staggered up a one in four hill for 20minutes and the second you get to the top you see the best Sika stag you have ever seen and he is 50 yards away and you have 10 seconds to shoot him tell me how usefull 1/2 MOA is in that situation
 
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