Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles Sequence of Redding body die and Lee Collet die

School me,

Does it matter if we use the body die before the collet die, or vice versa?

The body die only does the body, no neck or shoulder?

In this particular case, 4th firing, about to load the 5th, Have never annealed,

How often, and why are you guys doing the body die?

why so shy?

I used to body die every third firing. It sizes the case and bumps the shoulder.

When body sizing, I always body sized then neck sized but I don’t think it matters.

Oh and the body die is just a full length die without the expander and neck sizing portion.

I hate lubing cases so I figure if I am going to I might as well just full length size with a Forster full length sizing die.

Personal choice or there is an actual reason?

Hornady one shot makes it fairly painless.

Just a personal choice. Seemed sensible. I also would consider annealing after the 4th firing but I am not a rocket doctor.

I have used one shot too. I hate all of it. Sometimes I think I actually prefer the old oil pad route.

The thing there is the inside of the neck needs lubing. How are you doing that?

Look here Chief,

How about some answers rather than more questions?

Your fully responsible for my situation here currently being discussed.

Usually imperial.

How do you get it out?

Dry or wax variety?

If I'm using the body die/collet die combo then I use the body die as the first step then into the tumbler to clean off the lube and whatever else is on the case. After tumbling I run them through the collet die then they're ready to load, assuming I don't have to trim which I rarely do because I've got my dies set up right to only bump the shoulder .002"..

I don't get all the hatred for lubing cases here. I use imperial sizing wax and dip my fingertips in it about every third case then spin the case between my fingers as I'm putting it into the press. It only takes a microsecond if that, it doesn't slow down the process at all. I've got friends that use that hornady one shot stuff and they ALL stick cases on a regular basis. I've seen them line up cases in baking pans, take them outside to spray, then wait for them to dry, etc. It looks like a giant PITA when all you've got to do is spin a case between your fingertips for a half second. I don't get it, why make things hard?

Redding Dry on the necks.
Stuff is great. Just dip the cases.

The wax is the best lube I know of and I use it if I am only doing a few. I will use a lube pad now if I am doing a bunch though. Just more convenient for me.

I tumble after FL sizing too.

Nowadays, I anneal each time...Using the Lee Collet Die, next and then use the body die....

I don't volume reload.... just batches of 10 or 20....

I anneal into a plumbers torch for 6 seconds each time...

Got batches of brass that have been reloaded 40 times plus now...223s

I've reloaded some 243 and 22.250 cases 30 times...

been doing this regimen for 5 plus years now... courtesy of Scenar Shooter's advise long ago...

Q. Does body/collet order of operation matter?
A. Yes. I tested mixed headstamp lots of 223, and using the body then collet produced less bullet runout.

Q. Which portions of the case does the body die size?
A. Everything but the neck (body and shoulder)

Q. How often do you body size?
A. Every time. Deprime, body size w/ imperial wax (lube body and shoulder only), tumble clean, collet size(also punches flash hole clean), prime.

To address the question(s):

I size with a Redding body die roughly ever 4th firing. I neck size with a LCD. In the past when I was sizing the neck with a Redding neck die (which also makes straight necks like the LCD) I experimented with sizing the neck first and then using the body die, then reversing the order. I got less runout by using the body die first and then the neck die. I'm assuming the same thing would apply when using the LCD. Usually by the fourth firing there will be a few cases that become harder to chamber, but it is dependent on how hot the load and the particular brass. There can be a BIG difference between brands of brass and even manufacturing lots.

If all your brass is chambering easily, I would skip the body/shoulder sizing, and just anneal and neck size.

Lubing: The spray on stuff and the lube pad is a Royal PIA, and is not as precise as the Imperial (now Redding) sizing wax. When using conventional dies it is important to lube the inside of the neck, it does help reduce runout--I've experimented with that, too. I keep my Imperial in the fridge and that makes the wax less gooier, when using a conventional die I push the neck a little ways into the wax, lube the body with a smidge, and size the case. With the body die I just lube the body of the brass. I drop the lubed cases in a a small "parts can" of lacquer thinner that dissolves the wax in 10 minutes or so. When I take the case out I run a neck brush into the neck and blow out each case with compressed air.

I anneal every 4th firing, then size.

Because I use the LCD's I don't lube nearly as much anymore.

I use the body die then the collet die.

Body die every few firings when chambering or extraction gets tight.

I remember posing this question here two or three years ago. I don't recall the responses, but after thinking about it a little now and then, it seemed to me that running cases into the body die after neck sizing COULD conceivably cause neck alignment issues. It seems that there is now a concencus this is true. Whether it is or not, I can see no downside to using the collet neck die after body sizing.

It does. When the body and shoulder are sized, brass is pushed towards the neck; variances in case wall thickness cause brass to flow unevenly forward, which bends the neck. Using a collet die after body sizing helps recenter the necks.

I did an interesting test to prove this:
1.) measured case wall thickness towards the center using the RCBS concentricity tool and a sinclair neck mandrel as a stop.
2.) created two test lots: <2 thou body variance and >5 thou
3.) turned necks uniform thickness on both lots
4.) body sized
5.) measured neck runout; <2 thou lot was drastically better than >5
6.) collet sized and seated bullet
7.) measured bullet rumout; <2 thou lot had 0-2 thou bullet runout; >5 thou lot was 4-6 thou bullet runout

Everyone loves to talk about neck wall uniformity; in the above test, i turned the neck uniform; sizing non uniform case walls is a problem.

Thanks for sharing the fruits of your effort.