Keeping the Shoulder on a Fire Formed Case

[quaildeath]

Okay all you power junkies:

I have a .223 TC encore carbine with the heavy barrel (formerly a .44 mag pistol). In the Speer manual and with talking to friends in No. 1s and TCs the case gets fire formed to an exact fit of your chamber. You definitely want to keep this shoulder as it is a custom fit and for accuracey. Correct?

The question:

How do you keep the custom shoulder during neck sizing and or full length resizing? The Speer manual says you can. Is there a way to set up the dies not to touch the shoulder. Also, if you just resize the neck the brass can be used longer, correct?

 

[Val]

The neck sizer does not change the shoulder, whereas the full length sizer does. The neck sizing does indeed make the brass last longer. Another advantage is that when you neck size you don't have to lube the cases which is less effort. Eventually the brass may have some difficulty in fitting into the chamber so you will have to full length size when that happens.

As far as noticing a change in accuracy, it's unlikely you will notice the difference. Unless you are one of those very precise bench rest shooters (the competitive type with the very expensive target rifles) you will never notice a differnce in accuracy. I neck size because the brass lasts longer and lubing the cases is not necessary when you neck size.

 

[tmoniz]

Neck Sizing for a particular weapon personalizes the case to the chamber.
It is best to lightly lube the neck when neck sizing so as to reduce wear on the sizing die.

With some of my rifles. A new case does slighty group differently than once fired neck sized only cases. Not overly noticeable. Always keep track of how many times you have resized a group of cases and check for cartridge length as well.
They still stretch but not as much.

For field use it's best to stay with a new case or once fired neck sized only.
Especially in a bolt gun.