hey i have a newbie question for you: How do you actually neck down cases? Do you just put them through the sizing die for the calibre you are trying to get to?

hey i have a newbie question for you: How do you actually neck down cases? Do you just put them through the sizing die for the calibre you are trying to get to?

Depends on what the parent case is and how much you want to change it by sizing. If you aren't moving the shoulder back or otherwise drastically changing the case or making a giant reduction in caliber, can usually get away with one step....making 25-06's from 30-06's or 22-250's from .250savage.

IF doing something more drastic, then may need intermediate dies as steps in the process....as when sizing .357 cases into .22Jet cases. Here it's better to form them in steps along the way....30, 25, then .22 (although I've managed to form them in one step, can expect 20% case loss with unfired brass).

Of course you used sizing dies stripped of their decapping assemblies (or you'll trap the decapper).

Are radical resize conversions that may take several dies, lots of reaming/neck turning, and perhaps a lathe to recut rims, heads, and/or extractor gooves. Making .401WSl from .35rem., 8mm Nambu from .30Rem., or 6.5Jap from .260Rem. takes a good bit of tooling and work.

Have to take into account that as you size a case to a smaller diameter, the brass in the neck get thicker...thiuck enough that you'll have to neck-turn or inside ream to actually use the brass. Small steps, like sizing 30-30's to 25-35's may not thicken it enough to make it too thick to use, but large steps (like .243's from .308's) will.

As you might guess, going the other way (necking up) thines the brass...making .35whel. from 30-06 usually leaves the necks a bit thinner than factory .35Wheland necking up .243WCf to .358Win leaves a too thin case neck.
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Seldom a real need to do it and would advise strongly to NOT if the case you are forming is an easy to find case in production (just buy the .243's and leave the .308cases alone). No promise that your reformed casew will exactly match the volume of the cases used in loading manuals, so teh loading data published as safe with "real" cases may be dangerous with your "homebrew" cases.

Thanks for the reply ribbonstone, i was considering necking down some 308 cases to 7-08. but i suppose you're right, for a novice like me its probly best to just chuck em and buy proper ones.

Save the .308's...may come in handy some day when brass isn't as easy to come by (or money for brass isn't as easy to come by)...if you need to, know you can convert them to several other calibers. Bag them up and toss them in the back of the reloading cabinate, you'll find a use for them sooner or later.

I agree with Ribbonstone, especially for going from 308 down to 7-08, one step sizing.

I do know several bench rest type shooters that recommend only going down one commercial caliber at a time. For the 25-06 example, they would go from 30-06 to 280 to 270 to 25-06, even though neck length varies just a tiny bit between those cartridges.

From 308 to 7-08 should stress the brass very much and should be an easy procedure, though I've never done that. If you want to hang on to you your 7-08 for a long time, I'd just find the brass manufacturer that makes 7-08 brass you like the best and buy a large supply.

I agree with Ribbonstone, especially for going from 308 down to 7-08, one step sizing.
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Hi Alyeska 338 and Ribbonstone and anyone else who has necked up the .223 cases to accept the 7mm bullets in the "7 mm TCU" caliber:

I've a couple of thousand, one-fired, Winchester, cleaned brass. I no longer own a .223 and never again plan on doing so. Rather, this old paper puncher whose plan is to buy a Rem. XP 100 or a TC Encore in 7mm TCU, needs some advice about what dies I should order in addition to the standard .223 dies in order to reload these 2,000 great cases.

All help will be appreciated.

:confused: Chuck

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Hi Alyeska 338 and Ribbonstone and anyone else who has necked up the .223 cases to accept the 7mm bullets in the "7 mm TCU" caliber:

I've a couple of thousand, one-fired, Winchester, cleaned brass. I no longer own a .223 and never again plan on doing so. Rather, this old paper puncher whose plan is to buy a Rem. XP 100 or a TC Encore in 7mm TCU, needs some advice about what dies I should order in addition to the standard .223 dies in order to reload these 2,000 great cases.

All help will be appreciated.

:confused: Chuck

Been few years, but would make 7mm TCU cases by simply fire forming .223's. NOt loaded .223 ammo, but a a fied .223 case relaoded with charge of Bullseye (have to check...but 4gr. sounds about right)...grits or cream of wheat to fill the case..compress the cereal with a dowel...plug the case with bullet lube (or wax)...point down and fire.


Of course, that requires a 7mmTCU cahmber that headspaces on a normal .223 shoulder...are some that won't.

Know they make dies with tapered expander plugs that sould be able to simply form the cases, but I still make .38/55 cases from 30-30s' by fire forming (the thin neckes created by expadning this way are needed for the over sized case bullets my .38-55 prefers).

[QUOTE=ribbonstone]QUOTE]
Thank you so very much, Sir. I am amazed that it is easier than I thought. Usually such things are HARDER than I would think. :)
Now I think I'll begin my search for a good used 7mm TCU. If you were me, which rifles or pistols would you search for ? I'll only punch paper out to 300 yards and want the 7mm for its high coefficient bullets. What do you think of this idea ? Is there another area that you feel would be more beneficial for me ?
:confused: Chuck

[QUOTE=ribbonstone]QUOTE]
Thank you so very much, Sir. I am amazed that it is easier than I thought. Usually such things are HARDER than I would think. :)
Now I think I'll begin my search for a good used 7mm TCU. If you were me, which rifles or pistols would you search for ? I'll only punch paper out to 300 yards and want the 7mm for its high coefficient bullets. What do you think of this idea ? Is there another area that you feel would be more beneficial for me ?
:confused: Chuck

There must have been some rifles chambered in 7mmTCU, but I'm at a loss to think of any that were standard production in that caliber....perhaps T/C made a carbine length barrel? Perhaps some Kimbers?

Will not find a lot of 7mmTCU rifles other than those built by someone or ordered from one of the small makers (expensive). Pretty much leaves you with single shot handguns...and if all you are doing it plugging paper, can do a pretty good job of that with low BC .223's for a lot less $ (or with high BC .224" bullets with a fast twist .223 barrel).

Don't want to rain on your parade, if a 7mmTCU rifle is what you have in mind, and you've teh $ to fine one/have one made, it would be a pretty good 300yard target round. IF you like big scoped single shot pistols, can find the T/C's pretty easily...althohg the 7mmTCU isn't as popular now as it once was, think you'd not have a problem coming across one.

For that matter, were several calibers based on the .223...all the way up to .30cal...of them, the 6.5TCU and the 7mmTCU seemed the better choices.

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Actually, ran across a reference to a .338X223..pretty much a no-shoulder case use din some semi-auto conversions...but it's not a great idea.

There must have been some rifles chambered in 7mmTCU, but I'm at a loss to think of any that were standard production in that caliber....perhaps T/C made a carbine length barrel? Perhaps some Kimbers?.
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Hi Ribbonstone,
Thank you very much for your comments and suggestions. I have a TC Contender with four scoped barrels. I've got a milliuon dollar itch and only ten cents to scratch it with-----today. Maybe tomorrow things will change. You are correct about everything---as you usually are. My .223 barrel is shot out after thousands of rounds thru it. It is cheapest to just buy a used TC barrel in the 7mm TCU. As long as I have to spend the money anyway for a different barrel, the 7mm seems to be my best choice. In Calif., the gun that seemed to beat me all the time in silouette shooting was the Remington XP 100 in a variety of calibers with 7mm TCU among them. They were just good enough to create great desire in me. That 7mm BR was the best of the batch, at least in the area where I was shooting. Thanking you for taking your time to help me, Sir. Even if you confirm my suspicions, you have helped. The extra ideas that I didn't consider were also of help.
:) Chuck

The T/C that I loaded for was owned by my plumber...he happened to be over when I was loading some ammo, and we got to talking about guns. reloading, hunting. We got along OK, hunted with him once a year for several years before he changed locations..usually with handguns, often with scoped single shots.

Bought that T/C from him, and I knew how he was fireforming his loads...the NOT RECOMENDED BY ANYONE WAY (he fired factory .223's in it). Looked it over closely for signs of the .22 bullets ping-ponging down the 7mm barrel and have to admit, I didn't find any "dings". Would suggest strongly that you give any used barrel the same cold hard look down bore.

Found myself in situations were the game is usually moving and I'm caught up in the thick brush...like that kind of hunting, but scoped single shot hanguns aren't at their best here....so the T/C's got sold.

I'm sorry you don't still have it or that you know of one for sale. An interesting way he had of fireforming his brass, huh ?
Chuck

Will have to look around a bit...usually find a few T/C barrels at local shows. While waiting, take a look theough this link...may give some other ideas:

http://www.bullberry.com/TCbarrels.html

Many thanks, Ribbonstone. This site was new to me and will prove very valuable for me.
Chuck

Another good one for TC related barrels and gun stuff........they are right across the street from Bullberry

http://www.virginvalleyguns.com