30-06 neck sizing trick

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  • Last Post 31 January 2011
tturner53 posted this 10 November 2010

Ran across a good idea in an old TFS article. I haven't tried it yet but I will. To reduce the amount of neck sizing on a 30-06 case run it into a .308 die instead! The neck OD of a .308 is bigger than the OD of a 30-06 neck. Difference is around .04. Might help when seating those fat .30s. Maybe use an expander from a .303 or 7.65x53? Still, one of these days I'm getting Lee Collett dies for everything I can, with custom mandrels. In the meantime this little trick might help, less working of the brass too. I'll dig that article back out and give the guy credit, can't remember his name right now. It was an early 90's issue, I think.

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Ed Harris posted this 10 November 2010

I use a .308 Win. neck sizer for '06, .30-30, .30-40 and .303 British using plain decapping stem only (no expander button) and use a .32 ACP expander plug to flare mouths for cast. Have done so for years since Frank Marshall showed me. That's where you may have read in the FS, one of Franks tips.

73 de KE4SKY In Home Mix We Trust From the Home of Ed's Red in "Almost Heaven" West Virginia

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Wineman posted this 16 December 2010

I have tried to use my LEE 308 collet die to do 30-06. I had LEE modify it with a mandrel from the 303 British collet die. It works great for 7.5x55 Swiss with two washers and 7.62x54r with one washer as spacers. I have made spacers for the 30-06 but the difference in neck length vs 308 does not let the “fingers” close. It seems to me that it should work if the spacer is longer than the difference but I have not had success yet. I like the NS die without expander idea. Could I use that and a Lyman M die? I should bite the bullet and have LEE modify my 30-06 collet die with a fatter mandrel. I would rather do one step than two if possible.

Wineman

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billwnr posted this 16 December 2010

Here's another thought. A redding bushing die. I've been using one for the .30/06 for 3 years or so now. I use the .334 bushing with a .3105 bullet.

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Tom Acheson posted this 16 December 2010

Those Redding variable bushings work great. Add the bullet diameter and 2X the case mouth wall thickness together and then subtract 0.002” to 0.003” to determine which bushing size to use. I was working with a newly chambered gun and the initial loads were crap for accuracy. Then I started experimenting with different bushing sizes which resulted in the accuracy experiencing a very large improvement...and that ended up being 0.004” smaller than the total of bullet and 2X case wall total.

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bsdger45 posted this 16 December 2010

I have been using the Lee Universal expanding die body as a host for home made “M” style case expanders and for neck sizing bushings. The neck sizing bushings are reversible with a different diameter on each end. I had a stick of 9/16” 0-1 drill rod on hand. Works great. John

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Wineman posted this 16 December 2010

Those Redding S neck dies are calling my name. I look at the $70 and go yikes. Hey you get what you pay for. A great idea. Bill is Hales Brewery still in business? I was doing a dinner at the Crab Cooker one night and the owner had me go over and give Ken Griffy Jr a bottle of my wine. That was a few years ago.

Wineman

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billwnr posted this 17 December 2010

Crab Cooker is still there. Not sure about the Brewery. I have a couple of the S dies for various calibers as I feel they are the way to go for calibers one wants to neck size only.

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Wineman posted this 17 December 2010

Thanks for the update.

Wineman

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Wayne S posted this 17 December 2010

Not sure if the Redding dies are specific to .308 or 30-06, ect ??

 but the Neil Jones collet dies are case body specific, meaning that you can neck size any case with the same head dia.. 308, 358, 6 BR, 7-08 , ect. just buy bushing . Kinda pricy these days

 

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CB posted this 31 January 2011

I used to use a .308 Win. FL die to neck size 30-30 brass, and a 300 Win Mag die for 30-06. Now I rarely neck-size anything.

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