Bottleneck baby.

[ed dixon]

I just ordered a .270 Win. bolt gun and it will be the first bottleneck cartridge I'll handload. I'm about a year into reloading and have been getting the hang of straight-wall handgun and rifle okay so far. I'll probably pick up the new dies soon and will dip back into the books before I start, but I wanted some THR input as to what the big differences will be and what extra equipment I should get. For instance, is inside-the-neck lubrication with that mica stuff always necessary or just preferable? Do I need a neck turner? What other quirks in the world of bottlenecks should I be aware of?

Thanks. Ed

(I'm now using a single-stage press exclusively.)

 

[dakotasin]

you may in time want a neck turner. it is not necessary now, and would be mostly a waste of resources for now.

i lube the inside of about every 4th or 5th case when i am sizing - just often enough to keep the expander from pulling on the case. never used mica stuff. maybe somebody else will have input there.

the biggest difference will be frequency of trimming brass, and not crimping the cartridges.

 

[Mike Irwin]

I don't lube the case necks, I simply replace the expander balls with ones coated with Titanium Nitride. You can get them from CH-4D in Mt. Vernon, Ohio. They also come standard on some dies these days.

Makes the reloading process a lot nicer.

 

[BigG]

You use a two die set with bottleneck. You are used to a three die set with straight cases. The expander die is dispensed with for bottlenecks. You might want to try neck sizing with your bolt gun. Lee makes a set of collet dies guaranteed to make the best ammunition or your money back. Crimping is also possible and desirable with bottleneck cartridges. Either with bullets with cannelures or buy a Lee Factory Crimp die and it makes the cannelure and crimps all in one. Crimping makes uniform bullet pull which allows for better powder burn and pressure curve, hence better accuracy. JMTC

 

[Jim Watson]

The typical bottleneck rifle die set is two dies, with case neck expansion on the decapping rod as described. HOWEVER, if you don't mind the extra step, get a Lyman "M" die and expand them separately like you would a pistol case. It eases bullet seating and reduces case neck stretching over the usual expander ball.

I don't crimp any rifle round except for tube magazines, Lee advertising notwithstanding.

Case neck turning may not be much help in a hunting rifle, which I assume any .270 to be. Neck clearance is generous and uniformly sloppy necks is not going to help much.