25 creedmoor 133 Berger EH

B23

WKR
Joined
Aug 17, 2017
Messages
1,020
Location
NW
I don’t have any experience with either bushing dies or expanding mandrels, but from what I’ve read (take this for what it’s worth..) you’d get better consistency by sizing the inside of the neck as opposed to sizing the outside of the neck due to inconsistencies in brass thickness. Although in all honesty, I don’t know if the differences would be tangible for the shooting I would be doing with it. I’m not shooting benchrest or f-class where absolute precision is vital.
Bushing dies are pretty straight forward and just as easy to use as any other kind of die. I'm a self admitted brass snob and when possible only use Lapua or ADG brass. I have a couple I use Norma brass for because neither of those other two make 7mm Blaser or 204 Ruger brass and my 17 Hornets I have to use Hornady brass because they're the only one that makes it and I don't really shoot it particularly far so the Hornady stuff is good enough. Lapua, ADG, and Norma make good quality brass and the neck thickness in those doesn't have hardly any variance in it, usually around 1/2 thou which is a very minimal variance and it'd take a shooter that is a hell of a lot better than I am to shoot the difference. I don't use the expander button with any of my bushing dies in fact mine don't even have the decapping/expander button stem in the die at all.

Another thing I really like about using bushing dies is it, easily, allows you the ability to choose whatever neck tension you want. If you have all the different size mandrels you can do the same thing with them too.
 
Joined
Dec 4, 2018
Messages
2,284
Have been using Redding type S bushing dies in my 25 creedmoors with zero issues whatsoever..sized a couple pieces around 10 times to see how long my primer pockets would last. No issues..don’t overthink it
 
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