Is there any real reason to use both the full length sizer die and the collet neck sizer die? I feel like it is a waste of time to use both of these. They both act as de-priming dies. Once I run a shell through the full length sizer there is not much for the collet neck die to do. I used my callipers to check the case before running it through the neck sizer and nothing changed. I am still going to trim the cases before I load them.

Neck sizing die is for a bolt action rifle, full length sizing die is for both bolt action and auto loaders. If you are loading for an AR, Mini, etc., use the full length only. Trim to length.

Thanks for the info!

Can I still send rounds through my AR if I used the neck sizer? Can I just run those through the full length sizer before I load them and still be good?

You want to size all of your fired brass back to spec. size for an auto loader. It may or may not work, but then again it may not chamber fully and you could have a possible out-of-battery detonation which is a dangerous condition. Run all of your brass thru a properly adjusted full length sizer before loading them for your AR.

You really need to know how to set your dies and having a case headspace gauge is critical. If you ever start having cases come apart on you, you will understand.

i use lee dies for my ar and no issue i fl size and use lee factory crimp

I do too like the lee dies. No issues and like many others I can buy any dies and reloading equipment I want but I am so impressed with Lee (I just hunt and plink no match shooting). And to the original poster with all due respect and for your own safety and others at the range where you shoot please seek understanding of what your dies are doing or have an experienced reloader show you how to reload. The simple fact you are asking what the point of the neck sizer vs the FL resizer is setting red flags off in my mind.

The Lee 'Deluxe' kit is best for bolt guns. Period.

The Lee 'Pacesetter' kit is a better fit for semi-auto rifles, as it has only the full-length sizer AND the factory-crimp die that will put a better crimp for use with semi-autos.

You 'can' use the deluxe kit with your ar, just DONT use the neck-sizer at all(that's for bolts only); use only the full-length sizer. With your bullet seater/roll crimp, do the best you can to make sure there is no 'edge' on the case mouth sticking out after crimped. That's where the factory-crimp does a better job to make sure the cartridge doesn't 'hang' on the 'edge' of the case mouth when chambering.

g-luck!

I just finished a 223 shooting test for accuracy. I wanted to find out once and for all which case resizing die would give me best accuracy, so I tested my standard Redding FL sizing die, my Redding standard NK die, a Redding Type S FL Bushing Die, and the cheapie Lee Collet Neck Sizing Die. I shot hundreds of rounds and changed COAL several times (close to the lands and well off the lands), and that cheapie Lee Collet Die was the clear winner in accuracy (in my rifle). The Redding standard Neck Die was firmly in last place. In third place was the Redding standard FL Die (though it did work quite well). In second place was the Redding Bushing Die, and it took me a while to find the right COAL with that die. It mattered, though I can't tell you why. It worked best with when I seated the bullet just off the lands. In first place was the Lee Collet Die, and those cases just didn't like being loaded with the bullet close to the lands. I loaded them, for best results, right where the Lyman 49th suggested. I was NOT expecting the Lee Collet Die to win that test, though I've heard good things about it for a long time. That's my go-to resizing die now, as of today.

And how well did it work, you might ask. Yesterday, with a cold and clean barrel, I put 5 into one enlarged hole. Nothing else came close to that. The day before, with 15 round groups, rounds run through the collet die put 9 in one hole, with the other 6 close around the middle hole. Nothing else even came close. Today, in a high wind, my last group was 5 rounds through a dirty barrel and I got a group of about 3/8 inch. Nothing else even came close. I am now a believer in Lee Collet Dies.

What RIFLE did you use for this test??


.

I used the only 223 I have, and I used the bullet it shoots pretty well (because I have a big sack of those bullets), the 40 gr Nosler BT. The rifle is a Ruger Hawkeye Stainless, with a Hogue stock that has the full length aluminum bedding channel. And I added a Timney trigger. I shot it a bunch about 3 or 4 months ago, checking accuracy from several sizing dies. The standard FL die came in first place at that time, which really was a big shock to me. I was expecting the Neck Sizing Die to win the contest. Then...I ordered the Lee Collet Die and also the Redding Type S FL Bushing Die. And I did the test again, shooting 15 shot groups on Day 1 and 5 shot groups on Day 2. Much to my surprise, the Lee Collet Die just gave me better accuracy, again and again. I reloaded and shot till I was absolutely sure of my findings. Wore out and threw away 50 Nosler cases when I was done.

The Redding bushing die was the one I expected to give me best accuracy (certainly it's the most expensive and reportedly is the darling of the long range and bench shooting folks). Until I figured out the best OAL, that die just didn't work worth a darn. Once I had the bullet seated just off the lands, loads from that die shot much better, but not as well as the loads from the Lee Collet Die. For the record, I have never been a fan of Lee reloading gear, so I had a tough time finally admitting that I got best accuracy from that die.

I shot groups with clean barrels and I shot em with dirty barrels, and the Lee Collet won. I do believe that I did a fair and unbiased test, and if there had been any bias, it would not have been toward the Lee die. So anyway, I've been loading up all my empty cases, using the Lee Die.

I did this test for me. I just wanted to know what worked best. You hear about this die and that die, but nobody had hard data that showed a winner of a comparison. And I didn't measure all the groups, so don't ask me for that or for pictures. I just eyeballed the groups and measured some of the smaller ones. I've probably shot about 300 rounds on this test. Used up a lot of H335 powder and CCI BR4 primers.

One thing that might interest you fellows is that accuracy followed ease of bullet seating. The Neck die cases gave the hardest seating and the worst accuracy. The Lee had the easiest seating pressure and the best accuracy. Maybe if I got one more bushing for the Redding that made seating a bit looser, that accuracy might get a bit better. I plan to order the bushing and see.

I think that about covers it.

Your results are not that surprising, at least to me. Lee for quite a while had a guarantee that the Lee Collet die would yield the best accuracy of any die or they would refund your money, they did not have to refund much $.

Yup.

All good info, and I agree 2X for bolt guns, but OP was asking about neck-sizing for his AR - I still say don't do it, and stick with the FL sizer and use a factory-crimp-die.

Good advise.

In my posts above, I got to chatting purely about accuracy and forgot to add that neck sizing was just for bolt guns. Based on what I saw from the various dies, FL sizing gave me pretty good accuracy. And that was just the standard FL die.

And for what it's worth, when I tested and retested accuracy with that Redding Type S FL bushing die, I used it without the expander button, having it on good advice that a fellow would get better accuracy without using the expander. I think that on Thursday, if the weather is Ok, I'll reattach the expander button and do some resizing with the largest bushing and see what the accuracy looks like. I shoulda done that the first time.