Finished first project

Finally finished my first project. Mcgowan 6mmbr bull barrel small shank b/c medalist stock. Very easy to set up using go and no-go guages. Shooting with 107smk's 30.3 varget in 0.3's. Many in 1 hole with 1 making it widen out. I only have a 3-9 scope now so kinda hard to see at 100yrds. This was as easy as falling off of a greased log backwards. I wish I had done it sooner. Very sweet to shoot this gun. Never had a gun like this before and I'am hooked.
I have a redding competition seating die but did not buy sizing die. I need some advice on which on to buy--full length or only neck sizer and which size bushing to buy.

Sounds like a winner! As for the dies and bushings I would get a neck sizer and a body die. Neck size until you start to have problems chambering loaded rounds then run them through the body die, I have that combination in .264 WM and it works great. The bushing you need will depend on the neck diameter of loaded rounds. I like to size the case neck on my target shooting ammo to give a .002 bullet pull, hunting ammo I like a little more neck tension on the order of .003 - .004. Measure the neck of your loaded ammo with an accurate micrometer and subtract to find the bushing size you need.

Hope this helps.

Bob

I use the Forster bump die and a Redding body die. For bushings I use a .267 for boattails and a .268 for flatbase bullets but the .268 might be just a hair too big I get a few that the bullet is really soft seated. Im going to go to .266 & .267

What I would recommend would be a standard full length forester die. I would have whoever chambers the barrel make you a head space gauge with the same reamer used to chamber the barrel. With this you can measure the shoulder bump back and adjust the die.

Neck only sizing is 1970's technology, new technology experts agree that the shoulder needs bumped back .002 after each firing.

Most bushing dies are worthless, and cause more problems. The Forester bump die, Neil Jones and Harrell's dies are the only bushing dies I would recommend. They all completely size the entire neck, and push the shoulder back, let alone the bushings fit tightly inside the dies.

Other bushing dies have too big of tolerances and cause concintrisity problems. (The bushing floats around inside the housing) The other problem other bushing dies cause is they do not size the complete neck, or push the shoulder back. The brass has to go some were and what it does is create a donut at the shoulder, that in time has to be cut out with a inside neck reamer. This causes the biggest problem when changing bullet weights, and/or makers and design.