Originally Posted by
sauer14
One last question, how important is neck tension? I never crimp my rifle ammo because I don't shoot semi autos and nobody I have asked can tell me if it works or not.
Thx for all the replies.
Two different "meanings" here:
Crimp tension, i.e. consistent "grip" on the bullets in the case, is important. The only real control you have there is 1) brand of brass, 2) age of brass, i.e. number of firings, and 3) how much crimp or taper you're applying with the seating die. Older brass gets work hardened and will grip differently than new brass. See below as to why nothing else likely matters for your rifle.
Now, "neck tension" generally refers to the grip on the bullets by the brass, then the diameter of the throats.
If you have a factory chamber, you don't need to worry about neck tension. To properly set neck tension, you'd need to know your bullet dia, brass thickness (and turn your necks for uniformity of the mouth/neck), and chamber throat diameter. Factory rifles will have quite loose throat dimensions, so neck turning for uniformity will likely just mean you're increasing the gap in your throat, not actually producing concentricity.