i just got a lee collet neck sizer. the problem is that i'm not getting enough neck tension. even after using a factory crimp die.....i'm able to push the bullet into the cartridge with my thumb. i've heard that annealing the case necks would help. can someone teach me how to anneal? ty guys. the only other thing i can think of is to request a smaller diameter mandrel from lee precision.

I anneal every 3-4 firings, and annealing will not help. You have to follow the lee instructions, and pull out the mandel, get some emory cloth or crockus cloth, and polish down the mandrel .001 or .002". Just put it in a drill, and spin a way. Annealing is not for the beginner and can ruin cases unless you know what to look for and will not make your necks go much smaller.

Everyone was a beginner at one time and the only way to learn is to try...

Pull the button out of the die and check it for roundness too! I posted in another thread how my new RCBS sizing dies button was not round,it mic'd out at .223 and 90 degree over it was .223.5! not much to bind on a bullet.

Well, trailer, are you going to help the guy with some advise or just try to debunk my suggestion? Do you think annealing would help? I know I sure don't. If fact, I know it won't help his problem.

What are you wanting me to suggest to the guy?

BC, all I’m saying is the only way to learn is by trial and error. No more , No less...

Well, help the guy out. Give him your advise for his problem.

The only thing I would suggest is to give it a try, what the heck. Can’t hurt and if a few cases are ruined, so what. Just something else to chalk up to reloading experience...

FYI: Annealing, in metallurgy and materials science, is a heat treatment wherein the microstructure of a material is altered, causing changes in its properties such as strength and hardness. It is a process that produces equilibrium conditions by heating and maintaining at a suitable temperature, and then cooling very slowly. It is used to induce softness, relieve internal stresses, refine the structure and improve cold working properties. There are three stages in the annealing process, with the first being the recovery phase, which results in softening of the metal through removal of crystal defects and the internal stresses which they cause. The second phase is recrystallization, where new grains nucleate and grow to replace those deformed by internal stresses. If annealing is allowed to continue once recrystallization has been completed, grain growth will occur, in which the microstructure starts to coarsen and may cause the metal to have less than satisfactory mechanical properties.
The high temperature of annealing may result in oxidation of the metal’s surface, resulting in scale. If scale is to be avoided, annealing is carried out in an oxygen, carbon, and nitrogen free atmosphere (to avoid oxidation, carburization, and nitriding respectively) such as endothermic g
Annealing, in metallurgy and materials science, is a heat treatment wherein the microstructure of a material is altered, causing changes in its properties such as strength and hardness. It is a process that produces equilibrium conditions by heating and maintaining at a suitable temperature, and then cooling very slowly. It is used to induce softness, relieve internal stresses, refine the structure and improve cold working properties. There are three stages in the annealing process, with the first being the recovery phase, which results in softening of the metal through removal of crystal defects and the internal stresses which they cause. The second phase is recrystallization, where new grains nucleate and grow to replace those deformed by internal stresses. If annealing is allowed to continue once recrystallization has been completed, grain growth will occur, in which the microstructure starts to coarsen and may cause the metal to have less than satisfactory mechanical properties.
The high temperature of annealing may result in oxidation of the metal’s surface, resulting in scale. If scale is to be avoided, annealing is carried out in an oxygen, carbon, and nitrogen free atmosphere (to avoid oxidation, carburization, and nitriding respectively) such as endothermic gas (a mixture of carbon monoxide, hydrogen gas, and nitrogen).
In the semiconductor industry, silicon wafers are annealed, so that dopant atoms, usually boron, phosphorus or arsenic, can be incorporated into substitutional positions in the crystal lattice, resulting in drastic changes in the electrical properties of the semiconducting material.
In the cases of copper, steel, and brass this process is performed by substantially heating the material (generally until glowing) for an extended period of time and allowing it to cool slowly. In this fashion the metal is softened and prepared for further work such as shaping, stamping, or forming.
The magnetic properties of mu-metal are introduced as (a mixture of carbon monoxide, hydrogen gas, and nitrogen).
In the semiconductor industry, silicon wafers are annealed, so that dopant atoms, usually boron, phosphorus or arsenic, can be incorporated into substitutional positions in the crystal lattice, resulting in drastic changes in the electrical properties of the semiconducting material.
In the cases of copper, steel, and brass this process is performed by substantially heating the material (generally until glowing) for an extended period of time and allowing it to cool slowly. In this fashion the metal is softened and prepared for further work such as shaping, stamping, or forming.

Hold the case in your fingers by the casehead, using a propane torch, heat the neck whileturning the case. when it gets uncomfortable to hold, drop it in a bucket of water. If it takes more than a few seconds, you're doing it wrong.

Like Bigcountry said, annealing won't help.

Another fix is to use a bullet with a longer surface area at full diameter. A sierra Gameking will probably work with your neck die. Something like a Nosler partition with a very short bullet lenght at full diameter will not work.