Originally Posted By: CatShooterOriginally Posted By: FurhunterOriginally Posted By: CatShooterOriginally Posted By: FurhunterYour going to get several reloads from the brass but your primer pockets are going to chit the bed long before you would see any benefit from a bushing die. Your right that brass can be rather delicate but your saving grace isn't going to be a bushing die. Your saving grace is going to be a good load that's under max and easy on your brass.
IF your saving grace is good loads under max - then the second saving grace will be a bushing die - both will do the cartridge well.
Cat,
I'm not arguing the fact bushing dies don't work. I just don't think its worth the investment on hornet brass as its so inconsistent and has a limited life span regardless. You get what you get out of hornet brass and then it's done. Keeping it annealed will be a big help too but I don't think there's any magic to be had with a bushing die on 17AH brass. It won't help the primer pockets which for me are generally the first thing to go.
I don't have a 17 Hornet, but I have had a bunch of 22 Hornets and a bunch of .218 Bees (both have the same 0.008" thin neck), and if the loads are reasonable, then split necks kills most hornet and Bee brass - and bushings (and annealing) can make a big difference in case life.
True but..
I've got about 700 rounds of 17AH brass that I've been working with the the last 5-6 years or so. Fire formed, trimmed, annealed and sized with my regular redding FL die that stuff measures around .189 and a with seated bullets the necks are anywhere from .190 to .1915. Fired brass is a dead .193 (ya gotta love a custom reamer)
So its not like the standard die over works the necks and a bushing die won't solve the problem with inconsistent neck wall thickness that can happen when necking brass down. I'd love to have more consistent neck dimensions but hornet brass is what it is. The rifle shoots pretty good so neck tension isn't a problem. My issues with the 17AH brass has always been primer pockets. I run a mild load, 20 gr bullet at 3650fps and some brass will last an amazingly long time and others won't hold a primer after 4 firings. Which makes me think hornet brass is more like a box of chocolates................