Full length sizing or Neck?

I have a 2021 Viht load book, no 17 rem loads ?? Their website says if cartridge isn't in their data book, there is no test data?
 
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As far as 1 guys rifle and loads to another, it’s always best to start below there charge and preferably closer to box charges and work up. My 20 tac is running 39-40gr bullets at 4000-4050fps. Way way faster then most can push a 20 tac and wouldn’t recommend running my load in another rifle. But for me it works and is safe. Some barrels are faster then others, chambers can be cut different causing different pressure spikes, if you don’t clean your barrel you can build a carbon ring giving false pressures on loads.
This^ x10, however, wouldn't "abnormal" be a more precise description than false pressure? The pressure is there, caused by the carbon ring, but it is above normal for that particular load.
 
If you're shooting wimpy loads, you can get by by neck sizing for quite a while, sometimes forever.

Pressure expands the base of the brass too, which gets addressed when full length sizing.
 
I don’t own and haven’t reloaded for a 17 rem but I was looking at purchasing one and was looking up loads a few years ago. If I recall vihtavouri never listed n540 on the 17 rem, but did list n140. Don’t quote me but if I remember correctly max load listed was 21.2gr’s. Now box max generally isn’t true max but 26.4grns would most definitely be dangerous in my mind. N540 also runs hotter and higher pressure then n140 so it would be very dangerous in my mind running a load 5gr’s above max in a small case.

With n540 being faster and hotter then n140 I would start slightly below n140 max and work up if your looking for ultimate speed. You know 23gr’s is hot in your set up, so you could load from 21-22.7/.8 area and see if you find something there and before pressure.

As far as 1 guys rifle and loads to another, it’s always best to start below there charge and preferably closer to box charges and work up. My 20 tac is running 39-40gr bullets at 4000-4050fps. Way way faster then most can push a 20 tac and wouldn’t recommend running my load in another rifle. But for me it works and is safe. Some barrels are faster then others, chambers can be cut different causing different pressure spikes, if you don’t clean your barrel you can build a carbon ring giving false pressures on loads.

With the 17 being such a small bore and running high speeds and pressures I’d be willing to bed they are prone to carbon rings and would cause velocity and pressure problems
How do you know if you have a carbon ring? And how do you remove it?
 
How do you know if you have a carbon ring? And how do you remove it?
Bore scope, pressure spike from a known load.

With a bore scope and good carbon cleaning and then stay on top of it. Boretech carbon remover, super stubborn then clr and alcohol but before you do it isn’t recommended by most barrel manufacturers.
 
I have not had a lot of experience with all the whizz bang cartridges that may be more prone to carbon rings, but have loaded for and shot a fairly wide variety of rifles up to .375 h&h down to 243 WSSM w/no carbon ring issues. My hunting rifles probably never had enough rounds through them to worry much about carbon buildup, but I shot HP rifle competition pretty seriously for 20 years or so. Wore out a number of barrels (mostly 30-06 or .308) at the rate of a barrel every 18 months or so. All of the match barrels were shot both slow fire and rapid fire strings which ran their temperatures beyond what your hunting rifles experience.

Can't shed much light on carbon rings or how to remove one, as all I know about carbon rings is what I have read, having never had one myself. I credit that to the cleaning regimen of cleaning barrel after every outing, whether a couple of rounds or an occasional 300+ round weekend of match shooting.

Didn't obtain a bore scope until after I quit competition, so maybe ignorance is bliss, but never experienced a loss of accuracy due to fouling. I did look through a couple of my takeoffs that had around 7500 rounds through them and did not see any rings, throat erosion having caused their loss of accuracy.

After obtaining a bore scope, I did observe some carbon buildup, especially in the flaws of several factory barrels, but never developed the dreaded ring. I came to the conclusion that in some barrels there is such a thing as beneficial fouling. That was the case with the last rifle I worked with (BAR in .308W). It needed a few fouling shots after cleaning to fill in the potholes in the bore then seemed to settle down and shoot better groups.

While I can't claim to have tried every bore cleaner out there, I have used my share of them over the years, and the best all around bore cleaner in my opinion is Tactical Advantage. It works on both carbon and copper unlike many others I have used over the years.

BAR barrel after 29 rounds
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Iosso stiff nylon brush soaked in TA and let sit overnight:

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Cold bore not an issue on my match rifles as the difference was minimal w/good barrels and most matches allow for "2 sighter rounds" before starting for record anyway. All hunting rifles were zeroed to cold bore POI and the difference, if any logged inside the ocular lens cap along w/trajectory of current load should a follow up be necessary.
 
One of the problems I worked on when shooting competition back in the '80's was bullet runout. Neck turning helped some but finally figured out that my 30-06 cartridge necks were being stretched off center as the case was extracted from sizing die by the expander plug
I had the same problem with my Redding '06 die, sent it back and got a new one.
I then started using a concentric gauge from there on.
 
I quit using expanders in my dies over twenty years ago. Sure don't miss them! Bushing dies and turned necks. Less working of the brass, no expander needed or wanted.

- DAA
 
I had the same problem with my Redding '06 die, sent it back and got a new one.
I then started using a concentric gauge from there on.
I cured my latest 6.5 PRC when using my full length bushing die by polishing the expander ball, & using the correct bushing size that sized it just enough that the expander was barely making contact when pulled through.

Another mistake people make is not using enough lube on the insides of the case necks.
 
I quit using expanders in my dies over twenty years ago. Sure don't miss them! Bushing dies and turned necks. Less working of the brass, no expander needed or wanted.

- DAA
The beauty of custom reamers.....;)
 
I put carbide expander balls in first. The carbide ball floated on the stem, that helped, but eliminating the expander completely is the answer.
 
Or custom (or bushing) sizer dies.
In the quest for 1000 yard BR accuracy, I know guys that would run a mandrel down the necks after sizing to minimize discrepancies in seating tensions.

My method with a polished expander ball & minimal sizing/expanding eliminates that step.

My runout consistently averages under 1 thou total, albeit probably lost in the noise of a factory gun.....;)
 
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Full length. 0.002” bump is my target. I prefer to use Redding S Type bushing dies. I use standard FL dies too and they are just fine.
I strive for the same...with the same die.
I am getting long case life on all different cases from Hornady, Lapua, Winchester and Nosler.

No I do not mix case head stamps.
 
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