Essentials ?

[Eligus]

I'm just about to start reloading for .22 Hornet. I've ordered most of the equipment I think I'll need but had a couple of queries.

Is it essential to tumble/clean the brass?

For .22 Hornet do I need to full resize every time or is neck sizing sufficient?

Thanks.

[loiner1965]

its not necessary to clean the brass but i do so i can check for defects etc.
i would full length the cases each time and trim etc as if you neck size you will sooner or later need to full length as the shoulder of the case moves forward.

[dicehorn]

As Loiner says it is not necessary to tumble brass - in fact I don't. I just use a bit of Brasso wool to clean the neck so as to be able to inspect for split necks and also to ensure a clean passage into the die.

The old chestnut of whether to neck or full length cases is well documented. You have to accept that some chambers appear to prefer full length to achieve better accuracy - the downside is that it does shorten your brass life. My advise would be to try N/K and F/L on your cases. If you find that just N/K sizing produces the best results, then N/K size, but bear in mind that as Lioner states there will come a time when the body of the case will grow and you will have difficulty in chambering/extraction of the case. Therefore my advice with N/K sizing is to F/L after every say 3 to 4 firings (at some future stage you may wish to consider a Redding Body die to remove the use of the F/L die) ensuring the cases are marked with a Sharpie pen the number of times fired - you need consistency and continuity

Peter

[sidesy]

good advice above from both guys - nowt to add