Collet vs full length sizing? (270 Win)?

Neck sizing obviously stretches the brass a little less, so it will extend case life. As for accuracy, with less stretch, there's less chance for a lack of uniformity in your cases, but really, it's a hunting cartridge and only needs hunting accuracy, so you have to remember that most of your obsessing over tight groups is the useless vanity we all indulge in. And if you aren't segregating your new bag of brass into weight groups, you have to chuckle at yourself a little.

While the information definitely says for accuracy, for use in one particular rifle chamber, that there are advantages to only neck sizing. Which is what a collet die does. I do load for extremely accurate rifles. I am anal about making PERFECT cases. I max out all dimensions and match case volumes, de-burr primer pockets and basically make perfect cases to begin. I always use a full length sizing die. Why ? I do not care about case life. I shoot less cause my loads are very accurate. ( LOL, do believe that ? Well, can be argued anyway ) No really, I full length size because as Ben says I do find some cases do require more push on the bolt to lock the action. I do not like that. First it could indicate a problem. Could indicate a case that is going to be stuck in your rifle chamber if you lock the bolt. That could make for the end of the day, if one does get stuck. BUT, also indicates, that round is not the same as others, and so may not shoot into the same spot. A bind(?) no I do not like that.

Full length sizes has eliminated any bind in my experience. If yo would like to become as crazy as I am about loading perfect cases, and accuracy, I suggest some reading on neck sizing, then learn about also "indexing " of indexing cartridge cases in a rifle chamber ?

Next question coming : Why should you index rifle cartridges in the rifle chamber ?

We're waiting ..................

"Necksizing ONLY" is the biggest part of making better ammo than you can buy! The only good reasons not to are if you have an autoloader which does better if you full-length resize, and polishing the loading ramp and magazine lips doesn't fix it, or if your chamber is rough and polishing it doesn't help either, assuming you have cleaned it with a proper fitting chamber brush and a good powder solvent. I like Hoppe's #9's smell, for Hunter Aroma Therapy between outings ( I grew up with that smell). A bolt action gives you control over any chambering or extraction resistance by using the "ARMSTRONG" method! And you can apply the mentioned remedies for autoloaders to get slicker action if desired. If the decapper doesn't do a classy job of cleaning factory brass flashings from the primer flash-hole, you can do it manually, and you should check new brass for needing this. If you seat primers one-at-a-time by hand by thumb pressure, you can tell if anything is "off", and they will ALL be properly bottomed. By chambering an EMPTY UNPRIMED halfway-necksized short-seated-bullet case (tap it free if it sticks with a cleaning rod), you can determine what is "zero headspace" for your gun. Your best accuracy will USUALLY be around .010" to .020" or so of headspace clearance, which you MUST determine experimentally. AND since less headspace for the SAME powder charge, makes slightly higher pressure, you must back off from maximum listed charges a few grains and work up a grain at a time, looking at fired cases for flattened or cratered primers, sticky extraction, or other signs of overpressure, or diminishing accuracy. Of course, these CUSTOM loads are NOT for use in ANY other gun. Also, different bullets or brand/lots of cases may well act differently. Check case length periodically to determine if it has stretched or had brass flow into the neck, needing trimming or neck-turning. It will likely NOT help for the ultimate benchrest accuracy to sprinkle stump water on empty brass in the light of the full moon, although this and other folk traditions are controversial.

If you are using the brass from the same gun it was fired from the collet is fine and mite extend brass life, you need to fully re-size if the ammo is being used in or came from a different gun. As for better accuracy that should come from the reloading process itself, if you use the same bullet weights, seat death, and powder charge.

I have 3x 308 rifles, and I now exclusively collet neck size with separate brass for each rifle. The brass is sometimes tighter when chambering, but it absolutely extends case life (should be obvious to anyone, since you don't have to trim the brass nearly as often, that the brass is being worked less).

And collet sizing is what most bench rest shooters use because fire formed brass is inherently more accurate than brass not fire formed to the chamber (full length sizing undoes fire forming).

It is a lot easier to do, eliminates the chance of getting oil inside the case since it doesn't need oil to do, and still provide plenty of neck tension.

Also, it is a lot harder to screw up, since the force needed to resize the neck and to punch out a primer is nearly the same

Collet is the primo way to go for concentricity.

After that, just backing off your full length sizing die until

it just short of bumps the shoulder works just about

as well unless you';re a bench-rest class shooter,

Caviat: Your cases WILL tend to;'grow'; in a high intensity round like

the .270 and you will need to pay attention to O.A.L. and watch for

case thinning ahead of the rim.

You might even find neck turning useful toward the end of the cycle as the brass 'creeps' forward.

They WILL last longer, 'customized to your chamber', but not forever,

and case separation is something you'd rather not deal with.

DO watch for that telltale 'bright ring' around the case head, and make yourself a 'feeler' out of stiff wire with a short right angle bent rounded tip

to feel for that groove at the head of the case as it starts to develop so

you cab judge when it starts to get critical..

Since you are just starting out I recommend that you full length size your brass. Set up the dies according the the instructions, then back off 1/4 turn.

Collet is a little more accurate, as long as same brass and rifle are used exclusively. You get less case stretch too, so there;s less trimming.

I would (and do) only full length resize.

I don't believe that you'll extend case life to any noticable extent.

Always remember that the case must BOTH chamber and EXTRACT, full length sizing will ensure that to a more reliable degree.