Have you ever considered neck honing your sizing die?
It’s a service many reloaders overlook, but it can make a noticeable difference in brass life, consistency, and neck tension. Forster is one of the few manufacturers still offering this specialized service—and it’s designed to help your dies work more efficiently with your brass.
Why Standard Sizing Dies Can Overwork Brass
Standard sizing dies are built to handle a wide range of brass thicknesses. Manufacturers like Forster, Hornady, RCBS, and Redding must account for the thinnest brass available to ensure everything sizes properly.
The downside?
If your brass is thicker than average, the die works the neck more than necessary, which can lead to:
✔ Excessive neck tension
✔ Premature brass wear
✔ Potential case neck runout
For example, with a .308 Winchester:
- A standard die sizes the neck to .327″
- Brass with .011″ wall thickness results in about .003″ neck tension
- Brass with .014″ wall thickness creates .009″ neck tension before expansion
That means the brass is being worked three times as much as necessary.
Over time, that extra work can shorten brass life and affect consistency.
Why Some Reloaders Switch to Bushing Dies
Bushing dies were created to address this issue by allowing reloaders to fine-tune neck sizing.
However, they also come with a few drawbacks:
• A small gap between the bushing and die body can create a “donut” at the neck-shoulder junction
• They only control the outside of the neck, not the inside diameter
• Variations in neck thickness can still affect bullet seating consistency
How Forster’s Neck Honing Service Helps
Instead of adding another component like a bushing, neck honing customizes the die itself.
By honing the neck portion of the die to a specific diameter, we reduce unnecessary brass movement and improve overall consistency.
Benefits include:
✔ Reduced brass work – helps extend brass life
✔ No neck-shoulder donuts – consistent sizing to the junction
✔ Improved neck tension consistency
And it’s surprisingly affordable.
Neck honing costs just $17 when added to a new die order—often less than the cost of a bushing.
If you’re sending in a die you already own, the service is $26 which includes return shipping.
Recommended Honing Dimension
For best results, we recommend honing the die to .004″ under your loaded round’s neck diameter.
This allows the expander ball to only open the neck .001″ per side, giving you a consistent .002″ neck tension.
The result:
• Cleaner sizing
• More consistent bullet seating
• Better performance across different brass lots
By choosing our honing service, you’re investing in a more efficient, longer-lasting die that keeps your brass working like new.
Learn More or Send in Your Die
Neck honing can be done two ways:
• Send in your current Forster die along with the completed honing form ($26 includes return shipping)
• Order a new Forster die and have it honed before shipping
If you’d like help determining the correct dimension for your caliber, feel free to reach out—we’re happy to walk through the numbers with you.