neck turning setups?
- Thread starter TrxR
- Start date
I have a older Hornady neck turning tool, and with off the shelf factory chambers I didn't see any improvement in group size.
In my opinion you are better off using quality brass or sorting cases with a simple Redding neck thickness gauge and forget neck turning.
When full length resizing you will have brass flow upward into the neck. This will let the thicker brass below your neck turning move into the neck and form donuts.
I have seen new Remington .223 cases with over .009 neck thickness variations and good quality made cases with less than .002 thickness variations.
Below one turn of the wrist will tell you a good deal about the quality of the case and the neck thickness variations.
What I have noticed when neck turning is the average case neck the brass is thicker the closer you get to the neck shoulder junction. Meaning donuts and more neck turning to remove the donuts etc,etc.
What I do is skim turn 50% of the case neck and remove the thicker sections and call it good enough. But even this is not needed with good quality brass like Lapua 99% of the time.
In my opinion you are better off using quality brass or sorting cases with a simple Redding neck thickness gauge and forget neck turning.
When full length resizing you will have brass flow upward into the neck. This will let the thicker brass below your neck turning move into the neck and form donuts.
I have seen new Remington .223 cases with over .009 neck thickness variations and good quality made cases with less than .002 thickness variations.
Below one turn of the wrist will tell you a good deal about the quality of the case and the neck thickness variations.
What I have noticed when neck turning is the average case neck the brass is thicker the closer you get to the neck shoulder junction. Meaning donuts and more neck turning to remove the donuts etc,etc.
What I do is skim turn 50% of the case neck and remove the thicker sections and call it good enough. But even this is not needed with good quality brass like Lapua 99% of the time.
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Sinclair neck turning system using their expander and turners.
I have dedicated turners for each caliber , so once the thickness is set it never changes on that turner.
A quality neck thickness micrometer is a must have.
A case holder that fits an electric drill speeds up the operation and produces a nicer product.
I have dedicated turners for each caliber , so once the thickness is set it never changes on that turner.
A quality neck thickness micrometer is a must have.
A case holder that fits an electric drill speeds up the operation and produces a nicer product.
21st Century neck turning lathe. Picked up full setup for .308 second hand. Liked it so much I have added all the accessories and turning heads for 6.5, .223 and 300WM. I do not have the powered version, just the original one, and use an 18V drill to drive the 'tailstock' holding the brass. Never tried anything else since this works extremely well and I don't have an endless supply of funds.
Trashblaster
New member
- Location
- West Coast
I use K&M neck turning set ups for up to 338 and and another for 50 bmg.
sharp shooter
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- Essex county (Ontario)
I use this minus the drill and really like it.
I have the Forster setup. I hadn't used it until a few years ago.
I am shooting a 6mm br in a Savage rifle using Lapua brass. My groups were growing and I couldn't figure out why. Then I read an article about brass moving from the shoulder into the neck. I had trimmed for length but hadn't checked for thickness. I measured some loaded rounds and found the neck was thicker at the base then further out on the neck. I should add the brass was reloaded 25 or 30 times and I was using 105 grain bullets.
So I used the Forster to thin out the necks.
I am shooting a 6mm br in a Savage rifle using Lapua brass. My groups were growing and I couldn't figure out why. Then I read an article about brass moving from the shoulder into the neck. I had trimmed for length but hadn't checked for thickness. I measured some loaded rounds and found the neck was thicker at the base then further out on the neck. I should add the brass was reloaded 25 or 30 times and I was using 105 grain bullets.
So I used the Forster to thin out the necks.
... Redding neck thickness gauge ….
Below one turn of the wrist will tell you a good deal about the quality of the case and the neck thickness variations.
K&M here as well. Purchased the Redding tool as BigEd shows. Both systems work well for me.
Regards
Ronr
Munkey1973
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- Regina, SK
I have the 21st Century for 308 and 223. My thoughts are the same. I believe they are worth it. Their powered version looks cool. But I would much rather use my own low RMP cordless screwdriver. That way, if it dies, I can to local hardware and replace it for $70.... if their power supply should crap out, then it would be a pain to repair it.
- Location
- On a sand bar in the Atlantic Ocean.
K&M with the internal carbide cutter too. Makes a great job on both the inside and outside of the necks. I also use their .0005" dial indicator for maximum concentricity readings. To store it all, I bought a little wood case at the dollar store and put a piece of foam in it with cut outs for all the components.
