When I had my .204 Ruger, (bad idea selling that one) one of the steps to increase accuracy was to outside neck turn all my brass. I only removed the high spots because it was a SAAMI spec chamber. When the case was done most had about 25-50% of the surface area shiny from material removal.
Neck turning is perhaps one of the last, and least results per effort you can do.
Here was my path to accuracy.
Good optics (pretty basic, but just as essential)
Develop a load tuned to you barrel using audette ladder test
Aftermarket trigger set to just under 1 lb
Bedded the action
Reshaped the stock for my small hands
Shilen match barrel (have to redo the ladder test cause new barrel has its own harmonics)
My Savage has a floating bolt so lapping is not need but a Remington or other would benfit greatly.
Then I went on to brass prep
Sort by weight and visually inspect
uniform primer pocket
deburr flash hole
trim to uniform length
anneal the neck and shoulder area.
ONLY after doing this did I then neck turn the brass, and not completely. Like I said, I basically just removed the high spots. (IIRC the thickness was .020" but I would have to check old records) Any spots below that thickness were set aside for close up and fouling shots.
In my journey I went from a gun that shot 7/8" group its first time out, by the time I was completed (and many $ later) it would average 5 shot groups in the .3"s and often when I was "in the groove" group in the mid .2"s.
For any increase in accuracy there would be literally dozens of things to do prior to neck turning, especially for big game hunting. My main use was on gophers out to 500 yards thus the eternal quest to shrink groups.
If you enjoy it though, go at it. If you have any amount of brass you are in for some work. The winter of 09 I prepped 1000 rounds of brass, everything from annealing to neck turning. Kept winter blaa's away thinking of spring in the gopher patch.
Neck turning is perhaps one of the last, and least results per effort you can do.
Here was my path to accuracy.
Good optics (pretty basic, but just as essential)
Develop a load tuned to you barrel using audette ladder test
Aftermarket trigger set to just under 1 lb
Bedded the action
Reshaped the stock for my small hands
Shilen match barrel (have to redo the ladder test cause new barrel has its own harmonics)
My Savage has a floating bolt so lapping is not need but a Remington or other would benfit greatly.
Then I went on to brass prep
Sort by weight and visually inspect
uniform primer pocket
deburr flash hole
trim to uniform length
anneal the neck and shoulder area.
ONLY after doing this did I then neck turn the brass, and not completely. Like I said, I basically just removed the high spots. (IIRC the thickness was .020" but I would have to check old records) Any spots below that thickness were set aside for close up and fouling shots.
In my journey I went from a gun that shot 7/8" group its first time out, by the time I was completed (and many $ later) it would average 5 shot groups in the .3"s and often when I was "in the groove" group in the mid .2"s.
For any increase in accuracy there would be literally dozens of things to do prior to neck turning, especially for big game hunting. My main use was on gophers out to 500 yards thus the eternal quest to shrink groups.
If you enjoy it though, go at it. If you have any amount of brass you are in for some work. The winter of 09 I prepped 1000 rounds of brass, everything from annealing to neck turning. Kept winter blaa's away thinking of spring in the gopher patch.
