Where to find a neck turning tool??

Jmiverson

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Hey everyone, I'm having a heck of a time locating a hand held outside neck turning tool and .308 pilot. I typically get all my tools from Sinclair, but everything's backordered. I've checked the big box stores as well, nothing. Hirsch has the Forster Hot 100, but the reviews say it isn't good.

Any leads as to where I can get a simple handheld unit, or where else I should be looking would be awesome!
 
they are also sometimes slow to update there web site , it is best to call them and place and order at that time they can tell you if indeed they are back ordered or if they are in stock. You can also get put on the back order list for when they do come in.
 
I own the 21st century neck and it is top of the line, if you are doing a lot of brass I would also look at their neck turning lathe, I have both and am very happy with both and was quick shipping
 
Jmiverson

Do you have a neck thickness gauge? I have the one pictured below and it tells me me a great deal about my brass before I turn my necks with just on rotation of the case.

reddingneckgaugex250_zps88727434.jpg


The reason I say this is turning the necks on poorly made brass will not make more it more accurate as pictured below.

neckcenter_zps94286f86.jpg


If you neck turn the case above and only neck size your screwed and the bullet will not be aligned with the axis of the bore.

If you start with good quality brass with uniform body and neck thickness a neck turning tool "may" help. "BUT" with a standard off the shelf factory rifle neck turning "may" not show a improvement in accuracy and group size.

Also if you neck turn you only need to clean up 80% of the neck and take off the high spots "after" it has be fired the first time.
 
Thanks for the help thus far guys. Like I said, Sinclair and brownells are truly out of stock. I will be checking Huntington tomorrow. If I can't find a tool, i may just turn a mandrel and my necks on a lathe at work.

Bigedp51, if I'm neck sizing with an expander ball type die, then using a mandrel, would my necks not end up uniform and concentric? Providing the die leaves the inner neck concentric to begin with. After all, the inconsistent thickness is what turning eliminates. My end goal is to use a Wilson hand die. Right now, I'm getting a small buldge near the shoulder junction with the Wilson die. This tells me my bushing is a tad too small, but that's the size I want to use. Solution=neck turn right? If I use a bushing die as is, even if it was the proper size, my inner necks would be out right?

I'm new to this, so these are just questions, not challenging your experience. My thought is to turn the necks until they clean up, then use my bushing neck only die to make concentric cases.
 
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Cool...I've been looking for one as well...new direction for me. I've been looking at 21st century, k&m, redding, and all the rest...don't know much about it but I can't find anyone who has anything in stock. I would rather shop this side of the border and if I can I would likely buy it! If not I will go south.
 
Cool...I've been looking for one as well...new direction for me. I've been looking at 21st century, k&m, redding, and all the rest...don't know much about it but I can't find anyone who has anything in stock. I would rather shop this side of the border and if I can I would likely buy it! If not I will go south.
The retail scene has really changed since I was starting out reloading about 20-25 years ago. We had about 7 or 8 shops here in Winnipeg who stocked all things shooting, if one didn't have it you went down the street to the next. I like online shopping, but it's not the same as going somewhere that you know people by name and they're ready to help you out.
There were several gunsmiths in the city, now none. There is one just outside the City, luckily on my end of town.
 
Jmiverson

Do you have a neck thickness gauge? I have the one pictured below and it tells me me a great deal about my brass before I turn my necks with just on rotation of the case.

reddingneckgaugex250_zps88727434.jpg


The reason I say this is turning the necks on poorly made brass will not make more it more accurate as pictured below.

neckcenter_zps94286f86.jpg


If you neck turn the case above and only neck size your screwed and the bullet will not be aligned with the axis of the bore.

If you start with good quality brass with uniform body and neck thickness a neck turning tool "may" help. "BUT" with a standard off the shelf factory rifle neck turning "may" not show a improvement in accuracy and group size.

Also if you neck turn you only need to clean up 80% of the neck and take off the high spots "after" it has be fired the first time.

I disagree... When brass is fireformed, the OUTSIDE of the case expands to fill the dimensions of the chamber... ALL dimensions. As long as the chamber is cut properly and true to the bore, a fireformed case mimics the interior dimensions of the chamber so regardless of what may be INSIDE the case, the outside of that case fits and becomes properly aligned with that chamber.

The case is literally bent into shape.

Why most precision shooters will only compete with brass that has been fireformed.... and keep brass segregated for each chamber or use the same reamer for all related barrels

When you properly control the areas of sizing, you can maintain this alignment with the chamber. Remember, it is the back half of the case that does the alignment with the bore NOT the neck.

Outside neck turning is very important when using bushing neck sizing dies. Any variations in the neck thickness is "pushed" into the neck interior and that can cause issues with bullet seating. THIS is the main reason for outside neck turning... and of course proper clearance in the chamber.

Can you shoot superb accuracy with necks that vary a thou or 2 here and there? Absolutely.. been there, tested that.. BUT the neck sizing has to use another method.. ie Lee collet neck die.

I still outside neck turn every firing to ensure elasticity and clearance does not change... Brass can flow with every firing and that can really screw up your case neck dimensions unless they are controlled with every loading.

There is an argument that if you measure new brass and it varies in neck thickness, the case body may also vary.... more then likely correct (don't see the need to disect cases). The idea is that the powder column will not line up with the boreline and that can cause issues with ignition... BUNK.

When the powder is ignited, it tries quite energetically to expand tens of thousands of times in volume in nano seconds. That much volume of gas doesn't give a rip which way the case is lined up... it is going out the neck NOW.

Testing with cases that were severely out of whack in manf to prove this years back. The result, ZERO difference on target vs cases with concentric manf. What mattered was consistency in case volume and ductility of the case necks.

Proper annealing, outside neck turning and sizing... matters.

YMMV.

Jerry
 
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