Thread: Neck turning

Hi all, reasonably new member here and new to reloading.
can someone say in layman’s terms how necessary neck turning is to produce good rounds or how much affect it makes?
I have bought a rifle with load development done by an experienced reloader, I have used a hornady concentricity tool to check some loads that came with the rifle, they had 1 thou max runout measuring on the scale. my loads are considerably more..
I’m not a great shot by any means but plan to produce good rounds & hopefully improve on shooting.

Cheers,
also if neck turning, what recommended make & model to buy.

Thanks again

What sort of distances are you planning on shooting?

Not overly far, I’ve been shooting 800yrds with factory ammo on 1 rifle. this rifle I bought, the Bloke was shooting past 1,500yrds. I’m hopping to get somewhere near 1000yrds if I can.

one would assume you turn your case 180degrees halfway through seating???
thats my ONE trick for good run out....
mate who was anul about whole deal,neck turning etc etc measured my hohum slap together hunting rounds, and got all pissy as they were as good as his for run out.
Ive got neck turning tools.....but wont use them other than for grins n giggles as 400 yards is long shot for me.

You probably need to first determine to what extent sizing and seating tools and technique – as opposed to uneven neck thickness – is contributing to the concentricity of the finished rounds not meeting your expectations?

No point unless you have a Match Chamber, been there, a waste of time and money.

Tbh its about 5 steps down the list (of depreciating returns). However in precision circles, marginal gains win matches. For you, maybe just mark it down as something you might get into later on.
For me, i do it because i like the process and ive got it to work well. About the only thing i dont do is measure case capacity, i tried that. Made a massive mess and realised that its nearly impossible.

But neck turning isnt that difficult. I even do it to my junk brass for my howa .243. Makes it look like a rat with a golden tooth that ammo does.

I think the key to reloading is consistency and having your brass all the same size is consistent, wether its necessary and contributes to your accuracy is a matter of opinion. I do because that was the process I was taught and I get good results (in my opinion)........and if if I don’t then I develop a nervous tick ............and reloading is a surefire road to madness. Wish I’d never started ...........but it too late now.

bryn

PS I use this

https://www.rcbs.com/on/demandware.s...urningTool.pdf

I would only use neck turner on ammo for rifle with factory chamber if chasing serious accuracy using dies with neck bushings and cheap brass with poor neck thickness uniformity. If you neck turn brass for a loose factory chamber you may work harden the necks faster as they move more after firing due to increased tolerance chamber vs brass that thinner necks will cause and they may end up cracking if you don't anneal

If you want to buy a tool I have this one and I rate it https://www.pmatool.com/pma-neck-tur...l-a-30-degree/. you can get different degree cutters with it for different shoulder angles. I had a K&M to start with and it was a pain as it heated up due to it's small size and this changes the tolerance of the tool due to expansion and causes variation in wall thickness although I think you can get a holder /heat sink for them now. The K&M was also a pain to adjust compared to the PMA

The answer, as with a lot of things reloading related is "it depends".

With a standard full length sizing die, outside neck turning would do very little to help improve/maintain concentricity, because it's the expander being dragged through the inside of the neck that has the final say.

Neck turning has a big effect on the evenness and consistency of neck tension you get when using bushing dies though. That will have an effect downrange. What effect? How much? Again, it depends. Tension and concentricity are also not the same thing.

Neck turning is essential if your brass needs thinning down to fit the chamber or to remove donuts (e.g. if you have a custom/match chamber, or you have formed brass).

Things I would try to answer before tumbling down the rabbit hole any further:

Is the lack of concentricity you're getting having a noticeable effect on paper?
Where is the concentricity being lost? During sizing or during seating?
Was the fella you bought the rifle from neck turning? What are the differences between his processes and equipment and your own?

if you have a chamber requiring specific brass then generally it will be stamped on the barrel alongside the calibre/cartridge markings (well reputable gunsmiths seem to do it that way). If its not there I would assume factory brass as is will be fine.

Its not something to do just for the sake of it