Neck Turning???

[TAM]

It's kind of quiet in here so I'll ask you all a question. I just bought a Hornady Neck Turner. Do any of you turn your necks down? If so do you have any tips, suggestions or advice? Were you able to tell a difference in group size?

I watched a reloading video awhile back with some pro benchrest shooter for Speer Bullets. He said that turning your necks down was one of the single best things a reloader could do to achieve greater accuracy. Now I don't believe everything I hear, I just thought it would be fun to try it out. What is your experience?

 

[RLH]

are you talking about trimming over length necks or turning the I.D.? i load for precise hunting accuracy (is that an oxymoron), not just for punchin' paper, and don't bother turning the I.D. of the necks. but i do keep necks trimmed proper. let em get too long and they don't chamber worth a darn either. i don't know if it is the single most important thing, to me that is overal cartridge length, based on the throat length of a particular rifle. but it is important to keep em trimmed off to the correct length.

 

[TAM]

RLH, actually I was talking about the outside diameter of the necks. Yes, I already trim for length but being that I usually only neck size my brass so they don't need to be trimmed for length very often. I also load for hunting accuracy and don't care much about punchin paper, except that it translates to field accuracy. I don't know if it the single most important factor to accuracy either, I just thought it would be nice to have that option available in my bag of tricks. Plus I think it's just fun to tinker around with new reloading ideas. I've actually only turned down the necks on 5 cases so far and have not even loaded them yet, let alone shot any at the range.

 

[RandyWeaver]

Yes I do. I trim not only for length but also for inside and outside diameter (concentricity). Whenever I buy a new lot of brass, it's one of the first things I do - in addition to reaming the primer flash hole. I've been doing it for so long that I can't honestly attest to whether or not it improves accuracy; I do it as a matter of course to ensure the greatest consistency in the dimensions of my brass. After the initial turning, however, I only check and trim case/neck length.

 

[RLH]

neck OD? what does it do for your accuracy? looks to me like whenever you touch it off, the neck is gonna be instantly fireformed to the chamber size and shape. you just do it on the intitial loading? ok, you gotta splain this to me. i've never done it. seen a lot of guys turn the OD. not questioning anything really. about all i know what my ol' man taught me and what i've read. i'm always willing to learn. give us a lesson.

 

[Bambistew]

Here is a link to an article writen by Jim Carmichel (Outdoor Life) on the subject.

http://www.outdoorlife.com/outdoor/hunting/smallgame/article/0,13285,444304,00.html

Ivan

 

[Bluehair]

I'm tinkering with the wife's new 25-06, so I decided to try it. Turning the outsides that is. The theory (or one of them) is that the thickness of the neck varies, and thus doesn't "release" the bullet consistently because of the inconsistent tension.

I just turned 120 cases and found not only that they all needed to be trimmed to length (unfired brass :-( ), but that virtually all of the cases needed one side of the neck trimmed. I did not trim all the away around the neck because I was getting pretty close to the SAMMI minimums. Amother way to say it is that I set the little carbide cutter thingy close enough to trim the fat side but not all the way around.

I would think that trimming both ID and OD would be unnecessary since the neck thickness would be consistent. I don't know how much difference it will make, but I'm curious. Unfortunately I probably won't be able to tell since handloads are so much "straighter" than factories anyway. I'm really just practicing for my 222 that I'm fixing to get wrung out. It has great potential.

 

[RandyWeaver]

You're absolutely right; all outside neck trimming does is make the thickness of the neck wall consistent and the inside and outside of the case neck concentric. The reason for turning OD is basically as was mentioned above: inconsistent neck thickness can cause greater drag on one side of the bullet than on the other, causing the bullet to pitch or yaw as it leaves the case. In most factory rifles, you probably wouldn't notice the difference because of the slightly oversize chamber. In a custom rifle with a tight chamber and proper head space, it can lead to more accuracy problems and increased throat erosion.

As Bluehair mentioned, if you turn the necks on a batch of brass, you will find that the wall thickness is almost never consistent. As he also mentioned, you need only turn off the "high points" - not the entire neck. Turning down the entire neck will remove too much material and will probably greatly shorten case life. The pilot will keep the case centered, so you're turning the neck around a miked, machined pilot. It's kind of a pain in the butt, but you need do it (outside neck turning) only once, whereas case length ought to be checked and, if necessary, cases trimmed for length more frequently because the brass will "flow" over time.

Venado muy grande!