Neck turning ?

[TrxR]

I understand that if you are going to use bushing dies its a wise idea to turn the necks.

My question is I have around 150 new Lapua brass and 50 or so once fired out of my rifle. Can the once fired still be neck turned to match the turned new ones? Whats would be the procedure on turning the once fired? These are all 308. How do i determine the thickness to turn them at?

I also have a pile of once fired .223 brass all the same headstamp and year but not sure if they were fired from the same rifle. Can these still be neck turned?

Last question is who makes a good economical neck turn setup and what all is needed to do 2 different calibers?

Thanks

 

[DngBat7]

Im no expert on your last question. And may stand to be corrected by someone more experienced on the forum. But Pma tool makes one that is very easy to adjust between calibers.

 

[GSPV]

Are you shooting in a factory chambered rifle? If so, you likely aren’t going to see any benefit from neck turning. Especially with Lapua brass.

 

[TrxR]

They are both match chambers. They do allow for non turned brass but would like to get things more consistent .

 

[#40Fan]

Resize the fired with an expander ball. That'll push all of the imperfections to the outside. Check to make sure the neck turning mandrel will fit into the neck of the brass. Expand with another mandrel if needed. Now you can clean up the necks.

 

[Dusty Stevens]

For cheap turning id go with the hornady and go with the pma if you do a bunch or appreciate the finer tools.

 

[DngBat7]

Are you shooting in a factory chambered rifle? If so, you likely aren’t going to see any benefit from neck turning. Especially with Lapua brass.

whan you say factory chamber, do you mean a factory barrel with factory chamber? Or do you mean a chamber that has a undersized neck?

 

[GSPV]

Cutting to the chase, virtually no “no turn” chamber is going to benefit from neck turning with Lapua brass.

 

[GSPV]

If you just want to try turning, I have several brands and none are, all things considered, any better than the Sinclair. I love my Pumpkin, but it’s not quite as easy to get set up.

 

[#40Fan]

I think his main reason for turning it to use the bushing sizer. Having a flat outer neck to push against will leave a flat inner neck for the bullet.

 

[joshb]

I bought the PMA with the micro adjuster. It is easy to use and adjust. I’m very happy with it. You can buy the expanders and turning mandrels, along with the cutters on their site. They’re very nice people.
You need the die they sell to hold the expander mandrels.
I anneal my cases, then resize and trim them all to the same length.
I run them all thru the expander. They’re ready to be turned.
I use an automotive feeler gauge to set my cutter “close” to my target thickness, turn a case and set my cut depth. I resize that case, load a bullet in it and check my “loaded neck diameter” for that bullet. Adjust as necessary.
You prolly only want a light skim to make your neck the same thickness. Just slowly adjust your cutter until you’re cutting the entire surface of the neck.

 

[TrxR]

Can you change the cutters and mandrels out on the pma for different calibers or do you have to buy a completely different setup?

 

[DngBat7]

Can you change the cutters and mandrels out on the pma for different calibers or do you have to buy a completely different setup?

Yes

 

[joshb]

Can you change the cutters and mandrels out on the pma for different calibers or do you have to buy a completely different setup?

Absolutely! It only takes a few minutes to change out for a different caliber.

 

[nmkid]

Yes, to the first part of your question.

 

[DngBat7]

Cutting to the chase, virtually no “no turn” chamber is going to benefit from neck turning with Lapua brass.

As a beginner, I am asking why that is. I assumed any accurate rifle would benefit from very concentric brass and consistent neck tension?

 

[270WinDude]

As a beginner, I am asking why that is. I assumed any accurate rifle would benefit from very concentric brass and consistent neck tension?

It’s a culmination of a million little things for precision reloading. I think he’s simply stating that in a factory chamber as long as you’re using proper sizing techniques the amount of benefit from turned brass will be extremely minimal. In theory I can see that turning when done right leads to great concentricity but the practice is geared more for tighter necks then a factory gun. Customs sometimes like the smaller necks in the chamber for tight and precise fitting. With factory chambers you can still load very concentric and consistent rounds Personally I wouldn’t turn necks unless I had a custom chamber that required it. There’s other things that come first imo. Like annealing, figuring out what sizing works best for you, cleaning your chamber and brass, precise bullet seating, etc Please some one correct me if I’m wrong though.

 

[TrxR]

What angle cutters are recommended for 308 and 223?

 

[DngBat7]

It’s a culmination of a million little things for precision reloading. I think he’s simply stating that in a factory chamber as long as you’re using proper sizing techniques the amount of benefit from turned brass will be extremely minimal. In theory I can see that turning when done right leads to great concentricity but the practice is geared more for tighter necks then a factory gun. Customs sometimes like the smaller necks in the chamber for tight and precise fitting. With factory chambers you can still load very concentric and consistent rounds Personally I wouldn’t turn necks unless I had a custom chamber that required it. There’s other things that come first imo. Like annealing, figuring out what sizing works best for you, cleaning your chamber and brass, precise bullet seating, etc Please some one correct me if I’m wrong though.

Thanks for the response. I guess it leads to one thing, cartridge neck clearance. And the reason I ask is because I have read several threads where some people say that turning to .001 clearance is where you should be at, and then I also read in a thread in here by some of the notable shooters that there is not difference if it’s .001 or .003 or more. I don’t know if I’m making sense or not. They are saying that an overly tight fit does not make a difference from one that is not. Turning being necessary none the less

 

[270WinDude]

Thanks for the response. I guess it leads to one thing, cartridge neck clearance. And the reason I ask is because I have read several threads where some people say that turning to .001 clearance is where you should be at, and then I also read in a thread in here by some of the notable shooters that there is not difference if it’s .001 or .003 or more. I don’t know if I’m making sense or not. They are saying that an overly tight fit does not make a diffenrence from one that is not. Turning being necessary none the less

Ya lots of confliction. After reading enough on here and testing the b Litz has done I’ve come to just assume that things like neck clearance will vary. One gun or chambering it will benefit where as you change from 223 to 243 or even a different barrel and it changes. I have no clue at all how people can get a load dialed in with so few shots given all there is to test for. I can only assume they use thier precious barrel as a base and use the same reamer and barrel brand.