Straightshooter1 is wrong in every regard..
(snip)
Just hit em with the expander mandrel & turn. The xpander mandrel does push thickness variances outward where they can be turned away.
Bumping for reference and questions...
@mikecr you said stop firing necks.
What would be the process for brass I have with 3 firings on it?
40 pieces total 3x fired
60 pieces new
Brass is lapua
Inside neck measurement .3085 on fired brass.
Neck wall thickness. 0165
Should I turn to .0145 or .015?
"Ditto"For fired brass I would....
Clean brass
Anneal
Full length resize (no bushing)
Trim
Lube inside of neck
Run expander mandrel in
Turn neck to desired thickness
With new brass, I just lube the necks/expand/turn.
How much neck clearance do you want/need?
More than I have. LolFor fired brass I would....
Clean brass
Anneal
Full length resize (no bushing)
Trim
Lube inside of neck
Run expander mandrel in
Turn neck to desired thickness
With new brass, I just lube the necks/expand/turn.
How much neck clearance do you want/need?
A couple of things to look for. First the expanded case neck should be a snug fit on the mandrel. Lightly lube the inside of the neck. You should be able to turn it with your fingers but feel some resistance. The second, wobble on the rear of the case in the chuck. Any wobble will show up in the neck. (picture is exaggerated). The case head may not be 100% centered in the chuck. There are slight variations in case head diameters.
View attachment 1145758
This is key to getting consistency. If your mandrel is not opening the brass, it is not large enough. If you can slide the mandrel in and out with your hand, the neck needs to be sized down to properly use that mandrel.If it isnt very hard to run your case onto the turning mandrel its not going to work well. I mean it has to have lube and be spinning to even go on there with quite a bit of force. Lots of heat buildup