Advices for neck turning(case forming) for a newbie.

[Bora72]

Hello,
some month ago I made some 6,5x47 Lapua cases from 6,5 Creedmoor (Hornady) second hand range picked.

The brass seems Chambers good on my factory rifle chamber but the neck are a bit tick for One clearance sufficent for a good release of the bullet.

I formed this brass only on the dies, not fired once.

So, my question Is how I can turn properly this cases for best results?

I can stop turning a bit below the neck/shoulder junction or I can go until the shoulder?

I made some turning for tests, First for attemping the neck tickness (0,013") and below for for the lenght of turning on the neck.

I post some photos only for purpose.

Thanks in Advance!

 

[SeabeeKen]

I turn mine slightly into the shoulder, similar to your picture. I use a K&M neck turner. When dealing with unknown chamber dimensions, I recommend doing a chamber cast with Cerrosafe if its available. Once you KNOW the neck dimension, you will be able to turn to the .002 clearance for bullet release

 

[Bora72]

Hello @SeabeeKen ,
I now my neck Chambers dimensioni, .294" plus springback (0,0005" ?).

So 2 thousand of inch are a good clearance?

Ok for turning on the shoulder portion.

Thanks

 

[SeabeeKen]

Hello @SeabeeKen ,
I now my neck Chambers dimensioni, .294" plus springback (0,0005" ?).

So 2 thousand of inch are a good clearance?

Ok for turning on the shoulder portion.

Thanks

.002-.003” clearance between a LOADED round and chamber neck is good. My 6ppc chamber is .267 and my loaded round is .265”
Dont dig into neck too deep but i cut into mine slightly to help prevent a donut forming.

 

[Bora72]

Ok, I just lean on my shoulder, without digging in, slightly...
But should I do this turning lightly on the shoulder right away, before taking the first shot with these cases not yet formed in the chamber?

 

[Webster]

Hello,
some month ago I made some 6,5x47 Lapua cases from 6,5 Creedmoor (Hornady) second hand range picked.

The brass seems Chambers good on my factory rifle chamber but the neck are a bit tick for One clearance sufficent for a good release of the bullet.

I formed this brass only on the dies, not fired once.

So, my question Is how I can turn properly this cases for best results?

I can stop turning a bit below the neck/shoulder junction or I can go until the shoulder?

I made some turning for tests, First for attemping the neck tickness (0,013") and below for for the lenght of turning on the neck.

I post some photos only for purpose.

Thanks in Advance!

Definitely don't go into the shoulder. In the tech section of this website there is an article on neck turning. It's carried to the extreme. I think there is a less techy article in the tech section.

My rifles are for GH hunting and BR shooting. I keep my turning method real simple. No reason for most of us to get OCD about it.

 

[R&B]

K&M makes cutters that are angled to help with cutting into the shoulder. I cut just to the shoulder and not into it with a standard RCBS neck turning tool. The more necks you turn the better your process will become.

 

[Bora72]

Hello,

but lapping lightly the shoulder are correct operation?

The brass are non fired, so don't have donut already.

For prevent donut on the virgin/unfired cases the cutter does make contact with shouder without split the neck from the shoulder, are this procedure correct?

On the fired cases with donut the same setup can eliminate the donut, correct?

For the die formed cases like my 6,5 Lapua, before firing, if the neck chamber clearance are insufficent, the neck turning can lapping the shoulder or lapping the shouder only after firing formed?

Can someone post some link of articles or photos of our turned cases?

Thanks and sorry for any misunderstanding or errors but I'm newbee on forming and turning ...

 

[AlNyhus]

For a smooth blend of the neck/shoulder junction, a cutter with more angle than the shoulder works really well.

Good shootin' -Al

 

[Bora72]

Hello @AlNyhus ,
For now I've only 30° cutter, alternatively I can buy 40° cutter but this expense are redundand for now.

 

[ricco1949]

I like the full/near full width cut into the shoulder in your 3rd photo.

I use K&M tooling and grind the cutters to 1°-2° more than shoulder angle using an electronic angle finder to set the grinder table. That way when I just achieve a full width cut I know I've only cut into the shoulder a .001 or .002.

 

[Bora72]

Hello @ricco1949,
thanks for your advice.

I don't have a grinder for custom cutters and near me do not have mecanic shop that are disponible spend is time for some €...

So I use standard cutters.

Other "issue" of my case prep, on my opinion, are that I trim the cases with Lee Length Gauge.
The length are not uniform.
So the cutter can go into the shouder on can stop some thousand before...

 

[Steve Donlon]

The PMA neck turning die is also made to cut into the shoulder it's okay to go into it a small amount. They have the shoulder angle cut into the cutting die also. It's a good idea.

 

[jepp2]

So, my question Is how I can turn properly this cases for best results?

Can you share what equipment you are using to turn your case necks? The cut seems pretty coarse to me. Either your feed speed is too high, or your turning speed is too low. It could be the limitation of your equipment, or maybe your lack of experience.

I'm certainly not a neck turning expert, and my preference is to turn necks on cases that have been fired. But that isn't always possible. I formed some Lapua 30-06 brass into brass for me 25-06 brass. The necks were too thick for me to fire form them. So I turned them using a 21'st Century Lathe with a cutting tool that matched the shoulder angle (17 degrees), however my preference is to use a cutter 5 degrees steeper than the case shoulder. But using the lathe and matching cutter angle, this is how they turned out.

 

[Bora72]

The PMA neck turning die is also made to cut into the shoulder it's okay to go into it a small amount. They have the shoulder angle cut into the cutting die also. It's a good idea.

Hi, I don't have PMA turner, have 30º cutter.
Optional 40º cutter but I don't have on bench.

 

[Bora72]

Can you share what equipment you are using to turn your case necks? The cut seems pretty coarse to me. Either your feed speed is too high, or your turning speed is too low. It could be the limitation of your equipment, or maybe your lack of experience.

I'm certainly not a neck turning expert, and my preference is to turn necks on cases that have been fired. But that isn't always possible. I formed some Lapua 30-06 brass into brass for me 25-06 brass. The necks were too thick for me to fire form them. So I turned them using a 21'st Century Lathe with a cutting tool that matched the shoulder angle (17 degrees), however my preference is to use a cutter 5 degrees steeper than the case shoulder. But using the lathe and matching cutter angle, this is how they turned out.

View attachment 1643007

Hello, sure, are a limit of my experience.

Sure, I post some photos.

This brass are beta test, so are a little bit ugly...

My turner don't have micrometer or a screw with fine thread, so the setup are a bit tedious.

I think to wait after the firing for a second pass thru the Turner and look If the cutter touch the shoulder or I can go some thousand thru the shoulder.

Thanks

 

[Steve Donlon]

Hi, I don't have PMA turner, have 30º cutter.
Optional 40º cutter but I don't have on bench.

Looks like you are getting there on your own.

 

[Bora72]

@jepp2
Some photos..

 

[Oklahoma Jim]

I'm new to neck turning too. Am I going too far into the shoulder?

 

[Steve Donlon]

Maybe the max. As long as you are not cutting into the shoulder so much as to leave a big step in the shoulder. You only want a little ridge that 000 steel wool will remove. You should back down a little if you are. You could back down half that much and still be effective. When I first started turning necks some were like yours with no ill effects.