neck turning fired brass with only a bushing die?

[bsumoba]

So I finally decided to neck turn (Why didnt I do this earlier???).

My brass is already once fired and was resized with a bushing die that based on my brass thickness, would give me about .002 neck tension. Now, I want to turn the necks, but am afraid of cutting too much at the base of the neck since the bushing die doesn't resize all the way down.

I have a 7mm expander, but with it being already fired, this doesnt help....i think. right?

should i not worry about it and neck turning the whole way down? my thinking is that it wouldnt matter if a little bit more is cut in the base since that section wont be touching my bullet anyways and that the portion of the brass holding my bullet will be consistent thickness.

advice on how to go about this or am i approaching it correctly?

Its a 284 Shehane, Lapua Brass, Whidden bushing die

 

[mr45man]

The proper thing to do is get a neck sizing die, Hornady has some universal ones
that just size the neck. Your neck turning tool requires the appropriate expander to match the pilot any ways.
John H.

 

[Joe R]

Below is a page from Precision Shooting Reloading Guide relevant to neck turning. It has the clearest description that I know of.

 

[CatShooter]

So I finally decided to neck turn (Why didnt I do this earlier???).

My brass is already once fired and was resized with a bushing die that based on my brass thickness, would give me about .002 neck tension. Now, I want to turn the necks, but am afraid of cutting too much at the base of the neck since the bushing die doesn't resize all the way down.

I have a 7mm expander, but with it being already fired, this doesnt help....i think. right?

should i not worry about it and neck turning the whole way down? my thinking is that it wouldnt matter if a little bit more is cut in the base since that section wont be touching my bullet anyways and that the portion of the brass holding my bullet will be consistent thickness.

advice on how to go about this or am i approaching it correctly?

Its a 284 Shehane, Lapua Brass, Whidden bushing die

Don't turn the neck to fit the bushing... if you do not have a chamber neck that is smallet than a loaded neck (a "tight neck"), then turn the minimum amount to make the necks uniform.

Some shooters take off just enough to "clean up" about 80% of the neck.

Then anneal them.

Then get a bushing to fit the newly turned neck. If you didn't remove much, you might use the same bushing that you have - at least to start.

 

[Patch700]

A matching expander mandrel to your current neck turning tools is the best way... anything less than that could ultimately do more harm than good .

Expand them , get the irregularities pushed to the outside first.

If you were referring to your expander button in your die then this would not be classified as a proper way to expand prior to turning.

 

[jlow]

OP - You absolutely cannot do it that way. To turn a neck, you must size the whole neck down. If you don’t, the neck thickness after you turn at the point between the shoulder and where the bushing die size down will be significantly thinner which will likely cause a neck separation.

 

[BoydAllen]

If you know that your bullets' shanks will never be in the part of the neck that the bushing does not size, why not stop your re-turning short of the shoulder, by setting up the turner so that the shoulder on the mandrel contacts the case mouth? Also, as has been said, if you only turn enough to true up, having the necks a little thinner in front of the shoulder should not be a problem. Just out of curiosity, what thickness will you be turning to.

 

[1shot]

OP- As an add on to parts of several posters, we appear to be doing the same cartridge using the same dies. I have a decent supply of the old box Lapua 6.5x284. I was very fortunate to have a fellow shooter loan me his 7 Shehane reamer. (Not to be confused with Bill Shehanes 284 Shehane reamer dimensions).
So, now we tie into what other posters have already stated. I use the D. Nielson pumpkin turners exclusively and have one set up for each caliber I neck turn. In the instructions that come with every turner it is very specific about buying an expander mandrel with your turning tool and turning mandrel. My first thought is this is just a marketing ploy to get some more of my money. Not the case, the two mandrels are a matched set exactly .001 different in size. (This is where ya say "you get what you pay for" & refer to Patch700's post).
In regards to Boyd Allens' statement I agree with everything he said and might add that if you are using a turning tool with a cutter that the surface angle is shallower the the shoulder angle, ie. in our case has a 35 degree shoulder, my cutter is 40 deg. I position the shoulder of the turning mandrel so it just starts to make a mark on the shoulder and garentees that I have turned all of the neck when it bottoms out. This has a side benefit in that if you switch bullets and the boat tail is in the neck, the dreaded doughnut can be pressed out, because you have all ready given it somewhere to go.
Sorry for the long post, but I hope this helps,
Lloyd

 

[243winxb]

Turn all the way to the shoulder after FL sizing in a standard die. The area where the bushing does not size, will expand to the chamber. If the wall thickness is uneven (unturned) the round will not be centered in the chamber.

 

[bsumoba]

Going to be turning to about 0.014". Just a neck clean up really. I might turn just in the section that contacts my brass. Finding a FL sizer for a 284 Shehane will be a problem. If i can find a way to FL size the necks down, i have expander mandrels that pair with my turning mandrel. I also have the PMA turning tool with a 35 degree cut angle.

Does anyone make a neck only sizer due for a 284 that will accommodate the 284 shehane body?

 

[243winxb]

Whidden Gunworks Non-Bushing FL Sizer Die
Caliber: 284 Shehane $88.99 USD
http://www.whiddengunworks.net/reloadingdies.html

 

[bsumoba]

THANKS!

I will be ordering a hornady one and see how that goes to FL the necks only, then expand and turn...probably anneal as well.

thanks guys.

 

[1shot]

bsumoba,
Do yourself a favor. Call it a Christmas gift or whatever you need to do to justify the money, but John Whidden make one of the straightest , functional, best looking dies to be had, bar none. I now have 2, one is a Shehane and they are as good as my Newlon dies that cost over twice as much. Go to their web site that was provided and see for yourself. BTW, the also come with and expander mandrel to screw on the de-capping rod and an O-ring in the de-capping rod so it "floats and self centers. They even go so far as to make an over size lock rong that is comparable with the Forester Co-Ax press. Short of a full custom die, you will never beat this die for the money
I hope this helps,
Lloyd

 

[bsumoba]

bsumoba,
Do yourself a favor. Call it a Christmas gift or whatever you need to do to justify the money, but John Whidden make one of the straightest , functional, best looking dies to be had, bar none. I now have 2, one is a Shehane and they are as good as my Newlon dies that cost over twice as much. Go to their web site that was provided and see for yourself. BTW, the also come with and expander mandrel to screw on the de-capping rod and an O-ring in the de-capping rod so it "floats and self centers. They even go so far as to make an over size lock rong that is comparable with the Forester Co-Ax press. Short of a full custom die, you will never beat this die for the money
I hope this helps,
Lloyd

I own his 284 Shehane dies as well as his 338 edge die. I also have his pointing dies so I know his dies are good. I have his bushing dies and not his Non-bushing dies though