Neck turning question

[bobinpa]

If you are necking up brass, it usually shortens the OAL and sometimes it ends up shorter than the "trim to" length. Before you turn the necks, do you trim them all to the shortest so they are all equal, even thought they are shorter than the book stated trim to length or do you try to leave them as long as possible and stop the turner "by hand"? I am planning to turn them all to the shortest length so they are all exactly the same, but I would like your opinions.
Thanks again.

 

[LHSmith]

All to the shortest length so the case bottoms out on the neck turner at the same point on the neck/shoulder junction (ideally cutting into the case shoulder a bit).

 

[BoydAllen]

Unlike many shooters, I have always turned by eye, rather than to a stop.

 

[mikecr]

+1 Boyd
I don't use stops(just eye it), and it never made sense to me to 'trim em all' to a standard that's too short.
With my cartridge cases and fire forming, new shoulders pull the necks back a bit also. So I wait to trim until fire forming is completed, and even then I would not simply trim to the shortest. I cull out those departing from majority.
With that, they're all the same length, and close as I can get to chamber end.

The only reason to touch the neck shoulder junction with the cutter is to mitigate donuts while you have that opportunity. It's a good thing to go ahead & do right then, with new brass. I'm just touching this area, bringing out a shine, and it can vary in width slightly about ~1/16" on the shoulder because with new brass shoulders are yet to be formed to same angle, and rarely matching a cutter angle. No big deal, it's just donut, and I won't ever be seating bullet bearing into donut anyway.

 

[dkhunt14]

Unlike many shooters, I have always turned by eye, rather than to a stop.

+1 Matt

 

[Brians356]

Both length trimming and neck turning are best done after fireforming.
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[DCRYDER]

Both length trimming and neck turning are best done after fireforming.
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I agree. But it would be helpful to know what brass you are using and what it will be made into.

 

[bobinpa]

+1 Boyd
I don't use stops(just eye it), and it never made sense to me to 'trim em all' to a standard that's too short.
With my cartridge cases and fire forming, new shoulders pull the necks back a bit also. So I wait to trim until fire forming is completed, and even then I would not simply trim to the shortest. I cull out those departing from majority.
With that, they're all the same length, and close as I can get to chamber end.

The only reason to touch the neck shoulder junction with the cutter is to mitigate donuts while you have that opportunity. It's a good thing to go ahead & do right then, with new brass. I'm just touching this area, bringing out a shine, and it can vary in width slightly about ~1/16" on the shoulder because with new brass shoulders are yet to be formed to same angle, and rarely matching a cutter angle. No big deal, it's just donut, and I won't ever be seating bullet bearing into donut anyway.

This makes sense, so I guess I'll give it a try. I was worried that I may get too far into the neck.

 

[bobinpa]

Both length trimming and neck turning are best done after fireforming.
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This doesn't make sense to me..... I don't understand how I would fire form if I am neck turning for a tight neck chamber. I wouldn't be able to chamber the brass.

 

[dkhunt14]

I like to turn before they are fired. After they are fired it is hard to get the fit to the mandrels right. If the fit isn't good the turning accuracy suffers. If you don't have a full length die that sizes all the way to the shoulder it doesn't get turned right. Plus if you have a tight neck they need turned before hand so they go in the chamber with a bullet in. Matt

 

[ShootDots]

^^^^ This! Matt is absolutely correct!