Yet another neck tension thread.

[243winxb]

Yeah that can be, it may need to be sized down more then expanded , turned then resized? What should the process be in what order?

I fl size using a standard die. Expand then turn.

 

[IHFarmer07]

What you should try is getting a gauge pin .0005 under your expander mandrel size. You can get these from Vermont Gage . With the gauge pin you can feel where the problem is. Sometimes it is a donut at the shoulder/ neck junction. If that’s the problem I use a K&M carbide cutting pilot in a cordless drill to remove it. The cutting pilot only cuts at the tip so the neck of the case will guide it in straight. A reamer on the other hand has cutting flutes down the full length so if it is not guided straight in it will potentially ruin your case. Another area to look at on the case is where the inside chamfer ends. Sometimes a burr forms there from cutting and needs to be removed. I use an expander mandrel in a cordless drill and burnish that edge slightly.
I only do this on the ones that feel tighter with the gauge pin. Some people use an easy out for this step. I haven’t tried one but I bet it would work pretty good. The most important thing is the gauge pin. It will let you sort out the problem cases a lot easier and pinpoint how far down the neck the problem is.
Good luck Mike

Awesome, thank you.

 

[IHFarmer07]

How are you “cleaning” the brass?
The amount of lube left in the neck or placed in the neck can effect feel when loading and also effect velocity.

Also, you have to eliminate the outlier pieces of brass as described above or by using whatever method you choose.

What firing cycle is your brass on? Even with annealing, this matters. If you are running hot loads, expect that your velocity will become more erratic as your primer pockets loosen. Also, some pieces of brass seem to give up the ghost for whatever reason earlier than others. I see this mostly on the target with fliers but also lower fps.

Well before I didn’t really, just use 000 or 0000 steel wool to just do the outside and go on, but now I have a SS pin media tumbler. I just got it and I lubed the necks with imperial dry lube on the brass that I did use the SS media.
Believe they’re on the fifth firing. Yes they are on the hot side and I have had some losen and I do a steel ball and punch trick to get them tight again, I have a gauge that tells me if they are loose, getting loose or not, got it from mid south shooter supply.

 

[IHFarmer07]

I fl size using a standard die. Expand then turn.

So when you get done expanding and turning the ID of your neck is where it needs to be for you, you don’t have to resize the neck?

 

[IHFarmer07]

If you think you have a doughnut, it is usually pretty easy to determine simply by sliding a bullet into the fired case neck. You will usually feel the resistance when the bullet gets to the neck/shoulder junction. Even without a tight neck chamber, turning the necks just to gain uniformity is well worth the time and effort when shooting distance. I find having turned a lot of brass for standard chambers worth the effort to the point that I even do it for my A/R's. There are a few ways to get rid of the doughnut if you have one. one way is to run a neck expander that pushes a lot of the doughnut to the outside where it can be neck turned away. Since there is some "shrinkage" after you withdraw the expander, this does not entirely get rid of the doughnut but can get a lot of it, especially if you anneal just before this procedure. The other is to run a reamer into the neck. As others mentioned - you shouldn't have any doughnuts with new brass, though imperfect factory brass is not out of the question - and that does go for the flash holes as well. Check it all. And it is pretty normal to have a difference in the neck thickness at the shoulder junction from that of the mouth. That is because the mouth is not under force to spring back after sizing or expanding as the more supported neck/shoulder area is. Even after annealing, then expanding and turning you will find this to be true. Always take your thickness measurements in the same place at the end of the neck towards the mouth. Use the Hornady headspace measuring tool to determine whether your cases truly have the shoulders set back the same - which affects the noted fill difference you saw. Use everyone's ideas as a checklist of elimination. Good Luck.

Sure appreciate your advice, thank you

 

[243winxb]

No. Not with a Lyman outside neck turner. Its no longer made. Discontinued.

The expander in the fl die is .002" smaller then bullet diameter. The turning pilot is smaller in diameter then the expander.
After turning, the brass is ready to load.

After firing, the next brass sizing will be with a Redding fl bushing die. No expander used.

 

[IHFarmer07]

If you go the reamer route - the Wilson is a good choice, especially if you already have the Wilson trimmer. After re-reading your original post, don't think that because it is a bit tighter at the neck juncture than the mouth that you have a doughnut. That differential is normal. When you slide that bullet into the fired as I mentioned before - it will not just gradually get a little tighter, but rather more of an abrupt, tighter fit. A really bad doughnut will usually stop you from being able to easily slide the bullet into the case at all.

I don’t have a trimmer of that kind at all but I can and will get one, as it wouldn’t hurt to have one just in case the power would happen to go out.