To inside ream or neck turn

[MAD10]

Over the years, I have tried about everything known to man and found reaming the necks not to be satisfactory and inconsistent. When I reamed, the neck wall was not the same thickness because the reamer found it's own center. I set up in a lathe and it still happened although
not very much. The best way I found was to use a sizing mandrel to size the neck to perfectly fit the turning mandrel. With the neck wall thickness exactly the same the chamber will do the rest if it is concentric. I have had several other neck turners that just used caliber specific mandrels and they never realy fit that good, and I ended up making a mandrel almost every time I turned necks to get a good fit.

Once I went to the sizing type (I use the Sinclair with the sizer and turning mandrel) There were no more issues. As said before, I prefer turning the necks before they are fired so the first firing trues the neck concentricity, Most brass will have some run out before it is fired. by truing the neck wall thickness first the chamber will do the rest. Since going this route, I can find no run out in the fired brass
inside or out. another advantage of turning before firing is that when the neck expands to fit the chamber there is no wall thickness difference to move the neck bore off center. (If the neck wall is .001 thousandths different on one side, the bore will move .001 thousandths to the other side , moving the bore center off by .001 to the barrel center.

Turning necks correctly is very necessary in my opinion if turning doesn't produce concentric cases, then all it does is thin the necks.

J E CUSTOM

JE this is Moe in Colorado...I'm having a nightmare with my ES going all over the place. even had velocity speed up in 35 ° weather by 50 fps from a load developed in 70° weather lol

first 3 shots ES 10 next 24 shots in 3 or 5 shot strings fired reasonably slow its 25, 33, 60, 65

The 27 rounds were loaded at the same time, same steps, same components...2x fired Lapua brass not annealed some groups are .5< others not so good.

I'm starting to doubt my magnetospeed

I'll give you a call later this morning

 

[woodnut]

I too, when I turn, only do it once.

 

[woodnut]

2C/1H, I don't think it's your speed meter. Not knowing what powder you used, but going from 70' to 35' has to make a change! Try again when temps get better.

 

[Mike AVM]

Mike, I have a sizer that has a button that I thought would do do the same thing: make uniform tension. Apparently, it did not do that as I suspect the brass thickness varied. So maybe the button isn't correct, too?

With the Lee, it sizes around the mandrel. As indicated, without annealing, you get a lot of "spring back" of the brass no matter which way you size it. Annealing is a key to consistent neck tension.

 

[Jeffrey Van Zandt]

I always do the inside of the neck with a wilson new reamer just to take the rough spots off then outside the neck just a bit to take the high spots off after first firing I do it again to clean up any brass that has changed never get much at all but at the outside of the neck shoulder there is a little that cuts. I only use wilson neck in line die and mic seater along with a shoulder bump of 2=3 thos but never a mandrel only a sinclair neck sizer with a floating mandrel

 

[jshepherd61]

Hey guys. I have been reloading for a lot of years and have not had to ream or neck turn for quite a while and have either forgot or refuse to admit what I should do about a problem I have with brass in 6.5CM.
When loading some same brand brass, I found some bullets seated with noticeably more effort than some others. I segregated them and at the range saw it made a pretty big difference. I had already sized and primed once fired brass b4 I noticed the difference. Apparently, some were fired in one rifle and others in another, one being a gas gun. Only reason I can see for the difference.

Sooo, b4 I jump in and do something I will regret, having forgot which order to do it and how best to do it: should I 1) resize THEN turn necks or ream, or 2) not resize and turn necks or ream? I hate to think about turning necks as it is v-e-r-y slow and laborious. Help!

Size then turn the neck but check for centricity after sizing. I shoot both gas and bolt 6 and 6.5 CM. Your chamber may be too tight if your having to turn 6.5 CM, it's a very forgiving round and chamber unless your necking down 6.5 to 6 CM!

 

[ar10ar15man]

crimps only work if the bullet is jumping a lot.
and can damage the side of the bullet.
notice i did not say never.

You might try a Lee Collet Sizing Die. They work very well, obviating the need for neck turning unless in BR competition. It sizes against a mandrel so the inside diameter for bullet tension is consistent. I use in every caliber I can. They work for repeatable bullet tension. I also use a factory crimp die to set a crimp for more consistency.

 

[ronstone09]

Hey guys. I have been reloading for a lot of years and have not had to ream or neck turn for quite a while and have either forgot or refuse to admit what I should do about a problem I have with brass in 6.5CM.
When loading some same brand brass, I found some bullets seated with noticeably more effort than some others. I segregated them and at the range saw it made a pretty big difference. I had already sized and primed once fired brass b4 I noticed the difference. Apparently, some were fired in one rifle and others in another, one being a gas gun. Only reason I can see for the difference.

Sooo, b4 I jump in and do something I will regret, having forgot which order to do it and how best to do it: should I 1) resize THEN turn necks or ream, or 2) not resize and turn necks or ream? I hate to think about turning necks as it is v-e-r-y slow and laborious. Help!

brass flows when fired and the neck thickness will vary from case to case ! if you are concerned about accuracy then get yourself a neck turning tool to uniform your necks and your accuracy should improve ! sinclair makes a nice tool !

 

[bigbull]

Having used different methods to reduce neck thickness I now feel that the use of a RCBS Neck Ream Die with the proper reamer is the way to go, It is important that the outside of the neck is fully supported while reaming the inside to diameter, perfect wall thickness and concentricity is your reward with this method but be forewarned that the die with reamer is expensive, but worth it in my opinion and the only accurate way to ream a neck.
The forster and rcbs neck reamers that work with the case trimmers do not work well, producing rough finishes and variable wall thicknesses.
The added bonus is that it removes the donut also.
BB

 

[BountyHunter]

Why would you want to buy an expensive neck reaming die when thousands of accuracy competitors are using neck turners (not reamers) and making necks perfectly uniform and cutting donuts too. Not rocket science. Not one of them is using a neck reamer that I have ever heard of. That is called an indicator! If reaming was better they would be doing it but they are not.

 

[Kmccord]

What is the best to use for neck turning and to remove the donut? I have an issue with donuts that I need to remove, I have been looking at K&M but have not pulled the trigger on anything yet.

 

[Jeffrey Van Zandt]

What is the best to use for neck turning and to remove the donut? I have an issue with donuts that I need to remove, I have been looking at K&M but have not pulled the trigger on anything yet.

K&m is one of the best easy to use

 

[bigbull]

Why would you want to buy an expensive neck reaming die when thousands of accuracy competitors are using neck turners (not reamers) and making necks perfectly uniform and cutting donuts too. Not rocket science. Not one of them is using a neck reamer that I have ever heard of. That is called an indicator! If reaming was better they would be doing it but they are not.

Because a neck reaming die is the only way to support the neck while pushing a reamer to cut the neck, because the a neck reaming die is the only way to support the neck while pushing a reamer to cut the donut. How many competitors use my method is irrelevant to me, I also use a K&M neck turner but turning necks requires that I ream out the donuts and adds work to my prep. At the end of the day the neck ream die costs a little more than the K&M but it is much faster and more precise and as a bonus cuts out the donuts in one pass.
my .02
BB

 

[BountyHunter]

Because a neck reaming die is the only way to support the neck while pushing a reamer to cut the neck, because the a neck reaming die is the only way to support the neck while pushing a reamer to cut the donut. How many competitors use my method is irrelevant to me, I also use a K&M neck turner but turning necks requires that I ream out the donuts and adds work to my prep. At the end of the day the neck ream die costs a little more than the K&M but it is much faster and more precise and as a bonus cuts out the donuts in one pass.
my .02
BB

IF you have to ream to get rid of donuts you do not know how to neck turn. An expanding mandrel will push the donut out and if you neck turn slightly into the shoulder to start with you will not get donuts. Worst case one push with correct size expanding mandrel later and slight touch up takes care of any donuts.