Neck Turning Procedure

C

cowboy55

New member
I am getting ready to turn some new brass for my 6MM Remington with a specific neck size (.271). I use the competition 3 die set from Redding that uses bushings. Since this is new brass, do I need to full length size first or can I expand the necks first and skip FL sizing? What is the purpose of body sizing the brass? Since we are on the subject of neck turning, if this was a factory rifle would you fire form the brass first and then neck turn?
Thanks
 
I never neck turn for typical factory necks..... turned necks' function is to increase clearance while maintaining a linear guiding means for the bullet, why make it worse?

Now for the .271 nk, do un-turned rounds fit in without interference?
 
The official print for the 6mm Rem appears to show a .276 neck, so I assume this is a custom chamber. I would turn them to around .0125 wall thickness for your .271 neck, depending on the bullet.

Just turn them, and fire form once. That should make them ready to go.

As for factory chambers, it’s a waste of time to turn necks.
 
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Then you have the question of varying thickness around the necks, which is the reason that many recommend turning, to even things up so that there is not an uneven release of the bullet. All I can say about that is “buy good brass”. Lapua, Norma, Peterson etc. are less apt to have uneven neck thickness. If the necks are uneven thickness, then it may run down into the body, so you will never totally get rid of it as the body flows out into the neck with firing.
 
wouldn't

vtmarmot said:
Then you have the question of varying thickness around the necks, which is the reason that many recommend turning, to even things up so that there is not an uneven release of the bullet. All I can say about that is “buy good brass”. Lapua, Norma, Peterson etc. are less apt to have uneven neck thickness. If the necks are uneven thickness, then it may run down into the body, so you will never totally get rid of it as the body flows out into the neck with firing.
Click to expand...

one have to both outside turn and inside neck ream to achieve perfect neck wall thickness...100% uniformity?
 
Take a piece or three of unfired brass and turn the necks so they measure from .268 to .269 maximum with a bullet seated.

I've messed with two 6MM Rems with .271 neck chambers. With Winchester cases, there was about 75% of the neck turned at .269. Both guns were hammers on long range 'dogs. :) -Al
 
jackie schmidt said:
The official print for the 6mm Rem appears to show a .276 neck, so I assume this is a custom chamber. I would turn them to around .0125 wall thickness for your .271 neck, depending on the bullet.

Just turn them, and fire form once. That should make them ready to go.

As for factory chambers, it’s a waste of time to turn necks.
Click to expand...

I guess I wasn't clear, it's a custom rifle and I need to turn the necks to .013 before fire forming. Do you need to FL size the brass before expanding the necks? I read one article that is squares up the case? I use K&M mandrel and cutter.

As for factory chambers I would just clean up the necks 80%. The purpose is to eliminate as much bullet run out as possible. The better solution would be as someone suggested is just spend extra and buy quality brass


Thanks Jackie!
 
I blow the necks out before turning but you can also use the sizer die, a mandrel, whatever method is necessary to get the necks smoothed out and properly sized to fit your specific turning mandrel. You definitely need to do something to iron the necks out, to make them consistent, as the necks out of the box are all bent and battered.
 
alinwa said:
I blow the necks out before turning but you can also use the sizer die, a mandrel, whatever method is necessary to get the necks smoothed out and properly sized to fit your specific turning mandrel. You definitely need to do something to iron the necks out, to make them consistent, as the necks out of the box are all bent and battered.
Click to expand...

My first step is to blow out the necks using the K&M mandrel. I read somewhere that you body size the case to square it up. I assume so that it cuts evenly around the neck. I will skip that step.
Thanks
 
I never blow out necks or size to "straighten" them. I use a healthy dose of Bullseye and use a wax plug and fireform first. Now you have a straight case to expand and neck turn.
 
OK, LET ME CLEAR HERE!!!


"Blow out necks" means one thing, BLOW OUT NECKS!!! As in gunpowder When I use the term "blow out the necks first" it means specifically that I fire the case using gunpowder, either conventionally by fireforming with a bullet (((hence my question in post number two of this thread))) or using a fast powder and no bullet.


You do not "blow out" with a mandrel.
 
Considering new brass and tight neck chamber,

My first step is to push the shoulder down min 0.5 mm MAX 1mm (sorry, I am metric 0.019" - 0.039")

Rough cut or rough trim to length if needed. Deburr.

Mandrel the neck with the mandrel that will be use to neck turn later. This will push any neck thickness increase OUT, which I consider quite usefull for "hard work", aka forming 5.45x39 from .223 or .30 WareWolf from .308W or 243W from 280R or 308W from 280R.

Trim to desired length. Usually, as some amount of neck material will be used to create the newly placed shoulder (remember ? I pushed it down ealier), I go to real chamber length.

Lube the inside of the neck with high pressure grease to avoid coper fouling on mandrel .

Neck turn so that cutting length makes the cutter gently kiss in the neck / shoulder junction, 1 or 2 infeeds depending desired work accuracy or amount of material to be removed. AK74 brass got 1 time infeed, BR brass 2. Beware of neck/shoulder cutter kiss while taking deeper second infeed.

Depending on the cold work intensity, anneal brass (AK74, 280=>243)

Fireform. Spring loaded ejector removed. Bullet hardly jammed in the lands WITH mandatory adapted load. very hard neck tension. final bullet seating using caming at bolt closure. very very light lube on case body. Centering guide on AK74 case head, but that's another storry.

Check the first fireformed brass using old brass for headspace (suppose old brass is "just OK"). Eventually adjust fire forming load to achieve correct headspace (for me in between zero - 0.004" (got it!!) shorter headspace compared to the old horse).

I have never fireformed using fast powder and wax plug. This technique makes me fell diminished regarding [pressure / time ] control and forward centering. Maybe I am wrong, but I am happy with mine. We are an old couple :D:rolleyes:
 
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