Neck Turning Advice - The Firearms Forum

Frankb · 01-08-2010, 04:00 PM

Is neck turning worth the extra effort and money for ammo to be shot in a sporter rifle that does not have a custom tight neck? I have several rifles that shoot under an inch at 100 yds., and I would like to maximize their accuracy. However, I don't know if neck turning would help if the chamber neck dimensions are not particularly tight. Who makes a reliable neck turner for a reasonable price? I don't have a benchrest rifle, so I don't want to get too carried away on the cost. Are hand turners accurate? Are the ones that attach to case trimmers better? Any information would be helpful.

Gearheadpyro · 01-08-2010, 07:56 PM

From what I have seen the general consensus is no, if you don't have a tight necked chamber then neck turning will not help enough to be worth it. There may be some benefit to just evening out the neck thickness on 75% or so. Neck turning helps to create even neck thickness, even chamber clearance, and even release of the bullet; with a loose factory chamber though there are simply to many other things going on to see the full benefits.

Many like the Hornady neck turner, and a lot of people like the Sinclair tools. The RCBS version has gotten mixed reviews.

I do not neck turn yet, but I have been looking at getting into neck turning as well, and have done a lot of research on it lately. I still plan to try it just to prove it to myself, but it's looking like the gains will be minimal.

Freebore · 01-08-2010, 09:50 PM

I've done quite a bit of neck turning, but not actually for accuracy. My experience has been mostly with reforming brass from one caliber to another.

If you're going to do outside neck turning, you should also consider reaming the neck inside to establish a center on the case, then choose the appropriate mandrel to turn the outside. At this point you may see an issue at the shoulder unless you taper the outside cutting depth (difficult to say the least)

All of this is a tedious excersise with short benefits in accuracy (some may disagree). I feel there are much easier and better ways to improve accuracy. If you like cutting brass though, try primer pocker uniformity, you will probably see more improvement in accuracy by doing this than by outside neck turning (again some may disagree).

My favorite neck turning tool is the Lyman case trimmer with the neck turning conversion kit, it cuts well and has a very fine feed ratio.

01-08-2010, 04:00 PM	#1
Frankb V.I.P. Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Kansas Posts: 179	Neck Turning Advice Is neck turning worth the extra effort and money for ammo to be shot in a sporter rifle that does not have a custom tight neck? I have several rifles that shoot under an inch at 100 yds., and I would like to maximize their accuracy. However, I don't know if neck turning would help if the chamber neck dimensions are not particularly tight. Who makes a reliable neck turner for a reasonable price? I don't have a benchrest rifle, so I don't want to get too carried away on the cost. Are hand turners accurate? Are the ones that attach to case trimmers better? Any information would be helpful. -->

01-08-2010, 07:56 PM	#2
Gearheadpyro V.I.P. Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Charleston, SC Posts: 110	Re: Neck Turning Advice From what I have seen the general consensus is no, if you don't have a tight necked chamber then neck turning will not help enough to be worth it. There may be some benefit to just evening out the neck thickness on 75% or so. Neck turning helps to create even neck thickness, even chamber clearance, and even release of the bullet; with a loose factory chamber though there are simply to many other things going on to see the full benefits. Many like the Hornady neck turner, and a lot of people like the Sinclair tools. The RCBS version has gotten mixed reviews. I do not neck turn yet, but I have been looking at getting into neck turning as well, and have done a lot of research on it lately. I still plan to try it just to prove it to myself, but it's looking like the gains will be minimal. __________________ www.southernmarksman.com Owner of & Chief Instructor for The Southern Marksman, LLC NRA Life Member, NRA CRSO, Multi-Discipline NRA Certified Instructor

01-08-2010, 09:50 PM	#3
Freebore V.I.P. Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Midwest USA Posts: 265	Re: Neck Turning Advice I've done quite a bit of neck turning, but not actually for accuracy. My experience has been mostly with reforming brass from one caliber to another. If you're going to do outside neck turning, you should also consider reaming the neck inside to establish a center on the case, then choose the appropriate mandrel to turn the outside. At this point you may see an issue at the shoulder unless you taper the outside cutting depth (difficult to say the least) All of this is a tedious excersise with short benefits in accuracy (some may disagree). I feel there are much easier and better ways to improve accuracy. If you like cutting brass though, try primer pocker uniformity, you will probably see more improvement in accuracy by doing this than by outside neck turning (again some may disagree). My favorite neck turning tool is the Lyman case trimmer with the neck turning conversion kit, it cuts well and has a very fine feed ratio.