Case Neck Turning

dfletcher

Having picked up a 22 PPC barrel and reloading I of course now need to turn the case necks of 220 Russian brass to fit the chamber. I'm using a single shot rifle, so 100 cases will last me a long, long time. And've no intention of expanding my case turning endeavors to other calibers. With that in mind, I'd like to buy an economical set up. Any suggestions?

I see the Forster and it operates similarly to a case neck trimmer, which I like. The Hornady and Sinclair hand hels seems similar. Is getting the "power drill" based type at all worthwhile if I'm going to do about 100 cases a year at most?

JustC

K&M tool. Easy to use, very very accurate down to .0001" and not overly expensive. It's what I use.[;)]

dfletcher

I did a little poking about, seems I can get a hand held cutter and a holder that allows for use of a drill for not much more, and the K & M gets good marks. What I'm not clear on is what to do before cutting. I know I have to size the 220 Russian case neck up, but why would I need to expand beyond that? Shouldn't the case neck slip over the mandrel without further expanding?

charliemeyer007

I have one of those outside neck turning devices I have never really used. I didn't like the edge it left at the shoulder. Does inside neck reaming accomplish the same thing?

JustC

charliemeyer007, inside neck reaming eliminates what is known as the "donut" that can form at the shoulder/neck junction. The mark at the shoulder on the outside is something that can not be gotten rid of. As you remove brass from the neck, the cutter will stop at/near the shoulder since there is no way for it to follow the angle of the shoulder (and you wouldn't want to anyway).

dfletcher, the necks will need to be mic'd to find the higher spots and to tell when the desired thickness is achieved during/after turning. The Sinclair mic in the picture is the one I use. I mark the "high" spots with a sharpie so I know where to align the cutter and the case. Once sized, the case will slide over the mandrel. It needs to have some lube on it so that it turns freely and doesn't allow for chatter marks.

once you find the "high" spots, (or more to the point, the thicker areas of the brass) I set the cutter to touch that spot. It may not touch in some areas and will be cutting fairly heavily in other spots as the case is turned. I use the drill adapter also. You will continually check and re-adjust the cutter until you get the necks where you want them. Once you have got it set on one case, you can then run the rest of the cases you have, and check thickness occasionally during the process. The reason for sizing first, is to push the thick spots outward on the case neck rather than have them inside the neck. I try to use some old or "other" cases to set the cutter, then once I have it cutting the thickness I want, I will go to the new or match brass so that I don't waste any of those cases if I adjust the cutter too far while getting it set. Any 22cal will work, since you are simply sliding the neck over the mandrel and setting a thickness of cut. THEN go to your brass you will be using for the accuracy work.[;)]

dfletcher

^
The 220 Russian case neck OD is .249 and fits, when I size it of course expands to .255 - and doesn't fit. I suppose my "magic number" is somewhere in between.

I got this barrel for free. Between the dies and brass and neck turning equipment (and the damn thing showed up with no forend hanger to snap the forend in place, I'll have to get a gunsmith to fabricate) it's going to run me about $200.00 ....

Reloading, a great way to save $$$ ....[:D]

zimmden

What you should be trying to achieve is a close fit between the diameter of a neck turned loaded round (no primer-no powder) and the diameter of the chamber neck. .002 to .003 is ideal. A tighter fit increases pressure by not releasing the bullet properly upon firing.(dangerous). A .224 expander mandrel will open the neck to lightly hold a .224 bullet. If this case chambers OK with no resistance, the chamber neck is large. If it won't chamber easily, the case neck is too thick and needs neck turning to give about .0015 clearance all the way around. If you have a case fired in this chamber, the neck OD will be about .001 less than the chamber neck diameter. Determining loaded case neck diameter and chamber diameter is necessary for proper loads. All the tools mentioned are excellent.

jonk

I have experience with the Lyman setup. It... generally works, but is a bit hard to adjust and I wouldn't recommend it.

mrbruce

K&M sells expanders that will put the case neck exactly where it needs to be to get a nice cut on the neck.. I wouldn't turn a neck with out one for the correct caliber...

mrbruce

K&M sells expanders that will put the case neck exactly where it needs to be to get a nice cut on the neck.. I wouldn't turn a neck with out one for the correct caliber...

JustC

quote:Originally posted by dfletcher
^
The 220 Russian case neck OD is .249 and fits, when I size it of course expands to .255 - and doesn't fit. I suppose my "magic number" is somewhere in between.

I got this barrel for free. Between the dies and brass and neck turning equipment (and the damn thing showed up with no forend hanger to snap the forend in place, I'll have to get a gunsmith to fabricate) it's going to run me about $200.00 ....

Reloading, a great way to save $$$ ....[:D]


have the gunsmith do a chamber cast, or inquire with the previous owner what the neck dia of the reamer used for your chamber was. Once you know the neck dia, you are home free.

dfletcher

Thanks all, this has been a bit of a learning experience for me. I'm sure this barrel is a "one of" type, IIRC Thompson Center used to make a few barrels and sell them on property years ago, I'm from that part of the world and visited a few of their tent sales. So I'll cast the chamber & see where I should be.

Mobuck

Mine's a Forster and it's turned many necks in addition to trimming.