Neck Turning

Unless your gun is chambered in a way that requires it then I say pass. One of the primary ways to sort brass is by neck thickness. Cases that exhibit large variations in neck thickness are likely to have have other problems too. Just because a technique works for one shooting discipline doesn't mean it's a good idea for another.

Keith and Ronnie are dead on. If you're shooting factory rifles then the chambers in them are already pretty sloppy. (Oversized) You should fire form your brass then neck size only untill you need to bump the shoulders back and then only bump them a few thou.. .002 or so. If you turn your necks let's say just .003, that's .0015 on each side the that creates that much more neck clearance and your case neck will expand that much more and cause them to crack much sooner than normal.

The reason for most people to turn necks is to minimize neck tension on the bullet and extend neck life. If you have a 6 BR chambered with a .268 neck you will need to turn the necks. You would want to turn the necks to .266 measured with a bullet seated. This allows you a .001 clearance around the neck to release the bullet but keeps the neck from expanding excessively shortening the case neck life. Some shooters will set up there brass with a .0015 clearance on both sids so your loaded cartridge would measure .265.

I have two rifles that require turned necks. My 6mm AI and my 300 WSM Varminter.. Turning the necks is not hard once you get the tool set you can turn a 100 cases in an hour or two, both these rifle are extremely accurate but I don't think it's the neck turning that makes them accurate.. The chambers are minimum spec so the cartridges lock up a little tighter than on a factory clambering minimizing clearance in the chamber.

The bad thing about tight neck chambers is you can't shoot any ammo from the store and you must make sure you do not, if you forget and force a factory she'll in there and pull the trigger you will create extreme high pressures because the bullet can't release and could cause a catastrophic failure..

Neck turning is for the bench rest shooters, hunters and AR shooters should stay away from neck turning. IMO

Turning necks will not necessarily improve concentricity. The trick is knowing what to do and what not to do and when: like neck turning, neck sizing, etc that have places in some guns but not others. What makes you think you have a problem that needs fixed?

Me too. I personally think prepping brass and good ladder work is the key to consistent low spreads and little groups. Appropriate sizing is the key to good function. One of the better reads on the subject is Zediker's "Loading for Competition "; covers accuracy and appropriate function.

Bryan writes great stuff for understanding your gun, how physics affects a bullet, and being realistic in your expectations. You won't get much on loading. Tim told me his new DVD is great but I'm not sure he covers any loading on it either.

Zediker's writes great books on loading and AR match rifles. His style kills some people because it's colloquial at times. He's an English Literature major and he knows he is doing it. He acknowledges it in the Foreward. Still, it's probably the very best loading book I've read.

I do every fourth firing for normal pressure loads and every two firings for hot loads.

If you don't want to do it yourself I know a guy (disabled so does this to plus up income) that preps brass cheaply.