Gavin, I would suggest that you should have mentioned that all cases should be trimmed to the same length before starting the process as different length necks will cause some cases to be cut into the necks and longer ones to be short. Use of a mandrel to set internal diameter is also suggested to reduce potential runout.
I would think that full length sizing with a very consistent shoulder bump would be more important that neck length in the set up. The case neck is not stopping against the cutter, it's the shoulder junction that's the critical dimension from what I could see.
Would like to see you conduct a before/after assessment on groups to see if there is a statistically significant improvement on accuracy. Keep up the great work!
Neck turning makes a small difference as much as fireformed cases as much as a competition seating die. They are all small differences to tighten groups another 1/8th of an inch. Even weighing cases using the same lot number in brass and powder. Everything matters when trying to shoot the smallest possible groups. The bullets are the most important of all. You won't shoot tight groups with inconsistent bullets.
So many operations were omitted, prior to setting up the cut and what the tool does and does not come with, also that you have to buy Hornady shell holders & additional mandrels. Also OIL is your friend here.
I feel like a standard shell holder is not the best way to hold the cartridge for neck turning. if you're going to go as far as neck turning, it seems to be counter intuitive to use a less than precision method for holding the cartridge. I feel a collet style holder is more suited for holding the cartridge for neck turning.
This tool works only with Hornady shell holders. Hornady shell holders are not included with the Hornady neck turning tool. Also there is too much wobble with using fire-formed cases, the fit should be tight so run through a expander mandrel after resizing for more consistent internal neck dimension and to get a tight fit with less wobble. Also before turning, trim all cases for consistent case length otherwise the shoulder might be cut with longer cases and only part of the neck cut with shorter cases.
Way to much wobble. Lack any sort of bushing, or bearing. Not even a cheap grease nipple. Mandrels aren’t sized proper. Requires Hornady shell holders. All in all if I could return mine I would. There are so many other tools out there that work much better for neck turning.
@@2A_CaliGuy Could you recommend one? I'm not very happy with my RCBS Hand Neck Turning Tool as it has way too much wobble too and the cutter is not cutting parallel to the neck...
Thats a nice tool. RCBS also makes a nice one. However no one should turn necks without a Digital inside ball end thickness gauge. It's just too easy to turn a neck too thin. And a person should check the thickness in several places before adjusting down to take it down to the areas that the cutter didn't hit. As those spots may be very close to the minimum tolerance. Just saying.
You only want to remove the high spots and you can use calipers to measure. You want to have perhaps 90 percent of the case trimmed at least but it is not necessary that the entire case be trimmed. If one is not completely trimming all cases and some have spots that are untrimmed it is most likely not going to be too thin anyway. I have seen expert shooters trim to 10 or 11 thousandths, but I would not want to go that thin.
it does,no i don't have one but after a few firings the brass flows and neck gets thicker putting more pressure on neck .neck tension is a lot in reloading.i went with an anealer first this next.
@@elendal Agreed, I have seen a lot of shooters play with neck turning and I have only come to 1 fact: It will produce different loads. my example is a friend of mine mixed his neck turned brass with his unturned brass and they shot at extremely different points of impact, this was at a 1k FTR match. I believe, that if you want more consistent brass by better brass. if you want a different neck tension, use a different expander. However, I would love to see a very well planned experiment.
@@cameronkeating6780 of course mixing neck turned and unturned will give you different poi’s, they’d have different neck tensions. I anneal, turn and have single digit ES and SDs. Even Lapua brass will vary by a .001”
The pro shooters say it definitely does. I cant shoot 1000 anywhere near me. I think this level of brass prep is enjoyable. Happy there are many options out there for us.
I just got the Hornady Neck Turning tool and my first experiment is to take a random 20 cases and resize them and load them. And take 20 cases that have been weight sorted then resize them, trim them, chamfer and deburr them turn the necks, uniform the primer pockets, uniform the flash holes and then load them. From there do 2 20 shot groups with both the minimally processed brass and the brass that I went all out with and see how they both perform.
It would be much more accurate to full length size the brass without the neck expander button then use a mandrel die the same size as the Hornady tool you are using. This would make the neck fit the Hornady tool perfectly as well as push any inconsistencies in the brass to the outside of the neck where it can be turned off and made concentric with the inside.
I just discovered this action by accident. I did not think about the inconsistencies being pushed to the O.D. prior to turning. What a bonus for this level of case prep. 👍
Im in the middle of a discussion with Hornady because mine doesnt spin straight. The casing and drill move way too much like the spindle is bent. Sent them videos aswell. Ready to forget the whole operation with them questioning if Im using their shell holders.. Like anything else could possibly work in their tool.
@@SaChEmEaStLaXsWaG I've found that short of a custom tight chamber, neck turning isn't often necessary if using top quality brass. Unless I'm modifying a case for a wildcat round where quality brass isn't available. Lapua brass, and a few others will be constant throughout and capable of superb accuracy.
@@Gov.audits Right on but if one is using Remington, Winchester, Federal or cheaper cases neck turning helps a lot. Been there and done that. I am now trying to buy the higher end brass now and forget the neck turning. But I have a lot of brass that needs neck turned because I had to buy what was available in this shortage of supplies and have a lot of 308 cases that could use a little help.
Good video Gavin…. After watching it , I ordered one ! Soon as it arrived I rushed to use it , but realised a Hornady shellholder is needed , but not included ! Waiting for set to arrive ……
Nice Scott, i just got my RCBS trimmer out and began using it. I like this Hornady tool as well tho. Started using my Hornady Concentricity fixture also. Great fun.👍
I'm no expert so don't take my advice but I see a problem with neck turning fire formed brass. Yes, the outside of the neck should be concentric with the body of the case after fire forming. That means any inconsistencies in neck thickness will be on the INSIDE of the neck and will remain there even after turning the neck. To properly neck turn a case the case neck should be run over a properly sized expanding mandrel first. That process moves the neck inconsistencies to the OUTSIDE of the neck. Now it's time to turn the necks to get a uniform thickness. Make sense? I use a 21st Century neck turning lathe. They sell expanding mandrels that expand the necks to the proper dimension to fit the neck turning mandrel in the cutter head.
I believe that your 100% correct. I just tried turning 4 pieces of fire-formed brass to set up/test this Hornady tool. I measured the case thickness with a micrometer after ensuring that there was no left over residue on the inside or outside of the neck. I followed the instructions to a T. First of all, the tool is not a precision turning tool as there's too many ways to introduce runout including a terrible drill operation with a imperfect drive shaft. Bottom line as you stated is that a mandrel must be used. When fire forming, the case neck is forced out and forms to the chamber wall. Any imperfections remain on the inside of the case neck. A mandrel is the only way to move the imperfections to the outside of the case neck period. I may just pony up to a Sinclair or 21st Century neck turning tool. The Hornady is not worth the time in my opinion. I believe another issue is the cutter is not square to the neck. Inconsistent pressure, heat, and springback because of the prior are all potentials without better tolerances and designed in the operation. I'm not an expert but these were obvious to me...
I did some neck turning in my 300 blk days. Good donor brass was rare as hens teeth overhere, so I had to use “thick” brass. Wound up doing it on my lathe using a self made cutter head. Even then I had some with off center neck. Even if you line the case up in your rig, I doubt that they are running straight. Later on I just cut the cases on the lathe and reamed the inside off the cases. After that I did the forming and sizing and length trimming. If you read the old timer books you will see that a lot of them just turned of the high spots. I would leave the neck as thick as possible. Might open a can of worms making em thin....
This is an excellent video Gavin and it got me up and running. However....the first problem I encountered was fighting with keeping the mandrel screw where I wanted it (after setting my depth of cut) while I screwed it into the cutter head. My fat fingers wouldn't allow me enough room to hold onto the front of it and I didn't want to put a vice grip on the back side (exposed threads) and screw them up so it soon dawned on me-why didn't Hornady put a set screw in the side of the cutter head so we could lock it in place once we got the depth of cut we wanted? I dearly love Hornady reloading equipment & I own my fair share, but they missed the boat on this one! It took me about 20 minutes to drill a hole in the side of the cutter head centered with the middle of the mandrel screw, tap it for a 10/32 allen head set screw and bazinga-no more issues with that. If I wasn't so computer illiterate, I'd post a pic of what I did but anyone with a drill press (preferably) & a set of taps can do this, and it looks factory. Secondly, your advice on loosening & tightening the case with the drill works great but beware, if you put a little too much pressure on the drill trigger and spin that lock out of your fingers, it can hurt, or even cut you. I've got a band aid on my finger to prove that so don't do like I did & get too heavy on the drill trigger finger, or it might bite you. I'm certainly happy with the results I'm getting. My LC .223 brass runs a pretty consistent 1 1/2 to 2 thousanths runout before neck turning and it goes down to about 1/2 a thousanths after. Again, thanks for the excellent video.
6 ppc shooter here. I own PMA, 21 century, KM and hornady neck turning. I personally like PMA but 21 and KM are just as good. The hornady is good for everyday but not for Benchrest quality ammo.my $0.02
Shouldn’t you have measured with a ball micrometer and adjusted the cutter to the thinnest wall thickness and proceed to cut at that depth so that all your cases are uniform?
I checked some of my 300 win mag brass and one piece was about .014 on the thick side and.011 on the thin side and another was 14 and 12. My worry is will there be enough tension to hold the bullet in a hunting situation? I have 2 custom built guns with the bolts blueprinted. I can't see accuracy coming from everything being squared to and centered with the centerline of the gun and ammo starting out .003 off center
@@hank3152 I've split 4 case necks on the first firing before I turned anything. I bought an annealer and annealed everything else in the hopes I can get another loading out of them. I bought 300 brass and turned about 25 so far. I want to compare it and see if there's any difference in accuracy
@@mountainman78629 I’m wondering why the cases are splitting necks on their first firing! Maybe there are other issues. Annealing will provide more uniform neck tension besides prolonging case life
I had to buy one for making 8.6 blk brass, my only complaint is that the .338 mandrel is super tight even after running the brass through an expander mandrel. Although it gets so hot from turning the necks i don't have to worry about annealing after lol
I have one of them... not use it at all since the begining cause the alignement is not good and my neck was not concentric at all after... worst in some case... I bought the Forster neck turner and the tool to turn the neck and this tool is giving me nice result. I use RWS case that are good at start and just do a slighty pass
What is too thin in your opinion? I just started turning mine. Im just wondering. I guess ill find out. I have some 308 that are at .013 after turning from .015. .015 being the thickest, and .013 the thinnest on a single case...👍
You have a great presentation and give all your demos a good look but fail to answer many questions about the product. It is doubtful you use a lot of these products in your personal loads. I am sure you use the best of your equipment when reloading. I was considering purchasing one of these neck turning tools just to make things a bit easier until reading a lot of the comments. I currently neck turn the old-fashioned way by hand with a Sinclair neck turner. Of course, if one had a shell case holder it is possible to hand neck turn with the Hornady if there was a problem using it with a drill. It is a disappointment that Hornady does not sell a set of shell holders with this tool. Many of you UA-cam watchers should research all you can on anything Gavin reviews he does not give negative reviews on anything. He leaves that for you the people who watch. He's a good salesman. That is why his channel is such a success.
Pricing? Gavin, how about a video outlining the progression new or semi experienced reloaders shold take in adding tools like, runout guages, these neck turning, mandrels, etc... Thanks.
The way the hornady shell holder is the primer doesn't effect it...but probably still a good idea to deprime first...its the first thing I do when I get home from the range
I know it matters when using a comparator, thats why depriming is the very first thing I do...but it doesn't effect that hornady neck turn tool, thats all I was saying...
Neck tension is everything and between this and annealing you can consistently be sub 5 sd . I think you use a mandrel for neck tension as do I, I have a mandrel I use after fl sizing that matches my neck turner, i also anneal after turning necks followed by final expander mandrel for tension. A lot of extra steps but super consistent.
I have used this neck turner before, it lasted about 30 or so cases before the spindle ate up the inside of the housing while trying to move it in and out.
You can get decent results with this tool, but you have to be willing to invest some extra work and get some extra gear. - The angle of the cutter does not fit most cases and the tip of the angle cuts very unforgivingly. I smoothed the angled edge with emory paper. It's a trial and error procedure, so be careful not to take away too much material. If you do it right, you'll cut perfectly to the shoulder. - You need to measure the mandrel with a micrometer. For example the .308 mandrel has a diameter of 0.305 inches. To minimize the case wobbling, you should expand the case mouth with a mandrel of 0.3055 inches. Just half a thou larger. You'll get good results like that. - The neck is not being turned super smooth. You can feel it when you move your fingernail over the neck. Heck, you can even see it! I recommend using some fine emory paper (400 or 600 grit) to smooth the necks. Just give it a couple of turns (you can leave it on the neck turn tool for that).
It might be worth mentioning that the Hornady Neck Turning tool seen here only works with Hornady shell case holders which are sold separately from the cutter. Not a deal breaker but Hornady should tell you that somewhere and well, they don’t.
@@hank3152 It should be, but if one full length sizes and the case grows you can get a ring on the lower neck. If one shoots fire formed cases one time is fine. It would not be all that bad to just trim the lower part of the case if a case right were to develop. I do suppose the best thing in all worlds is buy premium brass that need no neck turning. I like fireformed brass myself. Just saying what does happen in time.
I WAS WATCHING U put the shell case on Hornady and the shell was not properly turning if u watch the video real close there a wobble in the case that's why u had to reset the cutter to cut again. Can u explain not just how it works tell us why we cut the outside the neck?
So I’ve used this, but become frustrated quickly because I can’t seem to get the case centered well. I use Hornady brass, so I checked 10 cases before neck turning, and 10 post turning. The cases are within .001 before I turn them, after they were .004. I would love for this to work, but I’m struggling with it.
Hornady instructions does not indicate which cutter (std or 30deg) comes preassembled in the cutter head. There is no picture or diagram to distinguish which is which. Do you have any idea which is the standard and the 30degree? Also, there are two set screws, top one is the click tensioning but there is no telling what the bottom (larger) set screw is for, seems functionless. Any idea? Thanks!
Great video so easy to follow you make a great teacher . .Question if you were to pick a neck Turner which is the easiest and most accurate to use their are so many out there .I was trying to decide either k&M or Hornady ..Also is it best to trim inside the .neck and outside so as to keep the bullet more centered or by doing the inside and out itay make the neck to thin .Appreciate if u get back to me thanks for all your videos and help on U tube .Neal😊😊
@@cameronkeating6780 Depending on the brass uniformity, inside reaming can be very beneficial. Only thing was mentioned earlier; how important for hunting rifle. Also, Lapua is the best brass(uniform necks, weights) hands down, just finding it in your caliber is a chore sometimes. I shot 100/200 yds. NBRSA for some years w 6PPC, Stolle Panda action, hart and shilen barrels. Run .220 Russian brass over a 6mm carbide expander mandrel, then neck turn and Fire form in the BBL it will compete with. A LOT of prep...but sombitch, it is a fun game!
Gavin thanks for the info would not know we're to start without your video just stating to learn how to.do.this.I am trying to learn all the steps towards shooting a good group at 2 to 3 hundred yards.I was wondering from the beginning would u full size or neck size with a bushing die then trim cases and then neck trim them then prime add powder and then seat thanks neal
With the second piece of brass in particular, there was visible runout of the case body. If you then make the neck concentric to the spindle(drill) won’t you have a wonky case?
So stepping this out in my mind, which is crazy, so I'm possibly wrong. But, assuming your chamber is perfectly round, fire formed brass will have a proper round neck on the outside. The fluctuations in roundness/thickness are on the inside now. So wouldn't you need to run your cases through a FL die with an expander, or a Lee mandrel neck die... Just something that makes the inside of the neck perfectly round, pushing the imperfections to the outside?
The ammo shortage has gotten me interested in reloading. Funny thing is I can’t find many presses that are in my price range. “Out of stock” “On back order”.
Does it affect your seating as you have taken material off? Won't it have a neg affect on neck tension or not really? Basically will the seating die be able to still do its work? How much material is enough, does one still leave some darker material once you've cut? I see most people go once more to remove all. Hope I'm making sense
If you use the turning tool to control the outside diameter of the neck, how do you control the inside diameter? If you can't control both, it seems to me like a waste of time.
Did you resize the case prior to turning? I’m thinking resizing the outside of the neck to the proper dimension and then boring the inside of the neck may be a better solution or even roll forming the neck and trimming the excess.
Gavin, I have an AMP annealing machine. I was wondering if you turn your necks on all brass, what effect does this have on annealing? Would I need a new baseline for my AMP machine? Should I turn the neck before I anneal the brass? Do you need to do all your brass at the same time to ensure that they are all turned to the same neck thickness? How often should you turn the necks, is it something that you only do once, or do you have to do it more as you reload the same brass several times? I have heard and read several things about neck turning and most believe it is something that does help with consistency when you get to the range. Do you turn the necks on all new brass? Or do you wait until they have been fired once?
I have one of these and was not impressed with the amount of slop built into the machining in the mandrel that holds the case. You can see the case wobble in the vid. Seem to me this would introduce some issues along with tiring to take away others so I'm looking for something better.
Adding to Robert's comment, what size to take the internal of the case down too (to match the .305 mandrel), and check the necks for straightness. Sadly, the "shell holder chuck" is an abomination. Totally useless.
Does hornady make a 10mm mandrel? I want to use it for converting. 308 to 400 corbon and the necks need turned after reforming. Is this even the best/easiest tool for the job?
I see you neck turned without measuring case lengths before hand and making sure they are all the same length. Thats the reason for cutting into the shoulder. You are neck turning without measuring with a ball micrometer. So how do you know how thick the case neck is after turning? By cutting them to look similar means you are taking off way to much.
Hi Gavin .. I have watched your channel for a long time, & generally like the Hornady products, But ... although the neck turning sound very Professional, unless you have the case 100% lined up you can have devastating results. If I was going to neck turn, I personally would use a lathe. Other than that I like your workshop & the way Its set-up with your great Equipment.
It can be done even by hand. Quite time consuming but the end result is not surpassed by any machine. You don't have to concern yourself with misalignment. You may have a little soreness in your hands after a lot of rounds though.
I'm wondering if your brass was resized or not because if the bullet is .308 and the brass is resized it's going to be less than .308. if it's not resized it might be a little over .308
Thanks for the video, I am considering purchasing this tool so I am interested in this video and future ones. Are there advantages of the Hornady vs. RCBS? Also, I know you were just cranking the cutter down for demonstration purposes, but how do you know what the proper recommended thickness is? I've never noticed those in any of my reloading manuals.
Chevy, Most new brass will mic in around .014 - 14 thousands of an inch. Unless you are cutting to a custom chamber, all you take off will be to clean up the high spots on the case necks; about .001 to .002. For case life in a factory chambered rifle you would want to keep as much material on the neck as possible.
This is a slippery slope walk carefully I would recommend against neckturning too much work spend more time shooting less time at the bench use the best brass that you can buy measure them if you like keep them within 0005 and worry about your neck tension much more critical
Thanks Gavin, Looks like a fine entry level turner. Pretty sure those cases won’t pass once you get the ball mic out. Someone with your skill, background and equipment usually end up turning on the lathe.The cordless can introduce lots of run out.Really enjoy your videos. Thanks!
You are no expert. Many people hand turn. It isn't necessary to be turned 100% either. Some people will not turn less than 11 thousandths of an inch, but I have seen professional bench rest shooters trim to 10 thousandths of an inch. So many so-called experts. There are always more ways to do something and still be good. That tool is set up and used correctly will neck turn good enough for any shooting.
Before neck turning, all cases need to be consistent in terms of case length, so trimming each case to the same length may be an important step. With neck turning, cuttting into the shoulder will weaken a case. But not cutting the entire neck all the way to the shoulder will cause an external "doughnut" that gets pushed inside the neck when the case is fired (and the case neck and shoulder expand to the chamber wall). That internal doughnut can then cause accuracy problems. I usually fire-form cases, resize with no expander ball, then use an expander mandrel so the case neck can be expanded to perfectly fit into the neck turner mandrel in terms of tightness. After using an expander mandrel, the internal dimension of the neck is more consistent and more concentric. Then neck turn so the external dimension of the neck is more consistent.
I have had one of these for a long time. I still question why I need it. If my rifle shoots the same hole without it.... Anyways, ruined a bunch of brass using it, so I stopped.
Gavin, I would suggest that you should have mentioned that all cases should be trimmed to the same length before starting the process as different length necks will cause some cases to be cut into the necks and longer ones to be short. Use of a mandrel to set internal diameter is also suggested to reduce potential runout.
I would think that full length sizing with a very consistent shoulder bump would be more important that neck length in the set up. The case neck is not stopping against the cutter, it's the shoulder junction that's the critical dimension from what I could see.
Would like to see you conduct a before/after assessment on groups to see if there is a statistically significant improvement on accuracy. Keep up the great work!
Neck turning makes a small difference as much as fireformed cases as much as a competition seating die. They are all small differences to tighten groups another 1/8th of an inch. Even weighing cases using the same lot number in brass and powder. Everything matters when trying to shoot the smallest possible groups. The bullets are the most important of all. You won't shoot tight groups with inconsistent bullets.
So many operations were omitted, prior to setting up the cut and what the tool does and does not come with, also that you have to buy Hornady shell holders & additional mandrels. Also OIL is your friend here.
I feel like a standard shell holder is not the best way to hold the cartridge for neck turning. if you're going to go as far as neck turning, it seems to be counter intuitive to use a less than precision method for holding the cartridge. I feel a collet style holder is more suited for holding the cartridge for neck turning.
Agreed, there's so much play in this setup. You can see the whole casing wobbling as it's turning.
This tool works only with Hornady shell holders. Hornady shell holders are not included with the Hornady neck turning tool. Also there is too much wobble with using fire-formed cases, the fit should be tight so run through a expander mandrel after resizing for more consistent internal neck dimension and to get a tight fit with less wobble. Also before turning, trim all cases for consistent case length otherwise the shoulder might be cut with longer cases and only part of the neck cut with shorter cases.
Way to much wobble. Lack any sort of bushing, or bearing. Not even a cheap grease nipple. Mandrels aren’t sized proper. Requires Hornady shell holders. All in all if I could return mine I would. There are so many other tools out there that work much better for neck turning.
@@2A_CaliGuy Could you recommend one? I'm not very happy with my RCBS Hand Neck Turning Tool as it has way too much wobble too and the cutter is not cutting parallel to the neck...
Thats a nice tool. RCBS also makes a nice one. However no one should turn necks without a Digital inside ball end thickness gauge. It's just too easy to turn a neck too thin. And a person should check the thickness in several places before adjusting down to take it down to the areas that the cutter didn't hit. As those spots may be very close to the minimum tolerance. Just saying.
You only want to remove the high spots and you can use calipers to measure. You want to have perhaps 90 percent of the case trimmed at least but it is not necessary that the entire case be trimmed. If one is not completely trimming all cases and some have spots that are untrimmed it is most likely not going to be too thin anyway. I have seen expert shooters trim to 10 or 11 thousandths, but I would not want to go that thin.
@@garrytalley8009 If you do not turn the entire case, you are basically doing nothing.
I would like to see a side-by-side comparison to see if it really improves accuracy
Yeah, I trust Gavin, but...
it does,no i don't have one but after a few firings the brass flows and neck gets thicker putting more pressure on neck .neck tension is a lot in reloading.i went with an anealer first this next.
@@elendal Agreed, I have seen a lot of shooters play with neck turning and I have only come to 1 fact: It will produce different loads. my example is a friend of mine mixed his neck turned brass with his unturned brass and they shot at extremely different points of impact, this was at a 1k FTR match. I believe, that if you want more consistent brass by better brass. if you want a different neck tension, use a different expander. However, I would love to see a very well planned experiment.
@@cameronkeating6780 of course mixing neck turned and unturned will give you different poi’s, they’d have different neck tensions. I anneal, turn and have single digit ES and SDs. Even Lapua brass will vary by a .001”
The pro shooters say it definitely does. I cant shoot 1000 anywhere near me. I think this level of brass prep is enjoyable. Happy there are many options out there for us.
Thanks, enjoyed this. I’m trying to get my son-in-laws to start reloading.
I just got the Hornady Neck Turning tool and my first experiment is to take a random 20 cases and resize them and load them. And take 20 cases that have been weight sorted then resize them, trim them, chamfer and deburr them turn the necks, uniform the primer pockets, uniform the flash holes and then load them.
From there do 2 20 shot groups with both the minimally processed brass and the brass that I went all out with and see how they both perform.
I have the same tool. I tweaked mine a little. I removed the spring. I could get a better feel. I also removed the detent from the adjuster.
Have the same tool,love it ,works great!cut group size by .25 moa by just turning necks to consistent thickness
Helpful information. Thanks for posting.
It would be much more accurate to full length size the brass without the neck expander button then use a mandrel die the same size as the Hornady tool you are using. This would make the neck fit the Hornady tool perfectly as well as push any inconsistencies in the brass to the outside of the neck where it can be turned off and made concentric with the inside.
I just discovered this action by accident. I did not think about the inconsistencies being pushed to the O.D. prior to turning. What a bonus for this level of case prep. 👍
Im in the middle of a discussion with Hornady because mine doesnt spin straight. The casing and drill move way too much like the spindle is bent. Sent them videos aswell. Ready to forget the whole operation with them questioning if Im using their shell holders.. Like anything else could possibly work in their tool.
@@SaChEmEaStLaXsWaG I've found that short of a custom tight chamber, neck turning isn't often necessary if using top quality brass. Unless I'm modifying a case for a wildcat round where quality brass isn't available. Lapua brass, and a few others will be constant throughout and capable of superb accuracy.
@@SaChEmEaStLaXsWaG Did you come to a resolution?
@@Gov.audits Right on but if one is using Remington, Winchester, Federal or cheaper cases neck turning helps a lot. Been there and done that. I am now trying to buy the higher end brass now and forget the neck turning. But I have a lot of brass that needs neck turned because I had to buy what was available in this shortage of supplies and have a lot of 308 cases that could use a little help.
Good video Gavin…. After watching it , I ordered one ! Soon as it arrived I rushed to use it , but realised a Hornady shellholder is needed , but not included ! Waiting for set to arrive ……
Thanks! I actually have this neck turner and haven’t set it up yet. Very helpful!
Nice Scott, i just got my RCBS trimmer out and began using it. I like this Hornady tool as well tho. Started using my Hornady Concentricity fixture also. Great fun.👍
I'm no expert so don't take my advice but I see a problem with neck turning fire formed brass. Yes, the outside of the neck should be concentric with the body of the case after fire forming. That means any inconsistencies in neck thickness will be on the INSIDE of the neck and will remain there even after turning the neck. To properly neck turn a case the case neck should be run over a properly sized expanding mandrel first. That process moves the neck inconsistencies to the OUTSIDE of the neck. Now it's time to turn the necks to get a uniform thickness.
Make sense?
I use a 21st Century neck turning lathe. They sell expanding mandrels that expand the necks to the proper dimension to fit the neck turning mandrel in the cutter head.
Wouldn't a Lee Neck Sizing Collet Die also result in a uniform ID?
I believe that your 100% correct. I just tried turning 4 pieces of fire-formed brass to set up/test this Hornady tool. I measured the case thickness with a micrometer after ensuring that there was no left over residue on the inside or outside of the neck. I followed the instructions to a T. First of all, the tool is not a precision turning tool as there's too many ways to introduce runout including a terrible drill operation with a imperfect drive shaft. Bottom line as you stated is that a mandrel must be used. When fire forming, the case neck is forced out and forms to the chamber wall. Any imperfections remain on the inside of the case neck. A mandrel is the only way to move the imperfections to the outside of the case neck period. I may just pony up to a Sinclair or 21st Century neck turning tool. The Hornady is not worth the time in my opinion. I believe another issue is the cutter is not square to the neck. Inconsistent pressure, heat, and springback because of the prior are all potentials without better tolerances and designed in the operation. I'm not an expert but these were obvious to me...
I did some neck turning in my 300 blk days. Good donor brass was rare as hens teeth overhere, so I had to use “thick” brass. Wound up doing it on my lathe using a self made cutter head. Even then I had some with off center neck. Even if you line the case up in your rig, I doubt that they are running straight. Later on I just cut the cases on the lathe and reamed the inside off the cases. After that I did the forming and sizing and length trimming.
If you read the old timer books you will see that a lot of them just turned of the high spots. I would leave the neck as thick as possible. Might open a can of worms making em thin....
You need to FL size first. Fire forming is not enough. That is why you have wabble. The neck opening needs to be tight going in.
I was thinking the same... 👍
@John Senuta agreed...
I just got mine, so we will see how it goes. I appreciate the video you put out it gave me a short-cut. Like the videos keep them coming, thanks
This is an excellent video Gavin and it got me up and running. However....the first problem I encountered was fighting with keeping the mandrel screw where I wanted it (after setting my depth of cut) while I screwed it into the cutter head. My fat fingers wouldn't allow me enough room to hold onto the front of it and I didn't want to put a vice grip on the back side (exposed threads) and screw them up so it soon dawned on me-why didn't Hornady put a set screw in the side of the cutter head so we could lock it in place once we got the depth of cut we wanted? I dearly love Hornady reloading equipment & I own my fair share, but they missed the boat on this one! It took me about 20 minutes to drill a hole in the side of the cutter head centered with the middle of the mandrel screw, tap it for a 10/32 allen head set screw and bazinga-no more issues with that. If I wasn't so computer illiterate, I'd post a pic of what I did but anyone with a drill press (preferably) & a set of taps can do this, and it looks factory. Secondly, your advice on loosening & tightening the case with the drill works great but beware, if you put a little too much pressure on the drill trigger and spin that lock out of your fingers, it can hurt, or even cut you. I've got a band aid on my finger to prove that so don't do like I did & get too heavy on the drill trigger finger, or it might bite you. I'm certainly happy with the results I'm getting. My LC .223 brass runs a pretty consistent 1 1/2 to 2 thousanths runout before neck turning and it goes down to about 1/2 a thousanths after. Again, thanks for the excellent video.
6 ppc shooter here. I own PMA, 21 century, KM and hornady neck turning. I personally like PMA but 21 and KM are just as good. The hornady is good for everyday but not for Benchrest quality ammo.my $0.02
You can tell Hornady that you made me buy one.
Check the centricity with a micrometer
A ball micrometer to measure thickness is all you need.
Shouldn’t you have measured with a ball micrometer and adjusted the cutter to the thinnest wall thickness and proceed to cut at that depth so that all your cases are uniform?
YES, that would've been the correct way to proceed.
I checked some of my 300 win mag brass and one piece was about .014 on the thick side and.011 on the thin side and another was 14 and 12. My worry is will there be enough tension to hold the bullet in a hunting situation? I have 2 custom built guns with the bolts blueprinted. I can't see accuracy coming from everything being squared to and centered with the centerline of the gun and ammo starting out .003 off center
@@mountainman78629 I wouldn’t turn magnums down past .013, so I’d probably put them aside and perhaps use them as a OAL or COAL gauge
@@hank3152 I've split 4 case necks on the first firing before I turned anything. I bought an annealer and annealed everything else in the hopes I can get another loading out of them. I bought 300 brass and turned about 25 so far. I want to compare it and see if there's any difference in accuracy
@@mountainman78629 I’m wondering why the cases are splitting necks on their first firing! Maybe there are other issues. Annealing will provide more uniform neck tension besides prolonging case life
I bought this so I can convert .223 to 300 BLK Out. Wall thickness is supposed to vary quite a bit, so I hope the neck turning addresses it.
If you use Lake City 5.56 brass, you won’t have to turn any necks.
Thank you for the info.
I had to buy one for making 8.6 blk brass, my only complaint is that the .338 mandrel is super tight even after running the brass through an expander mandrel. Although it gets so hot from turning the necks i don't have to worry about annealing after lol
Can’t wait to try one of these
I have one of them... not use it at all since the begining cause the alignement is not good and my neck was not concentric at all after... worst in some case... I bought the Forster neck turner and the tool to turn the neck and this tool is giving me nice result. I use RWS case that are good at start and just do a slighty pass
very cool i have one havent used it yet ,,but more important is measuring the case thickness after ...to thin is BAD!!
What is too thin in your opinion? I just started turning mine. Im just wondering. I guess ill find out. I have some 308 that are at .013 after turning from .015. .015 being the thickest, and .013 the thinnest on a single case...👍
@@ironbomb6753 I personally won't go under .012
@@chris3383 thank you. Happy shooting
😎👍
You have a great presentation and give all your demos a good look but fail to answer many questions about the product. It is doubtful you use a lot of these products in your personal loads. I am sure you use the best of your equipment when reloading. I was considering purchasing one of these neck turning tools just to make things a bit easier until reading a lot of the comments. I currently neck turn the old-fashioned way by hand with a Sinclair neck turner. Of course, if one had a shell case holder it is possible to hand neck turn with the Hornady if there was a problem using it with a drill. It is a disappointment that Hornady does not sell a set of shell holders with this tool. Many of you UA-cam watchers should research all you can on anything Gavin reviews he does not give negative reviews on anything. He leaves that for you the people who watch. He's a good salesman. That is why his channel is such a success.
Just bought the trimmer. Gettin there slowly
I only know it being used for 6mm PPC rifles, etc. with custom chambers. Popular caliber brass is consistent enough.
A good way to trim brass thanks Gavin
Pricing? Gavin, how about a video outlining the progression new or semi experienced reloaders shold take in adding tools like, runout guages, these neck turning, mandrels, etc... Thanks.
You really need to de-prime first. Wobble can be created by a used primer....like in a comparator measurement.
The way the hornady shell holder is the primer doesn't effect it...but probably still a good idea to deprime first...its the first thing I do when I get home from the range
@@brucepreston3927 It matters big time while using a comparator to measure. It WILL create wobble.
I know it matters when using a comparator, thats why depriming is the very first thing I do...but it doesn't effect that hornady neck turn tool, thats all I was saying...
Neck tension is everything and between this and annealing you can consistently be sub 5 sd . I think you use a mandrel for neck tension as do I, I have a mandrel I use after fl sizing that matches my neck turner, i also anneal after turning necks followed by final expander mandrel for tension. A lot of extra steps but super consistent.
IAM going to get me one, been thinking about one for a while. So nothing to do but get it
I have used this neck turner before, it lasted about 30 or so cases before the spindle ate up the inside of the housing while trying to move it in and out.
Did you lube it up first?
You can get decent results with this tool, but you have to be willing to invest some extra work and get some extra gear.
- The angle of the cutter does not fit most cases and the tip of the angle cuts very unforgivingly. I smoothed the angled edge with emory paper. It's a trial and error procedure, so be careful not to take away too much material. If you do it right, you'll cut perfectly to the shoulder.
- You need to measure the mandrel with a micrometer. For example the .308 mandrel has a diameter of 0.305 inches. To minimize the case wobbling, you should expand the case mouth with a mandrel of 0.3055 inches. Just half a thou larger. You'll get good results like that.
- The neck is not being turned super smooth. You can feel it when you move your fingernail over the neck. Heck, you can even see it! I recommend using some fine emory paper (400 or 600 grit) to smooth the necks. Just give it a couple of turns (you can leave it on the neck turn tool for that).
I use Peterson brass. Get sub 5 SD no neck turning.
I am not into precision shooting but it looks like a must have for turning 556/223 brass for 300 blackout
Im thinking about getting this tool since i already have the case trimmer and concentricity tool by hornady.
I just ordered fl bushing dies from rcbs
I've been using K&M Precision neck tuner for about 5 years, but it looked like Your Hornady made a smoother cut
I’ve got a K&M and a Forster.
It might be worth mentioning that the Hornady Neck Turning tool seen here only works with Hornady shell case holders which are sold separately from the cutter. Not a deal breaker but Hornady should tell you that somewhere and well, they don’t.
Same problem with the hornady case prep center trimmer it's the locking mechanism that makes these tools less precise
It is a nice tool - I have one. The shell holders are tool specific and not included.
New to the concept of neck turning- is there a rule of thumb for using this after X amount of firings? Always when prepping anything but new brass?
This should only be a one time procedure
@@hank3152 It should be, but if one full length sizes and the case grows you can get a ring on the lower neck. If one shoots fire formed cases one time is fine. It would not be all that bad to just trim the lower part of the case if a case right were to develop. I do suppose the best thing in all worlds is buy premium brass that need no neck turning. I like fireformed brass myself. Just saying what does happen in time.
@@garrytalley8009 you’re right, I believe you’re referring to the “doughnut” that often occurs
Nicely explained Gavin, Thank you.
I WAS WATCHING U put the shell case on Hornady and the shell was not
properly turning if u watch the video real close there a wobble in the case that's why u had
to reset the cutter to cut again. Can u explain not just how it works tell us why we cut the
outside the neck?
Question: if you're going to trim the neck with the Neck Turning Tool why would you bother buying a Neck Wall Thickness gauge ?
So I’ve used this, but become frustrated quickly because I can’t seem to get the case centered well. I use Hornady brass, so I checked 10 cases before neck turning, and 10 post turning. The cases are within .001 before I turn them, after they were .004. I would love for this to work, but I’m struggling with it.
Hornady instructions does not indicate which cutter (std or 30deg) comes preassembled in the cutter head. There is no picture or diagram to distinguish which is which. Do you have any idea which is the standard and the 30degree? Also, there are two set screws, top one is the click tensioning but there is no telling what the bottom (larger) set screw is for, seems functionless. Any idea? Thanks!
Great video so easy to follow you make a great teacher . .Question if you were to pick a neck Turner which is the easiest and most accurate to use their are so many out there .I was trying to decide either k&M or Hornady ..Also is it best to trim inside the .neck and outside so as to keep the bullet more centered or by doing the inside and out itay make the neck to thin .Appreciate if u get back to me thanks for all your videos and help on U tube .Neal😊😊
I use the same tool for some wildcats 👍🏼
After exactly 2 shoots from the rifle out side case neck does not mater ; inside matter the most all the time …
Forster (The tool & Die Company) told me the same thing, and sold me an inside neck reamer. Never used it... but its there if I ever want to try.
@@cameronkeating6780 Depending on the brass uniformity, inside reaming can be very beneficial. Only thing was mentioned earlier; how important for hunting rifle. Also, Lapua is the best brass(uniform necks, weights) hands down, just finding it in your caliber is a chore sometimes. I shot 100/200 yds. NBRSA for some years w 6PPC, Stolle Panda action, hart and shilen barrels. Run .220 Russian brass over a 6mm carbide expander mandrel, then neck turn and Fire form in the BBL it will compete with. A LOT of prep...but sombitch, it is a fun game!
Gavin thanks for the info would not know we're to start without your video just stating to learn how to.do.this.I am trying to learn all the steps towards shooting a good group at 2 to 3 hundred yards.I was wondering from the beginning would u full size or neck size with a bushing die then trim cases and then neck trim them then prime add powder and then seat thanks neal
So fired cases not resized cases?
There should be less clearance between mandrill and brass neck id
With the second piece of brass in particular, there was visible runout of the case body. If you then make the neck concentric to the spindle(drill) won’t you have a wonky case?
Would you say trimming all to get the low spots out is more important or trimming to consistent neck thickness is the most?
Has anyone had to go up a bushing size for those using that type of die...just curious.
I would love to have one.
How do you know if its too thin? Or does that matter?
Someone correct me if I’m wrong, but aren’t cases generally supposed to be resized before neck turning?
So stepping this out in my mind, which is crazy, so I'm possibly wrong. But, assuming your chamber is perfectly round, fire formed brass will have a proper round neck on the outside. The fluctuations in roundness/thickness are on the inside now. So wouldn't you need to run your cases through a FL die with an expander, or a Lee mandrel neck die... Just something that makes the inside of the neck perfectly round, pushing the imperfections to the outside?
YES, that is correct way
The ammo shortage has gotten me interested in reloading. Funny thing is I can’t find many presses that are in my price range. “Out of stock” “On back order”.
I use Lapua brass for my 6mm reloading. I'm guessing, based on Gavins comments that I dont need to do this step because the brass is high quality.
I would have checked concentricity first then measure with a ball micrometre, turn then check concentricity again.
What is the proper thickness for a 308 Win. Case Neck when turning?
That depends on how much neck tension you want.
It turns crooked at the base. Maybe it is not centered. How then can the knife work straight?
On a different topic which do you think is more important a custom action or a custom barrel?
Will you use a dial indicator to see consistency?
Does it affect your seating as you have taken material off? Won't it have a neg affect on neck tension or not really? Basically will the seating die be able to still do its work? How much material is enough, does one still leave some darker material once you've cut? I see most people go once more to remove all. Hope I'm making sense
Looks like Rube Goldberg still works in machine design .. Please say this was timed for upload on April 1st.
I thought you told us in another video it was the inside thickness, and you measured it. I was expecting this to trim the inside. What am I missing?
If you use the turning tool to control the outside diameter of the neck, how do you control the inside diameter? If you can't control both, it seems to me like a waste of time.
Did you resize the case prior to turning? I’m thinking resizing the outside of the neck to the proper dimension and then boring the inside of the neck may be a better solution or even roll forming the neck and trimming the excess.
Gavin, I have an AMP annealing machine. I was wondering if you turn your necks on all brass, what effect does this have on annealing? Would I need a new baseline for my AMP machine? Should I turn the neck before I anneal the brass? Do you need to do all your brass at the same time to ensure that they are all turned to the same neck thickness? How often should you turn the necks, is it something that you only do once, or do you have to do it more as you reload the same brass several times? I have heard and read several things about neck turning and most believe it is something that does help with consistency when you get to the range. Do you turn the necks on all new brass? Or do you wait until they have been fired once?
Yes, new setting on AMP Annealer as changing the neck thickness changes the correct annealing setting.
Should I only do this when they are not concentric?
Why are you trimming the outside of the case? I would be concerned about the inside holding the bullet
I see the case wobble as it turns. It's not like it floats, it's a fixed wobble. To me it not finding center as it gets cut.
Great video
I have one of these and was not impressed with the amount of slop built into the machining in the mandrel that holds the case. You can see the case wobble in the vid. Seem to me this would introduce some issues along with tiring to take away others so I'm looking for something better.
Adding to Robert's comment, what size to take the internal of the case down too (to match the .305 mandrel), and check the necks for straightness. Sadly, the "shell holder chuck" is an abomination. Totally useless.
Does hornady make a 10mm mandrel? I want to use it for converting. 308 to 400 corbon and the necks need turned after reforming. Is this even the best/easiest tool for the job?
Why was the case wobbling 🧐
I see you neck turned without measuring case lengths before hand and making sure they are all the same length. Thats the reason for cutting into the shoulder. You are neck turning without measuring with a ball micrometer. So how do you know how thick the case neck is after turning? By cutting them to look similar means you are taking off way to much.
do you do this before or after you resize the case???
How thin is too thin on the case neck?
Hi Gavin .. I have watched your channel for a long time, & generally like the Hornady products, But ... although the neck turning sound very Professional, unless you have the case 100% lined up you can have devastating results. If I was going to neck turn, I personally would use a lathe. Other than that I like your workshop & the way Its set-up with your great Equipment.
It can be done even by hand. Quite time consuming but the end result is not surpassed by any machine. You don't have to concern yourself with misalignment. You may have a little soreness in your hands after a lot of rounds though.
I'm wondering if your brass was resized or not because if the bullet is .308 and the brass is resized it's going to be less than .308. if it's not resized it might be a little over .308
Thanks for the video, I am considering purchasing this tool so I am interested in this video and future ones. Are there advantages of the Hornady vs. RCBS? Also, I know you were just cranking the cutter down for demonstration purposes, but how do you know what the proper recommended thickness is? I've never noticed those in any of my reloading manuals.
Chevy,
Most new brass will mic in around .014 - 14 thousands of an inch. Unless you are cutting to a custom chamber, all you take off will be to clean up the high spots on the case necks; about .001 to .002. For case life in a factory chambered rifle you would want to keep as much material on the neck as possible.
You need to get a idod for neck turning
How many times can you turn the case necks before they get too thin?
You should only turn necks once. The brass won't be getting any thicker, or less concentric when firing.
Does case turning like this reduce the number of reloads on a case since your thinning out the neck?
NO
Nice
This is a slippery slope walk carefully I would recommend against neckturning too much work spend more time shooting less time at the bench use the best brass that you can buy measure them if you like keep them within 0005 and worry about your neck tension much more critical
Thanks Gavin, Looks like a fine entry level turner. Pretty sure those cases won’t pass once you get the ball mic out. Someone with your skill, background and equipment usually end up turning on the lathe.The cordless can introduce lots of run out.Really enjoy your videos. Thanks!
You are no expert. Many people hand turn. It isn't necessary to be turned 100% either. Some people will not turn less than 11 thousandths of an inch, but I have seen professional bench rest shooters trim to 10 thousandths of an inch. So many so-called experts. There are always more ways to do something and still be good. That tool is set up and used correctly will neck turn good enough for any shooting.
Before neck turning, all cases need to be consistent in terms of case length, so trimming each case to the same length may be an important step.
With neck turning, cuttting into the shoulder will weaken a case. But not cutting the entire neck all the way to the shoulder will cause an external "doughnut" that gets pushed inside the neck when the case is fired (and the case neck and shoulder expand to the chamber wall). That internal doughnut can then cause accuracy problems.
I usually fire-form cases, resize with no expander ball, then use an expander mandrel so the case neck can be expanded to perfectly fit into the neck turner mandrel in terms of tightness. After using an expander mandrel, the internal dimension of the neck is more consistent and more concentric. Then neck turn so the external dimension of the neck is more consistent.
I have had one of these for a long time. I still question why I need it. If my rifle shoots the same hole without it....
Anyways, ruined a bunch of brass using it, so I stopped.
You return it? If not... I'm always in need