Neck turned brass - is it dangerous?

[BearClan]

I set my neck turner to remove brass from 75% of a piece of new brass. I then turned about 20 cases but then stopped because the brass was being turned all the way around (i.e., 100%). I checked the brass thinknesses of these 20 cases - all were turned to between .011"-.012" (normally, my Win Brass is .014" to .016").

Is this neck turned brass the safe? What are some potential problems to be aware of.

BTW - brass was for .300 WSM.

 

[old #7]

If you have a standard chamber your brass may split quickly.
This all depends on the size of your chamber.

 

[BearClan]

Old #7,

Thanks for you help. I am shooting a factory gun (Rem M700).
Based on your response, am I correct to assume that (a) itis safe to shoot the brass with "over-turned" necks and (b) the consequence of my error will be that my brass will not last as long.

By the way, am I correct in assuming that you asked about my chamber because a chamber from a factory gun wil be larger than say a custom chamber and therefore there will be more "stretch" in the case necks once they are fired?

Again, thanks.

 

[Richracer1]

Those that have custom barrels made will sometimes request a tighter than SAAMI specifications chamber, which will require the turning of the necks to fit in that chamber. Production line rifles are made to SAAMI specifications, but there are tolerances.

I can't say if your brass is safe to use or not, BUT if it is, it probably won't last long. The only brass I neck turn is for my 204Ruger, all my other brass, I just F/L size it and go from there. I use my rifles for hunting, and my personal opinion is the time spent doing all of that extra brass prep for hunting ammo is a waste of MY time. FWIW, I have several rifles that shoot under .5" and most are between .5" and .8".

 

[old #7]

Old #7,

Thanks for you help. I am shooting a factory gun (Rem M700).
Based on your response, am I correct to assume that (a) itis safe to shoot the brass with "over-turned" necks and (b) the consequence of my error will be that my brass will not last as long.

By the way, am I correct in assuming that you asked about my chamber because a chamber from a factory gun wil be larger than say a custom chamber and therefore there will be more "stretch" in the case necks once they are fired?

Again, thanks.

You are correct.
Bench rest guys will spec a tight chamber so the case won't strech much, re-sizing is minimal and the brass lasts a long time.

Pay realy close attention to the neck while you are shooting. If you find a split or in the worst case, no neck, check your chamber and bore carefully for obstructions.

 

[Antelope_Sniper]

Winchester is the thinnest of the brasses, so it would be the last I chose to neck turn. For that purpose, I'd choose Lapua.

 

[hardpan]

Bearclan,
I neck turn only enough to "true" the brass. IE, i want the brass to be uniform, but I don't look to make it as thin as possible. I have never had a problem, and my groups are very tight. I turn for mainly weatheby rifles with a lot of freebore and shoot 1/2 inche maximum groups at 100 yds.

Are you turning for hunting, or for bench rest competition, or just to tighten the groups? Knowing your reasoning for turning will help us to answer the question.
Hardpan

 

[BearClan]

My gun is strictly for hunting, I got interested in neck-turning after watching a Sierra Bullets video on handloading hosted by David R. Tubbs. He mentions in the video that neck-turning is on of those things that he would recommend for increasing accuracy. I think he indicates that neck turning is not for reducing neck runout, but to ensure the bullet is "gripped" as equally as possible accross the whole diameter by the case (i.e., so the bullet is not pulled to one side when fired, a situation that would happen with uneven neck thickness).

However, I just recieved a newer video hosted by John Barsness. He doesn't even cover neck-turning. He recommends sorting brass for neck thickness (less than .0015 variation) and neck concentricity (less than .002 variation) so he doesn't have to worry about neck turning.

 

[rick smith]

Bearclan, use twenty new cases, run them over an expander ball if the necks have any visible inconsistancies, check the neck run out. Load them and check the neck/bullet runout. Go to the range and shoot your best groups. Check the neck run out on the fired cases. Then check the run out after each step in your loading sequence. Now do the same with your neck turned brass. That should tell you if neck turning with that brass makes any difference with a hunting rifle. All the brass prep known will not make a bad shooting rifle shoot sub MOA. It is good to know how to perform all the brass prepping steps in case you decide to take up bench rest shooting but for hunting rifles, probably not necessary.Rick.

 

[hardpan]

Bearclan,
I tend to neck turn because i am an engineer, and it makes sense to me. But I also agree with the just posted method.

I do consider neck turning a secondary or even tertiary item. Case prep, powder, even OAL are likely more important. But with weatherby's and a lot of freebore, I do it
Hardpan