Neck turning

G

Gabe22BR

New member
I recently bought a 221 fireball rifle with a tight neck. I am new to this neck turning. It has a 248 neck, and my cases measure 253 with a bullet seated in. How much clearance do I need in the chamber for bullet release? What do I need to turn them down to? What bushing do I need to get for proper neck tension? Sorry if this has been asked before.
I am using Lapua 222 brass sized down.

Gabe
 
Do you have a tube micrometer and can you measure wall thickness? I assume it's around 0.0145" per as is. If you turned them to 0.0105" you'd get the following:

Loaded round with a 0.0105" wall and a 0.224" bullet = 0.245"
Total clearance = 0.003" or 0.0015" per side
0.242" - 0.244" bushings would yield 0.001" - 0.003" neck tension.

Hope this helps.

-Lee
www.singleactions.com
 
I would have at least .001" clearance , even then you may find the fired case will hold a bullet. This is generally referred to as "fitted neck" you just knock the primer out put a new one in and powder and bullet. It is a tricky business for consistency as the neck thickness may grow over time. Size of bushing is a factor of how tight you want to hold the bullet. there is no absolute correct answer to this question. Some people want just tight enough to keep bullet in case, others like a lot of neck tension. Be real sure you have at least some clearance no clearance can be dangerous.
Dick
 
Thanks Dick.

I figured at least .001" would be a little tight. I'll try for some more. Bullet grip would be alright for me since the gun will be ridding along with me and the cartridges will be in a case heads down.
 
Gabe22BR said:
I recently bought a 221 fireball rifle with a tight neck. I am new to this neck turning.

It has a 248 neck, and my cases measure 253 with a bullet seated in. How much clearance do I need in the chamber for bullet release? In my humble opinion With a bullet seated, the brass OD [outside diameter] should measure .002" to .003" less, [at the pressure ring if the bullet has one]. Just to clarify, some of us turn necks to a specific neck wall thickness, while some of us turn necks so that the Outside Diameter with a bullet seated measures what we're looking. Both methods arrive at the same destination.

What do I need to turn them down to? Turn to an Outside Diameter of .246" to .245". That will give you .001" to .0015" of clearance on each side.

What bushing do I need to get for proper neck tension? I'd have a few on hand that measure .001", .002" to .003" under the OD with a bullet seated. For example, if you use an OD of .246", then bushings measuring .245", .244" and .243" to start.

Sorry if this has been asked before. I am using Lapua 222 brass sized down.

Gabe
Click to expand...

See above. :eek:
 
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