For a while, I was on a quest to find the ultimate lube for turning necks.
What I found was that how the mandrel fits in the neck makes more difference than any lube on Planet Earth.
Many of the problems with mandrels fitting the case necks can be traced to the case neck i.d.'s not being exactly round and/or the neck i.d.'s changing dimension from the top of the neck to the neck/shoulder junction....they can be funnel shaped in other words....or have a sudden tight spot. This is less of an issue with the 220R necked up to make 6PPC cases than using the Lapua 6BR to make 30BR cases, for example. For a couple of years now, I've been cutting the neck i.d.'s before outside turning and am very happy with the results.
I've got a Sinclair turner that's 10+ years old along with their Expander Body. To get a better fit with the mandrels on my .30 cal. cases, I picked up a bunch of the Sinclair .338 expander mandrels and turned them from .3050 to .3080 in .0005 increments. A bit loose is always better than to tight.
Keeping the turner from over heating is a big deal. Like Lynn mentioned, I pour a big bowl full of rubbing alchohol and set the turner in it as I take the case off the driver. I got the tip from James Mock...thanks, James!
I've also neck turned on a lathe with coolant...talk about beautiful case necks. But they don't shoot any better.
To drive the case, I use a Lee locking stud gizmo in a cordless drill. Or sometimes I'll use this knurled giz-whizzy that mounts a Lee lock stud and do 'em Ol School.
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What I found was that how the mandrel fits in the neck makes more difference than any lube on Planet Earth.
Many of the problems with mandrels fitting the case necks can be traced to the case neck i.d.'s not being exactly round and/or the neck i.d.'s changing dimension from the top of the neck to the neck/shoulder junction....they can be funnel shaped in other words....or have a sudden tight spot. This is less of an issue with the 220R necked up to make 6PPC cases than using the Lapua 6BR to make 30BR cases, for example. For a couple of years now, I've been cutting the neck i.d.'s before outside turning and am very happy with the results.
I've got a Sinclair turner that's 10+ years old along with their Expander Body. To get a better fit with the mandrels on my .30 cal. cases, I picked up a bunch of the Sinclair .338 expander mandrels and turned them from .3050 to .3080 in .0005 increments. A bit loose is always better than to tight.
Keeping the turner from over heating is a big deal. Like Lynn mentioned, I pour a big bowl full of rubbing alchohol and set the turner in it as I take the case off the driver. I got the tip from James Mock...thanks, James!
I've also neck turned on a lathe with coolant...talk about beautiful case necks. But they don't shoot any better. To drive the case, I use a Lee locking stud gizmo in a cordless drill. Or sometimes I'll use this knurled giz-whizzy that mounts a Lee lock stud and do 'em Ol School.