Saturday at the Movies: Advanced Neck-Turning Videos

Even with the very best cartridge brass, you can achieve the most consistent neck-wall thickness with precision case-neck turning. This can be done slowly with hand-tools (such as a K&M Tool), but powered neck turning can produce superb results in a fraction of the time. For today’s Saturday Showcase we feature the excellent 21st Century Power Neck-Turning Lathe and the state-of-the-art AUTODOD machine from F-Class Products. In addition, we show how neck turning can be done using a vertical milling machine fitted with a neck-turner. And to start off, we offer a Keith Glasscock video that analyzes when it makes sense to turn necks, considering the demands of your particular shooting disciplines.

To Turn or NOT to Turn — Wisdom from Keith Glasscock

In this video, top F-Class Shooter and Wind Coach Keith Glasscock discusses the process of turning case necks. Neck-turning may be mandatory if you have a chamber with reduced-diameter neck dimensions. With a standard chamber you may still want to do a minimal neck-turn to make your brass more consistent or to increase clearance. On the other hand, high-quality brass, such as Lapua, may perform exceptionally well right out of the box. Keith explains how to determine whether you need to turn your brass for your discipline, and explains procedures that help you achieve great results.

21st Century Innovation Powered Neck-Turning Lathe

The 21st Century Innovation Power Neck-Turning Lathe is a superb system for quickly and precisely uniforming the neckwall thickness of cartridge brass. With this powered system you can turn necks faster and more efficiently, with less effort. The cases feed very smoothly and the results are beautiful. Power is activated by the red button on the end of the blue, horizontal feed handle

The Powered Neck-Turning Lathe is a modular system. Swing the bar from right to left to feed the case. The power head (with case holder) glides on stainless steel rails for smooth movement. This allows very precise feed rate. Power is supplied via a button that is built into the end of the feed handle. Push the red button to make the case spin. It’s as simple as that. NOTE: The 21st Century Power Neck-Turning Lathe has been updated — the frame and motor are now flat black in color.

Here is another video that shows how the lathe system operates:

AUTODOD Power Neck-Turner from Black Machine

Bryan Blake of F-Class Products has created an ultra-precise and speedy neck-turning machine, the AUTODOD. This employs twin precision cutter tips to turn case necks inside and out quickly and efficiently, with superior precision. The advanced AUTODOD Neck Turning Machine holds cases securely in a precision-machined spindle attached to an electric motor. Twin blades move precisely during the cutting process, milling the necks inside and out. The turned necks come out perfect every time, with the shoulders trimmed exactly (with doughnut removed) as well. If you turn hundreds of cases during a shooting season, you may want to consider getting an AUTODOD from F-Class Products. Below is a video from F-Class John Showing the AUTODOD Machine in action.

Neck-Turning Cases with a Milling Machine

Our friend Erik Cortina figured out how to turn his match cartridge case-necks using his milling machine. Erik told us: “While in Raton [a while back], Mid Tompkins told me that he turns his brass on milling machine. He said he could do about 500 in two hours, so I decided to try it.” Erik fitted a Don Nielson “Pumpkin” neck-turner to the mill, and he used a modified 21st Century case holder to secure the brass. As you can see from this video, Erik was very successful with the process. The tool spins at 1500 rpm, turning Lapua 6.5-284 cases that have been necked up to 7mm.

It’s hard to argue with Erik’s results. Here are his turned Lapua cases, which have neck-wall thickness consistent to two ten-thousandths of an inch.

Neck-Turning Lubricants for Turner Mandrels

For Neck-Turning, Try STP Blend or Assembly Lube
For hand neck-turning, a variety of lubricants can work well on the outside of the necks. You will also want to lube the mandrel which runs inside the case. There are many options for lubing the neck-turning tool mandrel while turning case necks. Some folks use a blend of STP® Oil Treatment and Mobil 1 lube. Chuckw2 reports: “Try STP and Mobile 1 Synthetic oil in a 50/50 mixture. Very slick, you will need to tumble your cases after turning.” STP is a very thick lubricant, that flows and clings almost like honey. Jason reports the STP blend comes off easily in an ultra-sound bath, using a bit of detergent. At many retailers, STP is also available in a convenient 7-ounce tube, so you don’t have to buy a large bottle.

Another even cheaper option is assembly lubricant. For turning his case necks, RStreich uses assembly lube from an auto parts store. He notes: “The brand I have is reddish in color and kind of sticky like honey. It’s far better than the Imperial die wax I was using before.” There are a variety of types, both with and without moly additive, and you can select the viscosity you prefer if you sample a few brands. Be sure to clean out any lube residue from the inside of your necks when you have completed your neck-turning.