neck turning

[red dawg]

Is it better to fire virgin brass once before turning the outside necks, on 2506 from .257 or should I order a pilot for a diameter of .255 and turn virgin brass? by turning virgin brass now, I have the inside of the neck too loose to hold the bullet tight when seated. I have to use some force to get new brass to go over the .257 pilot on my forester neck turner

 

[FearNoWind]

Assuming your Forster neck turning mandrel is the correct size, you might find your solution in a Sinclair Neck
expander die with the correct size mandrel to match the Forster neck turning mandrel.
When I have a need fora custom diameter mandrel for the expander die I just turn what I need on the lathe.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PA2U8WHHr9U

http://www.sinclairintl.com/reloadi...ir-generation-ii-expander-dies-prod38807.aspx

 

[red dawg]

I don't have that option, I measured virgin brass inside and its .250, and the forster pilot is .255, and needs to be .248 to work with this brass, I have been seating, and pulling bullets, then turning the necks,and running them thru my 2506 resizer die to get proper neck tension

 

[dok7mm]

red dawg, I hope I reading this right. You need an expander mandrel to match your pilot caliber. If you are using Forester's pilot, you need to order the expand mandrel from Forester to size the neck for a snug fit of case neck on pilot. It's always prudent to use pilot & expander made by same company, regardless, for proper fit. Lube inside case neck with Imperial and expand, then lube pilot and check for fit. You might be able to use generic expander,ONLY IF it is right size for your pilot. After turning, size your neck. I am assuming you FL sized all your new brass and trimmed to same length (important steps). Good luck. Just remember, you are expanding to fit your pilot, not to set your neck for bullet tension.

 

[red dawg]

My expander ball is .256 and pilot is 255, could expander be worn enough to cause this issue?

 

[FearNoWind]

Use a .257 neck expander and prepare the cases for turning.
Turn the cases and calculate how much of the neck you've removed.
Use a suitable neck sizing die (e.g. Redding bushing die) to resize the neck inside diameter to .256
Seat the .257 bullet

 

[red dawg]

I havn't had any luck finding the pilots online for the hand held forster neck turner except for a 270

 

[dok7mm]

red dawg, I checked an old Forester pilot for .284 and it measured .282. Also their hand turner did not come with expander mandrel and I hardly ever used it. I use only K&M now and they make the pilot true to caliber and the expander .001" over. The .001 makes for a perfect fit on pilot. By expander mandrel, we are not talking about the expander ball on your FL sizing die, but a tapered expander die that goes in your press. It has a taper to ease into the neck and then a section that is true caliber. You need to search for an expander die that is .001-.0015 over your .255 pilot. Your .256 expander ball should give you enough clearance, if both measurements are exact. Hope you figure it out, if not -- call Forester tech for help.

 

[bigedp51]

Is it better to fire virgin brass once before turning the outside necks, on 2506 from .257 or should I order a pilot for a diameter of .255 and turn virgin brass? by turning virgin brass now, I have the inside of the neck too loose to hold the bullet tight when seated. I have to use some force to get new brass to go over the .257 pilot on my forester neck turner

It is better to fire the brass once and then turn the necks, if you do not fire the case first you run the risk of turning the necks too far down. Meaning the shoulder will move forward after firing and I have had new unfired cases with the shoulder .011 shorter than the chamber.

As stated above you need a snug fit on the mandrel for turning your necks and may need more than one size expander mandrel due to brass spring back.