M1 Garand: To neck turn or not

[HMdoc]

100 yds (sandbagged)
168 Sierra HPBT
47 gr IMR 4895
OAL 3.34

Here's the result after neck turning (20 shots)

and here's without neck turning (10 shots)

 

[milanuk]

I wouldn't bother... you'll need a more accurate gun than that to really see a benefit from all that work.

Just my opinion, though. Feel free to knock yourself out

Monte

 

[Dave P]

Did you fireform after necking? I get my best results after FF'ing. Is this a match grade rilfe? If not necking prolly won't help.

Have you tried IMR4064 (46 gr) - I got a tremendous accuracy boost over 4895.

Dave

 

[Ol` Joe]

Both targets have all rounds in the 9 ring, it looks like the rifle groups the same for both loads.
Neck turning helps you control neck tension in a rifle with a tight chamber and when useing a die like the Redding bushing die. In rifles that shoot 1/2" or better groups you`ll see difference but even there it will be a .1" improvement or so. The benchrest boys win matches with .0001" improvments so they play with there cases looking for any gain. Varmint hunters might do it (just cleaning up the neck to insure they have even wall thickness) and insure clearance of the neck/chamber in a tight chambered rifle. Alot of varmint hunters do shoot 1/2" or better capable rifles with good loads and might behelped by turning. The rest of us don`t need to and it can acually hurt if the case neck is too thin for the die and doesn`t get a good grip on the bullet.

 

[brickeyee]

Neck turning for a 'stock' chamber is not likely to help very much since the brass is going to be an even loser fit.
There have been experiments using necked down brass to produce a thicker neck, and then turn to fit. I believe the conclusion was that the results stil did not justify the work since neck to chanber ft is only one of the variables affecting accuracy. The accuracy was still limited by other variables.

 

[30Cal]

I don't see much of a difference between the targets.

 

[Steve Smith]

You gotta be kidding me.

 

[wanderinwalker]

You're running an old, semi-automatic battle rifle, that even with the best bedding, barrel and stock work will "only" be a legitimate 1-MOA rifle, especially over 10-20 rounds.

Save your time, don't neck turn. I wouldn't even weigh charges (actually, I don't). Just sort your brass and shoot. An extra hour of practice makes better more often than an extra hour at the bench. That old warhorse is no benchrest rifle, so leave the trickery for a more accurate rifle.

Personally, I won't even weigh charges for my 600yd .223 reloads. Everybody tells me I need to weigh the charges, deburr the flash holes, uniform the primer pockets, yada, yada, yada, ad inifinitum. Guess what? Even without all of that work, if I point it at the X, it goes into the X-ring. If I point it at the 8-ring, well, I bet you know where it goes!

 

[Steve Smith]

Wanderin, I've never told you to do that crap to your 600 loads! I dont' do it either, and I shoot HM scores from the 600 line.

I'm pretty sure I'll be buying an SV650s as my first bike...btw.

 

[wanderinwalker]

Okay Steve, you got me, perhaps "everybody" wasn't the right word to choose. How about "many"?

BTW, that SV in my sig line would be up over 11k miles now if it weren't for those pesky little electrical gremlims we all know and despise. The shop called the Suzuki techs and the Suzuki techs said, "No, that part doesn't fail!" (But it did! )

 

[HMdoc]

Thanks for the replies.

 

[Khornet]

Doc,

I did all that stuff for my M1: neck turn, sort by weight, uniform flash hole and primer pocket, weigh charges etc. Didn't do any better. But when I get my rifle back from Roland Beaver, we'll see.

 

[redhawk44]

Same the neck turning for the 40Xs in your battery. It is a waste of time in a sporting rifle that delivers 1-1/2" groups.

 

[Amy]

Neck turning will not get you any return on the investment of time and effort in a gas gun. Don't bother.

Amy

 

[wanderinwalker]

Hey, Khornet, I just saw you're located in New Hampshire. Where abouts are you and have you ever shot in any Highpower matches at Nashua Fish and Game or Cheshire County Fish and Game?

I will stick by my call; don't do any more to your brass than needed for the game you are playing! Just today I sat down at a match at CCFG. From 300 yards, on the prone-slowfire target (MR-63; it's small), I shot a 195-6X, without neck turning, flashhole deburring, or primer pocket uniforming.