So I'm new to reloading (like don't even have a press yet, new) and just compiling all the info I can before putting my bench together. All I have so far is a hand decapper and a wet tumbler. I've been very interested in getting started for several years, but getting much more interested now in today's environment. I have been saving brass (mainly 223) over the last few years and have an assortment of ~3000 pieces of different brands like hornady, remington, PMC, federal, ext.... Most of what I have is PMC because I was always pleased with the results of their Bronze ammo at ~.30/piece, which was also the primary reason I hadn't gotten into reloading until now.
Anyways....My question is about neck turning. I assume it would be very necessary for someone in my case to add something like Hornady's Lock-N-Load neck turning tool to my priority list of things to put on the bench because of the variety of cases that I have. Is that a fair assumption, or am I wrong to assume that the variety of brands makes a big difference in neck case diameter? Since I'm getting into reloading to ensure supply and save some money anyways (I do realize both those very well could be piss dreams these days lol), I'd really want to improve precision too. I was shooting 3/4" groups with the PMCs through my AR, but would really like to get that down to 1/2". I also have a 6.5cm that's currently shooting 1/2" groups with Hornady ELD Match and I'd really like to get it shooting tighter as well. The brass I have for 6.5cm is all Hornady, S&B, Federal and Magtech. All once fired.
Most individuals don’t neck turn at all, it’s really not a necessity. How are you resizing your brass?
Great! I was just assuming that the verity of brands that I had would make a big difference. I have not bought any dies yet either. Would you recommend anything specific for my scenario? Full length with bushing?
Difference in volumetric capacity and quality. A lot of people neck turn for tighter custom chambers and also making necks more uniform. It’s completely up to you, but a lot of what you’ll see in regard to accurate handloads starts a lot with brass preparation, and proper load development analysis. I use full length bushings for everything and mandrel. You can’t go wrong with either one setting your neck tension.
@Reloading_allday So this is probably a pretty broad question... Do you think getting my AR to shoot 1/2" or better would be easily achievable using all random brass after running them through full length bushings and a mandrel and trimming? Just asking about the variety of brass for now, I know there's a lot of other factors like bullet/powder selection.