Best Neck Turning Setup Money will buy?

[Matt in Virginia]

Gentlemen,
I have carpal tunnel and I am not looking forward to it, however, it looks like a new project(a .260 Super LR or a 6mm Super LR) is going to require neck turning. I know the folks 6mmAR recommend against Lapua Brass due to the need to trim necks due to the donut, however, I've been looking at a recent run of .243 Winchester a friend is going through that has me wincing... In short what is the best way to turn necks that is as painless as possible. Aside from paying to have it done I'd literally buy a $1000 uber tool if it existed, however, the only thing I can find is a Pumpkin by Mr. Nielsen and a Brass Monkey by Darrel Holland. Does anyone have any suggestions? I've never turned a neck...

Open to suggestions...

Best Regards, Matt Garrett
757-581-6270

Btw, My maiden aunt always told us boys a certain activity would make us go blind. Well I figured I would only do until I need glasses...lol That was funny until I started typing this with readers AND carpal tunnel aching in my right wrist. I will go down with the ship claiming it was exclusively computer and reloading repetitive use... That is my story and I'm sticking to it...;-)

 

[Sniper338]

21st century neck turning lathe, and all that goes with it, AND THE DRIVER TO HOOK UP TO A SLOW DRILL. (buy the expander die set he makes too, it matches the mandrels for the lathe)

I use a cheapo electric screw driver... Cost me a bit to get all set up for everything I own... BEST MONEY CAN BUY RIGHT HERE. BUY ONCE, CRY ONCE AND BE HAPPY FOR A LONG TIME!

www.21stcenturyshooting.com

 

[Mozella]

21st century neck turning lathe, and all that goes with it, ............ snip.............

I agree.

I don't have carpel tunnel but I suffer from arthritis in my hands. I find the 21st Century cutter and lathe easy to use, accurate, and fast. I use it with a cheap cordless drill.

I wish it were less expensive, but I would say it's worth the asking price.

 

[dkhunt14]

I use a Dayton gearmotor. I made an adapter to hold my case holder. Then it is a matter of buying a neck turner and expander mandrel. You also should have a good Ball micrometer to measure neck walls. I like the K&M ball mic for this. He grinds the spindle so you can measure right to the neck shoulder junction.

You don't have to sit and do 100 at a time. You can do a couple, rest and do more when you feel like it. I don't like my neck turner to get hot. When it heats measurements are off. Matt

 

[Comrade Terry]

21st century neck turning lathe

+1

It minimizes the pain in my arthritic hands.

 

[KT]

Another vote for the 21st century!

 

[Matt in Virginia]

I agree.

I don't have carpel tunnel but I suffer from arthritis in my hands. I find the 21st Century cutter and lathe easy to use, accurate, and fast. I use it with a cheap cordless drill.

I wish it were less expensive, but I would say it's worth the asking price.

Gentlemen,
If that is good as it gets I guess that is good as it gets... Looks like it would have been better having been made from a casting. More rigid. That is hardly lathe like going up and down as it pivots in the center. All in all I am not impressed, however, evidently I don't have to be. Is the Pumpkin made anymore?

Regards, Matt.

BTW, I would like to thank each and every one of you for taking the time to share your experience and opinion... It is greatly appreciated.

 

[Medic505]

Another 1+ for 21st. Every item I've purchased from John Perkins has been far and above top notch. Even my Uncle, who is and old pistol smith and has probably forgotten more about machine work than most so called machinists will ever know, commented about John's products and I quote, "That's some damn fine machine work".

Matt, as far as I'm concerned, the 21st neck turning lathe is as good as it gets. I've turned thousands of necks on mine and it still has the original cutter in it. Works like a champ.

 

[dedogs]

Matt, I think you maybe need to read up on neck turning. The cutter and case are supposed to "float" during the turning operation. There is much good information on this forum on neck turning... just do a search. dedogs

 

[effendude]

I chuck the brass in a 1/2" cordless drill, and hold the cutter assy, K&M or Sinclair in my other hand. Drill is on lowest speed. This is fast and easy. After neck turning, I can chamfer inside and out as well as deburr the case mouth and smooth the tiny ridges on the turned neck with 0000 steel wool while the case is checked up. Both hands allow the entire operation to "float".

Scott

 

[Dusty Stevens]

Benchrite motor and pma cutter

 

[Terry Altom]

I chuck the brass in a 1/2" cordless drill, and hold the cutter assy, K&M or Sinclair in my other hand. Drill is on lowest speed. This is fast and easy. After neck turning, I can chamfer inside and out as well as deburr the case mouth and smooth the tiny ridges on the turned neck with 0000 steel wool while the case is checked up. Both hands allow the entire operation to "float".

Scott

This is what I do with my Sinclair and it works very well.

 

[BenPerfected]

Another option is to not but any neck turning tools. You can have your brass prepared to your specs. Joe Musso has done great work on everything he has done for me. It easiest to email him. thebrassannealer@yahoo.com
Ben

 

[Patch700]

If you purchase a quality turning set up from K&M , PMA , the Pumpkin etc.. Then perhaps a mini lathe would be rite up your alley and can be used for a lot of other small little jobs.
This is Eric Cortina's YouTube vid below.
Good luck

 

[Keith Glasscock]

I chuck the case holder in the drill press. Running as slow as it will go, I use the shelf to support my arms and hold the turning tool with my fingertips.

After turning, I chamfer the inside and run 0000 steel wool on the outside. While the turning tool sits in a pan of room temp water.

To the best of my ability to measure with a ball micrometer, I'm holding .0003" tolerances (that is +\- .00015") from case to case on 90+ % of my cases while skim turning. Some of the other 10% or so we're thinner that my cut thickness prior to turning. Those cases just want to be special.

 

[Danattherock]

If buying I would get 21st Century. I have his concentricity gauge, amazing quality. With that said, depending on your volume, how many calibers, etc, it may be easier to just send brass to DJ's Brass Service. Very affordable neck turning. I'm considering having him do 50 6.5 creedmoor cases so I can test runout and accuracy against my non neck turned brass. Trying to see if it's worth messing with.

Dan

 

[243Lapua]

This is my cheap set up. Used to be a chemical stirrer bought of Ebay for $40.00 and has a Bodine countinous motor. And all my gear is K&M. And it works perfectly. I invested about $250.00 which is not bad at all. I use it for my 243 Win Tight Neck that was build by retired gunsmith Mike Bryant.

 

[R.Morehouse]

Benchrite motor and pma cutter

Yes.....I like this set up as well.

 

[BoydAllen]

IMO it is important that both the case and tool be allowed to float when turning necks. There are setups that do not allow for this, but I do not generally favor them, unless a real lathe is being used and the turning mandrel is turning with the case, that has been forced over it.
I have several kinds of neck turners. They all work. Some are a lot easier to set than others. Which ever you decide on, I would suggest a carbide turning mandrel, and cutter. Having your expanding mandrel sized so that case necks have the proper fit on the turning mandrel, not using excessive RPMs, and having excellent lubrication are the keys to good results without heating problems. I drive my cases with either a 21st Century or PMA adapter. Both are excellent. If you want to cut down on carpal tunnel problems, I suggest that you may want to do some adapting to make your tools easier on your hands, and not do too many cases at a sitting. After one friend complained about the small size of his K&M turner, I did an experiment by padding it with some leather and clamping it with a heavy 3" C clamp to act as a handle. While not elegant, it worked. Depending on which I am using, I either sit my cordless drill on its battery and operate its trigger with my thumb, or in the case of my older drill, lay it on its side on the desk top. A little creativity in this area can be beneficial.