Neck turning tools

[robbor]

Well it looks like im going to need to buy a neck turner for 22 cal asleast. Ive been putting off buying a K&N for years.
What do you guys recommend for neck turners now?
I dont know if i should buy a K&N or maybe a 21st century or what? From a metalurgy standpoint id love to a a carbide crutter as well as mandral. I also like there are starting to get some tools like expander dies out of SS.
PMA tool?

 

[bozo699]

Well it looks like im going to need to buy a neck turner for 22 cal asleast. Ive been putting off buying a K&N for years.
What do you guys recommend for neck turners now?
I dont know if i should buy a K&N or maybe a 21st century or what? From a metalurgy standpoint id love to a a carbide crutter as well as mandral. I also like there are starting to get some tools like expander dies out of SS.
PMA tool?

robbor,
I have a half dozen neck turning tools and everyone of them will adequately turn necks, the differences in neck turners IMHO are
#1 quality of cut
#2 ease of setup
#3 being able to repeat ( without guessing )
#4 ergonomics
#5 quality of fit between there expanding mandrel and turning mandrel
#6 and the absolute least of my concerns but important to some,..Cost.

You absolutely will not be unhappy with the PMA, give pat a call and order it tomorrow or just click on his sight right here on the forum. I have several K&M's, Two NT-4000's, one Pumpkin, one 21century, and one PMA. When I received the PMA from pat it sat in the box for a week or two, then one night while watching TV with the wife I decided to get it out of the box and give it a try, 15 minutes from the time I un-packaged it I had fresh turned brass in my hand, the instructions are simple and easy to understand, you run the cutter in to the mandrel and back it out .0105 your neck walls are .0105. None of this sticking a .010 feeler gauge between mandrel and cutter if your brass is one thickness and a.015 gauge for another, Bla Bla Bla. the whole numbers are .001 and the hash marks in between are .0002 and it is spot on, I am not saying the others aren't good but IMHO this one is far above the others for ease of setup and every bit as good of cut as any of them, only the pumpkin has better ergonomics if you have big hands, other then that it's better then the little K&M's and equal to the 21st century and NT-4000 it cost a little more then the K&M but wayyyy less then the pumpkin, so that's my opinion of neck turners that I own, and like I said they all do a good job of turning, hope this helps some.
Wayne.

 

[Eddie Harren]

I to, have several different neck turning tools. I never see anyone mention the great turner from R.W. Hart & Son. I have a couple of these and they work great. Equipped with a micrometer adjustable cutter, they are as repeatable as any I have ever used.

 

[bozo699]

I to, have several different neck turning tools. I never see anyone mention the great turner from R.W. Hart & Son. I have a couple of these and they work great. Equipped with a micrometer adjustable cutter, they are as repeatable as any I have ever used.

DocEd,
I have heard only good things about the hart turners but have never owned one, are they still being made?
Wayne.

 

[GSPV]

I have K&M, Pumpkin and Sinclair NT-4000. Of those, the Pumpkin and NT-4000 are great.

The K&M works well, it's just harder to get set up. You end up with at least 2 of them and maybe 3 to down to 8.1. That's because once you get them set, you don't want to mess with them any more. I expect that the same would apply to older Sinclair and similar tools.

Whatever brand that you go with, go slow.

I suggest that you get the carbide mandrel. It's like buying insurance. Buy the best and cry once.

I've used a lot of different lubes. Frankly, most everything has worked, as long as you go slow. I've settled on using an STP and cutting oil mixture. It works and it's easier to clean off than STP/Mobil 1. I'm going to try some of the new Redding liquid just for fun.

I like the motor that Paul B (Pbike257) sells. Keeps you productive while getting the speed right (Slow!). Expand, trim to length, chuck it in the motor, rough cut, fine cut, inside and outside chamfer and you're done.

I have a Wilson length trimmer. I square the primer pocket after trimming to length while the case is still in the Wilson "chamber". I pop the case out with an old, soft baseball. I know it sounds strange, but I had it handy and it works.

Go slow, but if you still feel heat, suggest that you keep a bucket of ice handy and put the turner body in it (thin plastic over the ice, trimmer on the plastic, cover the bucket with something to seal the top). Again, strange, but it works.

Go slow. Be careful. It's a shame to get a case nice and prepped and have it drop on the concrete shop floor. :'(

I rinse off the lube with cheap, but industrial strength, fingernail polish remover that my daughter gets at Wal-Mart. You have to be careful with it. It'll take the finish off of just about anything.

Go slow (have I mentioned that before?) and measure, measure, measure. Measuring neck wall thickness is great, but NOTHING trumps the actual outside neck diameter with your bullet seated. That's the bottom line.

I'm a small fry, but what I get from hearing the big boys talk is that ensuring clearance, both length and diameter, is critical. Bill Forrester told me "Cut thin to win". That's when I moved from 8.6 to 8.1 and also trimming to 1.495 every load.

FWIW, YMMV, Greg J.

 

[Eddie Harren]

http://www.rwhart.com/store/products.asp?cat=23

 

[superlight93]

I have also gone thru many neck turners but I finally found the best one yet. 21st Century neck turner has given me the best results to date. It was money well spent.

 

[bozo699]

GSPV,
What speed do you recommend?? LOL good advice

DocEd,
Thank you for the site, I have very big hands, physically how big is the Hart say compared to the K&M and does it move the cutter to the arbor or visa versa? I like the appearance of it.
Wayne.

superlight93,
Have you figured anyway to tighten up the huge amount of back lash in the micro adjust wheel on the 21st century?
Wayne.

 

[fishbone]

I am new to turning. I used the PMA and my first try turned out superb results. Not one lost case.
Others are probably good too, but I know PMA is a good product.

 

[nv22br]

I am new to turning. I used the PMA and my first try turned out superb results. Not one lost case.
Others are probably good too, but I know PMA is a good product.

Though not new to neck turning having used a Foster unit in the past, I think the PMA tool is a great tool at a reasonable price. If you need help, Pat at PMA has a wealth of knowledge that he is willing to share.

 

[lightman]

The main difference between the less expensive and more expensive is in the ease of adjustment.I have several,mostly because I finally get it adjusted to where I want,lock it down,write on it what it is,and leave it set.One of the easy to adjust ones would be nice,if you turn for more than one rifle,or turn enough off to make several passes. Lightman

 

[P1ZombieKiller]

Go slow, but if you still feel heat, suggest that you keep a bucket of ice handy and put the turner body in it (thin plastic over the ice, trimmer on the plastic, cover the bucket with something to seal the top). Again, strange, but it works.

FWIW, YMMV, Greg J.

I used two frozen bags of green peas. Lay the cutter in between them. My wife see's it, and then refuses to cook the peas. Everybody wins!!!

 

[bozo699]

Go slow, but if you still feel heat, suggest that you keep a bucket of ice handy and put the turner body in it (thin plastic over the ice, trimmer on the plastic, cover the bucket with something to seal the top). Again, strange, but it works.

FWIW, YMMV, Greg J.

I used two frozen bags of green peas. Lay the cutter in between them. My wife see's it, and then refuses to cook the peas. Everybody wins!!!

I don't care who you are that's funny right there
Wayne.

 

[A j shooter]

PMA neck turners are great

 

[P1ZombieKiller]

PMA neck turners are great

I just got a PMA turner and absolutely love it. Now that Pat makes the adapter for my K&M madrels, I plan on selling my K&M bodies, and buying another PMA turner. For me, the PMA is much smoother.

 

[jonbearman]

Time precision took over the cps trimmer and continue to make them. It works very well and it is rigid.

 

[texasleftychef]

I like the Sinclair NT-4000 way better than the K&M. I used to lust after the Pumpkin but since I got the NT-4000 I don't see the need to go any further.

 

[BoydAllen]

If your tool has a sharp cutter, that has a good sized bevel, and a CARBIDE MANDREL, you have all that you need. The other differences are mostly about ease of setting, and having worked with the most rudimentary of tools, I have learned that I can set any of them. To save cases, I do my setup with free range fired brass. The other things that I recommend are a neck mic. that reads to .0001, and 1" mic. that does the same, and some good lube. The most common source of problems is too tight of a fit on the turning mandrel. This creates heat, and promotes brass transfer to the mandrel, especially if it is not carbide. You can do a good job of holding good tolerances, and have fewer heat and brassing issues with a slightly looser fit. The trick is to use the right technique, and a slow turning speed.

 

[Leaddog]

I use the 21st Century. Highly recommend.