Which Neck Turning Tool?
- Thread starter Papa Charlie
- Start date
284winner
Silver $$ Contributor
Nice clean bench setup. I need a bigger bench.Zero experience with anything else but the 21st Century works great. Setup was straight forward. Results are very consistent. Powering it with my cordless drill.
284winner
Silver $$ Contributor
Very nice.Thanks. I just finished the bench and gun room.
I have 4 of them. The best I have ever used. Never used 21s Centry
I have 2 K&M and 1 PMA. Get the carbide mandrel. They all produce good results. Get the carbide cutter that matches your shoulder angle.
I really like the idea of having 4 of them because they are very affordable. 1 for each caliber I load. setting them and not having to fiddle around and swap calibers etc.
GORGEOUS!Thanks. I just finished the bench and gun room.
Steve Donlon
Gold $$ Contributor
PMA all the way, both models A and B, depending on the brass and chamber.
Last edited:
One Eye Pete
Gold $$ Contributor
There are a lot of good neck turning tools out there. I use the 21st century lathe but I'm sure that there are others that are good too.
What I have learned about neck turning is:
Carbide mandrels are expensive but work best
Using a drill or other power tool to turn seems to work better than by hand
The real key is the fit of the brass over the mandrel. I prefer it tight, absolutely no perceptible play. You want it tight to be consistent but not so tight that it causes excessive heat when turning. Use plenty of lube even on a carbide mandrel.
What I did was to get a steel expander mandrel that was slightly too big and then I chucked it in a drill press and turned it down a little at a time with very fine (600) wet sandpaper coated with oil until I got the fit perfect for my turning mandrell. A good and cheap substitute for an expander die and mandrels is a Lee collet die. Just go into the die far enough for the die to expand the neck not to clamp down on it. You can get extra mandrels from Lee very cheap.
When you are trying to get them perfect measuring down to .0001-.0002 can be a challenge. Don't cheap out on the device you use to do your measuring. I use a Mitutoyo digital ball mike. Not cheap but you can find them used on eBay as I did.
This may go without saying but when you are first starting out practice on old worn out brass because I can assure you you are going to ruin some brass before you get it right.
What I have learned about neck turning is:
Carbide mandrels are expensive but work best
Using a drill or other power tool to turn seems to work better than by hand
The real key is the fit of the brass over the mandrel. I prefer it tight, absolutely no perceptible play. You want it tight to be consistent but not so tight that it causes excessive heat when turning. Use plenty of lube even on a carbide mandrel.
What I did was to get a steel expander mandrel that was slightly too big and then I chucked it in a drill press and turned it down a little at a time with very fine (600) wet sandpaper coated with oil until I got the fit perfect for my turning mandrell. A good and cheap substitute for an expander die and mandrels is a Lee collet die. Just go into the die far enough for the die to expand the neck not to clamp down on it. You can get extra mandrels from Lee very cheap.
When you are trying to get them perfect measuring down to .0001-.0002 can be a challenge. Don't cheap out on the device you use to do your measuring. I use a Mitutoyo digital ball mike. Not cheap but you can find them used on eBay as I did.
This may go without saying but when you are first starting out practice on old worn out brass because I can assure you you are going to ruin some brass before you get it right.
Yup, that's what I do. Love not having to re-setup every time I change caliber. I take the handles off the Hornadys and connect a cordless drill. I do brass when it is new and then usually never again. New brass has to be sized to perfectly fit the mandrel, and then sized again before loading, but sizing does not take long.
One Eye Pete
Gold $$ Contributor
SPJ
It doesn't matter who's expander you use what matters is the diameter of the expander vs the diameter of the turning mandrel you use.
There are subtle differences in the diameters of both turning and expander mandrels from different manufacturers. Measure them with am accurate micrometer.
The fit of the case to be turned, over the turning mandrel is what is important as well as the setting of the cutter itself.
I also agree with having multiple turners as the setup to get the neck thickness right is a pain in the neck (literally).
It doesn't matter who's expander you use what matters is the diameter of the expander vs the diameter of the turning mandrel you use.
There are subtle differences in the diameters of both turning and expander mandrels from different manufacturers. Measure them with am accurate micrometer.
The fit of the case to be turned, over the turning mandrel is what is important as well as the setting of the cutter itself.
I also agree with having multiple turners as the setup to get the neck thickness right is a pain in the neck (literally).
newbie to neck turning here. I bought a Hornady a few years back and it sat on my shelf until last fall when I need to trim down some 6BR cases. Since then I turned 200 6BR necks and 100 30 BW cases with it. The necks come out concentric with even thickness and the cutter depth adjustment works great. My only complaint is I really have to pay close attention to where I stop because the mandrel is a pain to set and does not want to stay locked. I thought about drilling and tapping for a setscrew but instead I simply watch the brass color and when the cut as reaches the shoulder I stop and back the case out. I did the 100 of the 30BW cases the other night in about a hour. I use Sinclair expanders for prep and a cordless screwdriver for power. So far the last 100 6BR have 5 to 6 firings on them with no doughnuts or neck separations so I am satisfied. It did involve a learning curve and I ruined about 20 or so cases before getting the knack of it
ronsatspokane
Gold $$ Contributor
I use K&M mounted in a 14x40 lathe. I can do about 50 to 75 cases an hour.
You must be doing something wrong. I am running two of the Hornadys and never have that problem.
That is a definite maybe, I 'll look for some videos on how to set it up later later. It is possible I am missing something. It would be nice to not have to watch the brass so closely.
I'm trying to think how that could happen . . . maybe if your brass is too tight on the mandril?
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