Which VLD chamfering tool do you use?

[dreever]

They are now made by RCBS, Holland,Lyman, Wilson, and Sinclair in both carbide and steel normally in the 28 +/- degree configuration.
Prices range from $7.95,Lyman) to $30.00 for the carbide units.

Which one do you use?
Why did you select it?
Are you happy with the performance?
Do you use power or by hand?

I'm currently using the inexpensive Lyman unit by hand, at $7.95 from Lock Stock and Barrel It was certainly cheap enough. It works fine but is a bit slow doing it by hand so I've thought of going to a different model to power things up. I could use a electric drill with the Lyman's 1/8 inch shank but would prefer using a power screw driver with a Sinclair or other adapter.

So, I've got the ball rolling, feel free to share your thoughts.

Danny

 

[tenring]

Danny - I use the Lyman 17o that came with a wooden handle. I removed the cutter,just unthread it), and threaded it into one turning station of my RCBS Casemaster. Works well, fast and efficient. Gene

 

[jb1000br]

Lyman...one twist forward and one back.

JB

 

[Preacher]

I like the one from K&M better than the one from Lyman. When I bought that one it looked like it was sharpened with a chain saw, I fixed the problem that should not have been there. I like the stops on the K&M too.............

 

[ronemus]

I use the Holland tool with power, but chuck the case in a Sinclair caseholder; that allows me to trim, turn, and chamfer inside and out. I keep the tools in front of me and just pick up each in turn - much faster than using one tool in the drill. I do my high-capacity trimming,.223) with a Gracey and Giraud cutter, but for small numbers I use a Lee cutter/pilot. I throw away the Lee case driver and shorten the pilot to allow for the indexing bump on the Sinclair; the Sinclair is much easier to use and more accurate.

 

[chris308]

Ditto on the Holland tool! very nice....

 

[Forum Boss]

I use a standard Forster 45-deg "Rocket" chamferer most of the time. I have a K&M but I've found that it's too easy, with the very pointy cutter tip, to cut too much brass, even if you set the depth stop. I'm also on my third version because the 'fingers' on the first two were uneven, giving the unit a tendency to rock.

The K&M is SHARP, I'll give it that much.

In my mind, however, nobody has really made an ideal tool. I think a perfect tool would have caliber-specific tips and have an outward-flaring cutter that would create a rounded radius at the case mouth. The reason? We don't want to reduce neck thickness, we are merely trying to smooth bullet entry and reduce the chance of nicking the base or jacket of the bullet. I would like to see a chamferer sort of shaped like the picture below--and it might not need cutting blades at all--it could be like a grinding wheel instead.

 

[USAPatriot]

I would like to see a chamferer sort of shaped like the picture below--and it might not need cutting blades at all--it could be like a grinding wheel instead.

A hint at something you might try. I did this last year as an experiment and it worked well. I've got one of those RCBS case prep stations and I've got a Craftsman brand grinder/drilling set, one of those handheld gizmos that everyone has but hardly anyone uses. As part of the "extras" sets I bought for it there was a nice 30 degree coned polishing tool. It looks like a piece of marble. I took one of the brush setups from the case prepper and chopped it off, just leaving the threaded head behind. I took the coned polisher and cut the shank off and then epoxied the cone onto the threaded head, using a small square to hold the pieces straight while the epoxy cured. And that's it. It works like a champ and so long as I don't use too much pressure it takes off less brass than a steel tool does. -Rod-

 

[AndyW]

I use the Lyman on a small drill on the SLOW speed. A quick touch is all it takes.