Outside Neck Turning

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  • Last Post 25 December 2016
billglaze posted this 20 November 2016

Would anyone familiar with outside neck turning tools please offer their opinions as to the best/better tools for the job?  It appears that it has become necessary to outside neck turn on my 6mm Norma BR cases inasmuch as I can't insert a bullet into the neck of a fired case, and I am beginning to believe that the condition may be hurting accuracy.  (So far, with the mild loads I use, there have been absolutely no pressure signs.)Nobody is under oath here, just looking for opinions and ideas.  All submitted will, at the minimum, be considered gratefully. Thanks Bill

In theory, there's no difference between theory and practice. In practice, there is. My fate is not entirely in Gods hands, if I have a weapon in mine.

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Wonderman4 posted this 20 November 2016

The only one I have used is the one that hooks up to the trimmer and is made by Forster. Current price is about $35 at your favorite retail outlet.

So, if you have a Forster trimmer, it just might be for you.

You will need a pilot for each caliber that you are working with (.243 in your post). It works good for me.

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muley posted this 20 November 2016

I use the Sinclair ( green one) with correct pilot, put case in lathe in back gear, and turn case. use q-tip to put a little lube inside neck and go at it.

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fa38 posted this 20 November 2016

I have a K&M Micro adjustable tool that I like.  K&M sells the tool with mandrels for each caliber.  If you buy this tool you should buy the mandrel and its holder to expand the sized case so that the mandrel on the neck turning tool is a nice tight slip fit. I also have a case holder that I put into a drill to turn the case while holding the neck turning tool that makes neck turning easier. https://kmshooting.com/>https://kmshooting.com/

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cba_admin posted this 20 November 2016

I agree with fa38 as I have a K&M as well as a Hart that I bought in '82.  I bought the K&M for my 30BR and have stored the Hart.  The mandrels that they sell are perfect for expanding the cases to fit.  One holder and as many caliber mandrels as you need.  I also use their shell holder and a power drill.  I cut my necks to .0095 and every one is the same. Mike

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delmarskid1 posted this 20 November 2016

I have the Sinclair. It works but I would like something better.

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RicinYakima posted this 20 November 2016

I have the Wilson and the K&M. The Wilson is set up for 30's back when I was shooting 1000 yard stuff. It works great, but haven't used it in years. The K&M work great for 20 cases or until your fingers get sore. HTH, Ric

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cba_admin posted this 21 November 2016

RicinYakima wrote: I have the Wilson and the K&M. The Wilson is set up for 30's back when I was shooting 1000 yard stuff. It works great, but haven't used it in years. The K&M work great for 20 cases or until your fingers get sore. HTH, RicRic - if your fingers get tired you can either buy this (link below) or look at it and if you or a friend have a mill make your own from a piece of 1 3/4” aluminum bar stock.  I use it and can turn a hundred necks with no effects to my old hands.

http://kmshooting.com/tools/holding/accessories-spare-parts/ergo-holder.html>http://kmshooting.com/tools/holding/accessories-spare-parts/ergo-holder.html Mike

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gpidaho posted this 21 November 2016

Like muley I use the Sinclair tool, the green one. Works great. Gp

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Eutectic posted this 21 November 2016

Bill, I have used a Sinclair for years. It is slow but it does an excellent job.

Several case sizing lubes I tried did not work well. I use lanolin inside the case necks.

Steve

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billwnr posted this 21 November 2016

If the fired case is too small to insert a bullet you must have a tight neck chamber. A chamber cast would help in telling you how much to turn down off the neck.

I have a Pumpkin and a Sinclair.

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RicinYakima posted this 21 November 2016

Great idea! I'll try to make one on my mill. Ric

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rockquarry posted this 21 November 2016

I bought a Sinclair 20 or so years ago when I had a 6BR, but never turned more than a few cases at a time with it, maybe 20. I've had a Forster much longer and use it several times a year to turn much larger quantities.

I'm sure there are newer ones on the market you might want to check out, but I doubt any are better than the Forster.

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Tom Acheson posted this 21 November 2016

Mic the OD of a loaded round and compare that to your chamber cast. Should have at least 0.001” clearance per side around the neck of the loaded round. If you can't assemble a round, measure the wall thickness of the neck, multiply by 2 and add the bullet diameter. This would be the loaded round diameter.

Turning the outside of the neck might not allow a bullet to enter the mouth? Maybe the dies are causing the OD of the case mouth to become too small?

I have the Sinclair unit for 6.5mm and .30 cal. necks and the Forester for .40-70 and .45-70 “necks". Both work great.

Tom

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Ken Campbell Iowa posted this 21 November 2016

tom a. ::: good point

the neck of the brass will normally spring back 0.0015 to 0.003 smaller than the chamber neck dia.

so it might be enough just to expand the neck a bit more. worth a try .

ken

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John Carlson posted this 22 November 2016

I use the Sinclair along with the shell holder in a drill on my 223 brass. Do some googling on neck turning to learn about turning the right amount of the neck to avoid going too far or creating the dreaded “donut” at the base of the neck.

At least some of the custom barrels I have seen have the neck diameter stamped ahead of the chamber, right after the caliber. In any case the above is good advice, establish the neck size and turn the brass to accommodate it.

John Carlson. CBA Director of Military Competition.

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Loren Barber posted this 22 November 2016

I also have the K&M tool with appropriate mandrels for 6 ppc and 30 br.  I use the Sinclair case holder that costs about $15.  I have a miniature lathe that really makes turning necks much easier without the finger torture after handling 100 pieces of brass. Suggest using a good lubricant and don't turn too quickly for a nice finish.  Also consider doing two cuts. One for the major amount of brass removal and a second at a latter time for fine tuning the thickness.  My 6 ppc is a 0.262 neck in the chamber.  I have my brass turned to 0.0075 inches and a loaded round is 0.260 inches.  If you don't have a ball anvil micrometer, I would recommend getting one to check where your thickness adjustments are zeroing in on your goal.Loren

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mtngun posted this 23 November 2016

I started out with the Forster outside turning attachment that fits on my Forster case trimmer.    I was never able to get precise results with it, and it was slow and hard to use.

Then I switched to the handheld Forster neck turning tool.  I like it much better, though the supplied case holder is useless.  I instead chuck cases in a handheld drill -- works fine as long as you use low speed.

It's important that the pilot be a good fit -- snug, but not so snug that there is a lot of friction.   You can either turn fired cases, turn sized cases, or turn sized & M-died (but not mouth-flared) cases, but whatever method you use, the pilot has to fit the neck.    It helps if you have the ability to make your own pilot and/or your own M-die spuds.

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billglaze posted this 23 November 2016

After looking at all the ideas here, which were gratefully scanned, it looks as if there may be a K & M in my future. But for now, I believe I'll get my feet wet with the Forster as mentioned by mtngun. Relatively inexpensive and, while probably slow compared with the others, it should at least get me started and, if my néed goes beyond the initial hundred cases, I'll probably go for the K & M which seems to be pretty popular.

Anyway, that's my idea de jour

Again, many thanks for the helpful suggestions and information.

Bill Glaze

In theory, there's no difference between theory and practice. In practice, there is. My fate is not entirely in Gods hands, if I have a weapon in mine.

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billglaze posted this 23 December 2016

  • I was all convinced that the  K & M was the way to go.  I looked up their phone number and gave them a call; got an answering machine, (during normal business hours.) I left my phone number, repeating it slowly and distinctly. No answer for a couple of days, so I called again.  Same canned answering machine, same non-results.

I just don't want to do business with someone so customer-indifferent.  So, I'm still considering options.

 

In theory, there's no difference between theory and practice. In practice, there is. My fate is not entirely in Gods hands, if I have a weapon in mine.

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SierraHunter posted this 24 December 2016

I just have a forester trimmer with the neck turning attachment. It works well.

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Larry Gibson posted this 24 December 2016

I also use the Forster Trimmer with the neck turning attachment. I have also got the electric screw driver attachment that replaces the handle.  I've found it works extremely well. and turns the necks quite concentric.  Over the years using the attachment (35+) I've turn many necks of 6.5mm, 7mm, 30 cal, 31 cal and 8mm.  I've found the Forster tool very versatile to use that I actually have two attachments.

 

LMG

Concealment is not cover.........

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R. Dupraz posted this 24 December 2016

I bought my Forester trimmer in the mid sixties and have a selection of accessories by now to include custom made reamers. It still is as tight as new and does everything that I need, trimming, inside and outside neck reaming and turning and hollow pointing.. Some time back, I sent the cutter back to the Forester folks and they sharpened it for $5.00.  Nice friendly people.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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OU812 posted this 25 December 2016

I have a 1996 vintage Sinclair tool. The double ended mandrels are machined for two different calibers and one end can be chucked in drill. They changed this double mandrel design to single ended mandrel to increase company profit. You now have to buy one mandrel for each caliber and no more being able to chuck in drill.

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John Carlson posted this 25 December 2016

I do it the other way around.  A shell holder chucked in the drill to hold the brass and hold the cutting tool in the other hand. 223 brass can just be inserted into a 1/2” chuck.  Less mass spinning around = fewer “accidents".

John Carlson. CBA Director of Military Competition.

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SierraHunter posted this 25 December 2016

I don't think I would trust a drill for neck turning. I like my little hand turner.

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OU812 posted this 25 December 2016

Variable speed drill turns just as slow as by hand.

Turning just the cutter and holding the case still allows for better neck alignment.

The mandrels also act as case expanders for tighter fit before neck turning.

Be sure to fire form, full length resize, and chamfer necks before turning.

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