Neck turner recomedations?

T

thefitter

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May 10, 2010
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#1
I have decided that the whole bench mounted neck turning unit is not happening.

Therefore I need solid recommendations on the hand units.
Looking at these three:

Hart
K&M
Sinclair

I want to purchase once and never feel the need to upgrade later.

Thanks
 
#3
Re: Neck turner recomedations?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: kd185</div><div class="ubbcode-body">what calibers do you plan on turning for? </div></div>

Right now .308

Near future .338
 
#4
Re: Neck turner recomedations?

I think you're tossing a coin with the K&M and the Sinclair, I have not handled the Hart. I would probably go the Sinclair, as they just always seem to keep offering stuff for their products, and they certainly have a lot of options for their turners...not to say K&M doesn't, I'm not up to date on their offerings, the one I had was bought 7+ years ago, as was my Sinclair...both of them and several hundred $ worth of other stuff got gone in a recent crash and grab from my truck....didn't even know about some of the stuff til I went to get from my shelf in the garage, and remembered it was in the truck--trying to decide if I'm gonna turn necks again......

I think you will be pleased with either one really, I know the K&M I had came with a carbide mandrel/pilot, IIRC that was optional with the Sinclair.

 
#5
Re: Neck turner recomedations?

I use a neck turner to true and clean up my necks. For that the K&M with a hand held electric screwdriver and a Lee chuckable shell holder body are perfect. You could use it for more precision neck turning but it would take some fiddling to do so and then I wouldn't want to be using the turner for more than one caliber once it was set up. If precision tight neck chambers is what you are going for get something within more precise micrometer adjustment.
 
#6
Re: Neck turner recomedations?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: ggmanning</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I use a neck turner to true and clean up my necks. For that the K&M with a hand held electric screwdriver and a Lee chuckable shell holder body are perfect. You could use it for more precision neck turning but it would take some fiddling to do so and then I wouldn't want to be using the turner for more than one caliber once it was set up. If precision tight neck chambers is what you are going for get something within more precise micrometer adjustment. </div></div>

The Hart looks like it has micrometer adjustment.

http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/default.aspx?productNumber=113989
 
#8
Re: Neck turner recomedations?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: clinto</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I have a k&m and a pumpkin, I like the pumpkin better. They have them in stock at bruno shooters </div></div>

What about it do you prefer?
 
#9
Re: Neck turner recomedations?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: thefitter</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: ggmanning</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I use a neck turner to true and clean up my necks. For that the K&M with a hand held electric screwdriver and a Lee chuckable shell holder body are perfect. You could use it for more precision neck turning but it would take some fiddling to do so and then I wouldn't want to be using the turner for more than one caliber once it was set up. If precision tight neck chambers is what you are going for get something within more precise micrometer adjustment. </div></div>

The Hart looks like it has micrometer adjustment.

http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/default.aspx?productNumber=113989 </div></div>

That is much better than the K&M adjustment....it is marked in .001 increments but the mic handle on the Hart is what I'd be looking for if I was turning for a tight neck chamber. Mine is not repeatable when switching between calibers.....which doesn't matter if you are only cleaning up .001 or so like I do. Depends on your use. My buddies that are into BR and 1000 yd egg shoots say good things about Hart and the pumpkin.
 
#13
Re: Neck turner recomedations?

I did a lot of research before buying a pumpkin. The general consensus was Pumpkin > Sinclair > K&M.

The pumpkin has a big old carbide blade which makes the cuts look prettier. It is also makes it less sensitive to heat than the K&M. That ends up being not such a big deal for me as I found that I get more consistent neck thickness when I turn by hand.

The pumpkin with its eccentric mandrel design is very adjustable. You just have to deal with the fact that you get no directions, so it takes a while to play around with it to get it right.

The latest Sinclair is very good (I think the NT-4000?). It is also a bit cheaper than the Pumpkin. The K&M is way cheaper than the Pumpkin. Price is the main disadvantage of the Pumpkin.

Truth be told, depending on how precise you want to go, you could probably get away with any of these. What I have found is that to get it consistent down to .0005", I need to turn in two passes and do it manually on the second pass. If you are doing an 80% cleanup, then a single pass with the K&M and a power screw driver will do the trick just fine and save you a bunch of money.
 
#15
Re: Neck turner recomedations?

The pumpkin didnt come with directions when I bought it from bruno so I called them and they e mailed the instructions to me. I can forward them along if anyone is interested
 
#16
Re: Neck turner recomedations?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: 427Cobra</div><div class="ubbcode-body">This is not going to make you shoot better, its just going to eat up more time preping brass and less time on the range.</div></div>

True that... and after you fire a couple of times, the neck thickness will start to vary again. But I'm anal like that.

Truth be told, brass prep isn't that time consuming in the big picture because it only needs to be done once in the life of the case. It takes probably 5 minutes a case including setup time if I do a big enough batch. In the life of the case, I will spend more time cleaning it than I will turning necks.

People also make a big deal about using "expensive" brass. Once you fire the case 10 times or so, it becomes the cheapest component of the cartridge... that is why I spend the extra time on brass prep and the extra money on good brass. Does it make a difference? Who knows?
 
#19
Re: Neck turner recomedations?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: 427Cobra</div><div class="ubbcode-body">This is not going to make you shoot better, its just going to eat up more time preping brass and less time on the range. </div></div>

True to a point. Neck tension and run out mean a lot long distance. Neck turning improves both. Just another variable in the accuracy game.
 
#20
Re: Neck turner recomedations?

I use the Sinclair turning gizmo and turn my 7WSM and .284 Winchester brass. I clean my 7WSM tactical brass to 0.015 and my .260 brass to 0.014. My 6x47L is a tight, no-turn neck, and the brass is uniform enough it does not need to be touched; same for my current lot of 338LM brass.

I agree it takes a bit of time at the beginning, but I've found no need to clean or turn a second time on my brass to date, so its a one-time thing. To me its worth the more consistent neck tension and release.

JeffVN
 
#21
Re: Neck turner recomedations?

I've had a knck turner accessory for my Foster case trimmer that I've had for over 20 years.
It may not be the best set up, but with a little case turning lube, it does a very good job, nice even cuts, very smooth and accurate.
Were I to buy somthing new, I'd most likely get a diferent set up, but the neck turner is still low priced and it works. I had forget I even had the neck turner accessory until I found it a few years ago.

John K
 
#22
Re: Neck turner recomedations?

I've used 2 different Sinclair units, an old discontinued model i borrowed from a friend before i got my own; a newer Sinclair unit. They both work well & are very accurate. Make sure you get a good "digital" tubing micrometer to check your settings after turning your first case. Used a dial indicator attached to the old unit & may adapt a micrometer head to the newer one, but not really needed on the newer one due to its adjustment knob.
 
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