Which neck turning systems does everyone prefer ?

I used to use the RCBS neck turner which worked very well but was very tedious. Went to the Hornady Lock "n Load Neck Turn tool and much better for me. Both gave me the same end result but a more pleasurable experience with the Hornady tool.
 
Blake Machine IDOD:

https://fclassproducts.com/the-idod-case-turner

They are great but overkill for 95% of neck turners... I have the above but started with a K&M then bought a 21st Century powered lathe with all the bells and whistles. They are all capable of precision under 0.0003" if used properly. If turning for small volume (under 200cases) I would go simple with the K&M or similar units. Just make sure you get one with a large aluminum handle for the cutter; it will serve as a heat sink and make your results more consistent from the first neck to the last. The other option, which is what I would suggest to the OP, is to have DJ's Brass Service turn them for you. He is very good at it and quick.

https://djsbrass.com/
 
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I like my Sinclair NT-4000 with a variable speed drill. Works great for me but not the cheapest of tools.
 
Turns necks really well....
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If you are going to or starting to cutting your rifle brass necks. I will add a little food for though into neck cutting. How many caliber you are loading for? That were the expenses really comes in. The ideal is cutting the necks the same thickness each time, for neck tension, and centering the case in the chamber. Once that thickness is determine you really don't want change that. They say don't cut your brass necks to less than .013 in thickness. A 21st century neck cutting system is a lot of money to start with, but at least you can get different cutting heads, and expander die body for each caliber. You can purchase a neck cutting setup for each caliber. That way once thickness is set, you never have to change it. I have two different neck cutting set ups. Not really happy with either one, and mainly because of having to adjust the tool for different calibers. I sent Hornady an email asking if they supplied just the cutting head that can be changed out for different calibers. I didn't get anywhere with that. I think they are missing the boat, but maybe that's only me. It goes back to I wish I knew what I know now. I would have saved money in the long run.
So- you say to save up( I've already mentioned that 21st century stuff is out of wallet margine)
I can get different cutter bits for the K&M. Whom I will say, answered all my ? Immediately this morning ( I asked the ? I had over the weekend)
A fellow p.m.'d me with a Hornady turner
Don't know wether to start there or get the K&M ?
 
I use the Sinclair hand turned tool for situations requiring neck turning.

BUT, I have been necking down LC67 Match brass to 25-06 for 30 years with no need for neck turning and excellent performance. Be sure you really need to turn it, before you turn it, or spend money on the gear.

Rex
 
So- you say to save up( I've already mentioned that 21st century stuff is out of wallet margine)
I can get different cutter bits for the K&M. Whom I will say, answered all my ? Immediately this morning ( I asked the ? I had over the weekend)
A fellow p.m.'d me with a Hornady turner
Don't know wether to start there or get the K&M ?
If you are serious, and a little OCD, or just finnicky about your work, "RELOADING". Go with K&M or 21Centry. You can not compare the cuts that is made by a RCBS, Hornady, Sinclair neck turning system, to the K&M and the 21Century neck turners. Its like comparing a Hyundai to a Mercedes. PMA make a real good set up, not as pricey as the K&M and 21Centry turners and it produces a Quality turned neck, no fuss. My father in law,,, in mentoring me through the years,, we have used the RCBS, Hornady, and Sinclair neck turning systems and found them to be lacking in,, Well lets just say what they produced wasn't what we were looking for. Today he uses the PMA system and I use the K&M System. A buddy of mine just got the 21Centry system 2 weeks ago and I helped him set it up and got him turning case necks and I'm very pleased with the out come of the finished case necks.. They Look just like the cases I turned on the K&M. What I like the most about the K&M turner is The tight fit on the pilot. It's tight with out any slop. The expanding mandrel and the pilot are a great match. That is the one thing that I was not happy with the 21Centry steel expander & pilot, just a little slop in that area, but it still produced a fine cut. Now,, to make some people mad. LOL.
People,, If you are turning your BRASS and your brass is getting HOT. You are turning your brass to fast. What will happen next is you will TWIST your case necks. You may not even be able to see it unless you are using a concentricity gauge. Also for lube, Imperial sizing wax is the best solution. For you guys using Graphite and 50 weight motor oil, your defeating the purpose and creating a mess all at the same time. All I'M GOING TO SAY ON THAT SUBJECT IS,, think about it. Graphite and heavy oil is not your friend in this area, if your are producing heat, slow it down and go slow and use imperial sizing wax. One more thing,, Buy CARBIDE when ever possible, That's the big reason I went with K&M and the big reason I did not go with the 21Centry system. I don't know every thing, but I do know this. I spent a lot of money in this area, I'm OCD, and when it comes to my work and my tools I'm very detailed oriented,,, I'll end on this note. Good luck on your new adventures in reloading, May you get more out of it, than you put in it. Here's some pics of some brand new Lapua brass that I just turn and fire formed this week end. In the last pic of the cases you can see that there is no blow back on the case necks. That's a good sign that my turning was a success and they all came out of my rifle with less than .0008 run out. Yep, that's just a little over half a thou. Be sure to scrub your chamber very well before fireforming your cases, after turning,,, if you have a pretty trued chamber, the concentricity you'll get, will amaze you. Have fun with what every toy you decide to play with. It will satisfy all of your needs, or you will have to buy some thing else down the road. Such as it goes with reloading. OH!!! The answer to your question is " Drum Roll" K&M!!! or what ever you decide.:)

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Blake Machine IDOD:

https://fclassproducts.com/the-idod-case-turner

They are great but overkill for 95% of neck turners... I have the above but started with a K&M then bought a 21st Century powered lathe with all the bells and whistles. They are all capable of precision under 0.0003" if used properly. If turning for small volume (under 200cases) I would go simple with the K&M or similar units. Just make sure you get one with a large aluminum handle for the cutter; it will serve as a heat sink and make your results more consistent from the first neck to the last. The other option, which is what I would suggest to the OP, is to have DJ's Brass Service turn them for you. He is very good at it and quick.

https://djsbrass.com/
If I bought that machine and all accessories, I would be forced to into a low rent kitchenette. Lol
Wifeless and trying to compete with DJ's. Lmoa
I'm buying a Hornady system here in a few days
 
To answer seriously, I use the Forster Outside neck turner.
Works great.
Needs to be used AFTER you have sized the case so to guarantee a snug fit on the mandrel.
I resized several hundred LC 7.62x51 into 7mm-08 when I couldn't find any on the shelves and refused to buy it online at > 50¢ apiece.
LC is interesting brass. At least, this stuff was, fired from a MG. I tossed ~5% because I could never get it to fit my case checker.
When sizing down the necks, the brass doesn't evenly flow, so you will have high spots on the necks.
Anneal after resizing, too.
Remember to use lots of lube when sizing down. I use a 50:50 refined coconut oil / 99% rubbing alcohol mix that doesn't stink to high heaven like the lanolin mix, is slicker than snot, and unless you use WAY too much, (i.e. see it running down the side of the case) won't produce dented shoulders. Wipes off easily and doesn't leave the gummy feeling like a lanolin mix if you don't wipe it off.
 
So- you say to save up( I've already mentioned that 21st century stuff is out of wallet margine)
I can get different cutter bits for the K&M. Whom I will say, answered all my ? Immediately this morning ( I asked the ? I had over the weekend)
A fellow p.m.'d me with a Hornady turner
Don't know wether to start there or get the K&M ?
If you can get different cutter set up that once you set a thickness, and not change it unless there needs to be additional adjustment for that caliber neck. I would say what would work. I don't have a K&M setup. So I don't know much about it. I looked at it yesterday. It looked good for what it is. I know it's a pain to adjust a cutter head for a different caliber and go back to what your cutting on another caliber. I know about the costs in getting a 21st Century set up. I just put down $1,800.00 for system. I am lucky to have two boys, and a brother, that are close to me, and they will get to use it too. Hornady only only sell a single cutter set up. You can get different mandrels for it. You have to just the cutter each time you change caliber. Hornady system doesn't allow for additional cutter head assemble set up. Maybe they will wake up and sell the head assemble only without selling the base. 21st Century cutter assembles cost more than the entire Hornady set up. I watch some films on one person that just purchases additional Hornady set up for each caliber. That's gets to be a lot of gear to shelve.
 
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