I wanted to write a quick note about a couple of gadget's from Sinclair that saved me some time with my brass preparation. Well, I guess saving time is relative to how many cases you are doing. If you are prepping a mountain of brass (varmint or competition shooting) or if you are trimming very often, then these tools may save you some time. Otherwise, they might not be worth the effort or expense.

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Carbide 28 Degree Cutter

I have been eyeballing this little “chingadera” for some time but always put it in the “unnecessary” category. I finally caved in at a weak moment I had while browsing online during a thunderstorm after I had to cancel a range session due to the weather. Thankfully though, no buyer’s remorse!

Besides its intended purpose of making it easier to seat VLD bullets, I like this little guy for two more reasons:

1) It is VERY sharp and cuts through the brass like a hot knife through butter. Also, I noticed that the spiral cutting flutes do not allow gouging or leave facets in the brass like the Wilson/RCBS/Redding style 45 degree chamfer sometimes does (Unequivocally, this is completely my fault and happens when I get lazy, distracted, or fatigued).

2) It can be used under power using a drill motor without buying a separate adapter; the long shaft makes it easy to chuck it up. But like all the other gadgets, if you want to use it with a cordless screwdriver with a hex chuck you will have to buy the adapter ($13.25) similar to all the other standard chamfering tool adapters($16.90).

What I dislike about this gadget is the price. But even at $17.80, I can see that is it made of carbide and also that it is a precision ground tool that will outlast me and my kids.

http://www.sinclairintl.com/product/6247/s



There is a similar VLD deburring tool made by RCBS for $10.95, but I didn’t think the short threaded shank would last very long in a chuck, nor is long enough to grip very effectively.

http://www.sinclairintl.com/product/10437/s



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The second thing that I think can save someone some time is this little $6.95 “Sinclair Chamber Length Gage”. I have them in several calibers and have been happy with them. They are caliber specific, but can be reused with different rifles. It is pretty self explanatory, but basically you trim a fired case until the neck is about half its normal length. You then use a neck die to slightly size the neck down until it grips the chamber length gage firmly, but not enough to prevent it from sliding in or out with your fingers. With the gage extending from the case at near full length, it is carefully inserted into the chamber and the bolt is slowly closed over the case. It is then carefully extracted and the total overall length is recorded. (I repeated this several times until I got consistent measurements). This will give you the overall maximum length that your cases can be before the brass will start to crimp into a seated bullet when the rounds are chambered.

So how will this save you time, you ask? Well, don’t be surprised that most, if not all, of your rifles will be able to accept a much longer case than what the "trim-to" specs tell you in the reloading manuals. In fact, none of my chambers have even come close to touching the cases at the "maximum" case lengths specified. Therefore, I have had to trim a lot less and only worry about consistency in the lengths of all the cases rather than trying to keep them trimmed to an arbitrary length set by SAAMI. This is what has saved me time in the long run.

http://www.sinclairintl.com/pr...uges-Headspace-Tools



Well anyway, I am sure many of you were already aware of these tools, but if not I hope they can save you some time and energy better spent hunting, shooting, drinking beer, or chasing wild women.

Good luck!

PLUS 1 on your tool ideas. I use the sinclair inserts on all my guns. Give you a chance to watch erosion a bit over the years too. THE BEST WAY NOT TO TRIM is knowing you don't have to in the first place. I have many chambers that came from the factory .015" over saami spec. I have several mags that never need trimming for the life of the case.
I also have and love to use the low angle deburring. I always thought the normal stubby ones left a tad of a "ridge" that the bullet had to over come while seating...it's much smoother with a vld....mine happens to be a lyman and it sits on my elec rcbs case prep center

quote:

So how will this save you time, you ask? Well, don’t be surprised that most, if not all, of your rifles will be able to accept a much longer case than what the "trim-to" specs tell you in the reloading manuals.

That's a mountain of time saved right there. It bugs me when I chuck a case into my homemade trimmer and the cutter never touches the case. Then I just have to take it out and do the next one. Insert angry emoticon here...

quote:

Originally posted by kraky:
Give you a chance to watch erosion a bit over the years too.

....mine happens to be a lyman and it sits on my elec rcbs case prep center

Hmmmmm... I never thought about the throat erosion issue. I guess I always assumed it only begun at the lede, but now I want to check my old records and see if my chambers have changed any. Thanks for the idea.

Also, I didn't know Lyman made one as well. I think there are a few custom outfits that also make VLD deburring tools, but I guess they all work the same anyway.

Lastly, I forgot to mention that for those of you that like to fireform your new brass first and THEN start your load development, this can save you time if you know you don't have to waste time trimming new cases (which I find sometimes shrink rather than "grow").

Also along the same time saving lines.............

I just got through outside neck turning 200 .300 win mag cases with my Sinclair case holder. It chucks up in a drill motor and holds the case securely so that you can turn the necks under power!

It also works great for annealing. You just need to buy extra shellholders caliber specific.

+1 on the Sinclair Chamber Length Gauge - great gadget!!

SUCH A PITY, though, that Sinclair don't make them in calibers much larger than .308. I desperately want one in .323" and a .375" would not be bad either.

- mike

Will they work in tight necked custom chambers?

The chamber length gauges save me a ton of time and provide a little more purchase when trying to reach the lands.

I would think that you could custom fit one that would work in a tight necked chamber with a drill press and a little crocus cloth.

I use the VLD reamer on my RCBS Trim Mate. Also I make my own chamberlength plugs. It is easy with a lathe.
Lyle

quote:

Originally posted by mho:
SUCH A PITY, though, that Sinclair don't make them in calibers much larger than .308. I desperately want one in .323" and a .375" would not be bad either.

- mike

I too was interested in larger calibers, so I wrote Sinclair sales and they responded:

"We do have larger calibers available that are new. They are the following item numbers for you."

G-358
G-366
G-375
G-408
G-416
G-422
G-429
G-458
G-510

The "Carbide 28 degree cutter" might also be called a "bur"

http://www1.mscdirect.com/CGI/...pagenumber=983Pmode=


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I recently made my own chamber length gauge for estimating max trim lengths. Don't forget to allow for the headspace [minus the case sized length to the shoulder] that allows the firing pin to push the case forward.

But For $7, I can't turn on the lathe.

Varmint Al has instructions on his site for making the "poor man's chamber length gauge". I've cut the brass necks already but have not tried it. It's tough to put the little ring of brass back on the bullet after you split it so it doesn't touch the sides of the chamber (neck region) before it hits the end of the chamber so you can measure.

When I bought my sinclair inserts they were about $6 ea.....I'm not a rich man.....but I'd classify that as a poor mans tool. I can't imagine the monkeying around trying to fabricate one.....it would be pretty much....the crazy mans tool.

I am sure that Sinclair would have designed and built gauges better than mine.

Here is a way to measure your chamber lengths for just a little effort and no expense.

Bill of materials -
A case of the same head size but longer than the original case. This will not always be possible to find but you might get creative. A case like a .280 Remington or .270 might be hard to find a longer version for this check.
On the other hand it is easy to find a longer test case for the 7X57.

Process
1. Use a FL die set to size a case to fit your chamber.
2. Size the too long case in your FL die.
3. You will have a neck that is too long.
Taper expand the too long neck to lightly interfere with your chamber neck.
4. Use your judgment here but shove the bolt home to force the chamber to squeeze the case neck to the right diameter.
5. Notice the bolt will not close. This is a good time to measure the case at the mouth to determine your chamber neck diameter!!!
Trim the case in steps - cut and try. Re-expand if you have to trim off a lot. Keep trying the case for length in the chamber.
This can be a little tedious the first time. Eventually you will have a case that drags on the chamber neck diameter and barely allows the bolt to close. That is the length of your chamber. Once you get the first case to chamber measure it. Then expand and trim 2 or 3 more and check them to verify your first number is right. Write the numbers down. You will not have to check that rifle again.