I have to admit and come to terms with the fact that I have that disease "BRS". I have found that as my ilness progresses that I find my self in need of a good Case Neck Turning Rig.
Now as always please offer some advise on a good set up. Thanks

Iknowmyspellingsucks!

This turning tool from Hornady is a great tool. The guy that designed it had his $hit together!

IMO, the K & M is the best. It is the only one I know of that offers the cutter on the end of the mandrel to get rid of doughnuts. There are adjustments for all facets and the micrometer dial is precise.

I have the Forster but sometimes wish I had a cutting madrel. The blade on the Forster is wider than the K & M which I like, but I think the K & M is more of a precision instrument.

While I don't think the K&M is the best, it is a good turner and is all you need. The best is made by Don Nielson and will set you back about $200. It's called the "PUMPKIN".

quote:

Originally posted by pointblank:
While I don't think the K&M is the best, it is a good turner and is all you need. The best is made by Don Nielson and will set you back about $200. It's called the "PUMPKIN".

Right On!! And, if you are truly bitten by the BR bug, you will probably save money in the long run by buying both the Pumpkin and Don Nielsen's case lathe and chuck now. The combo of pumpkin, chuck, and lathe is ABOUT $350 or a bit more (haven't checked recently) if all bought at the same time. As a benchrester, you'll probably end up getting them some day anyhow....

The electric lathe and chuck holds and turns the case while you feed the pumpkin's pilot into the case.

Nice thing about the Pumpkin is that it not only turns to 1-10,000th inch accuracy, it lets YOU pick WHICH 10,00TH of an inch...You can accurately choose and make changes like from .0094" to .0096" without having to screw around with 10 different attempts to adjust the turner. That's just an example. Just about any other useable dimension changes you want to make in case neck thickness are possible too.

The pumpkin is calibrated in 10,000ths. Just pick the one you want and set it there.

Well I think you haven't checked the numbers in quite a while...lol, the case lathe alone is advertized at $350 or $400 and then there is the Pumpkin itself at $200. The Pumpkin is utilizes an eccentric mandrel that makes those teeny adjustments a snap. Jerry Stiller at one time made a very similar unit he sold for $75, and it is very nice as well. But I have to say that the K&M will do anything you ask and you can make the same small adjustments without lots of "practice cases". It's not nearly as refined as the Pumpkin, but it does work well. The biggest pain in the neck that I have used is the Sinclair, which is very difficult to adjust.

Pointblank- thanks for the price update. It has only been a bit over a year since I checked the prices, so I was quite surprised to see the change you list. It's starting to seem like guns, bullets, primers, & brass aren't the only things that are skyrocketing in these days of "no inflation"!

Incidentally, just over a year ago, I bought one of the lathes used from a fella on Benchrest.com for $125 delivered from Virginia to Oregon, complete with chuck. Didn't think it was a great bargain at the time, but now I do!!

I agree the K&M will do anything one needs...for that matter, so will my 30 year old Marquart. It is just that the pumpkin is much easier to both set and use, in my experience....and makes a wonderfully smooth cut, too.