25 January 2005, 11:31
Wstrnhuntrreloading and mini-lathes
I recently purchased a small lathe mostly for the purpose of chambering (and so shall end life as Ive known it)

, but as I browsed the webb I found guys who use these things almost exclusivly for reloading purposes.
Anyone else here do this?? I think Ill just stick with my Lee tools for trimming, but I will definatly make some use of it for checking runout, especially with my cast loads. Any other possible uses along these lines??
25 January 2005, 15:29
PuncherAnother use is making/modifying dies.
25 January 2005, 18:12
Bob338I got one about six months ago and I'm amazed at how much I use it. It's not exclusive to reloading. For trimming I prefer a Wilson trimmer for both accuracy and speed. Some things just take too long to set up in the lathe. A dedicated tool for a particular operation seems preferable. It's those things for which no good tools exist or are too expensive where it truly shines.
26 January 2005, 00:35
Savage99I use my lathe for polishing stuff, modifying dies, making expanding buttons, spuds for the case trimmer, screws, volume case chamfering and primer pocket reaming.
I have also made auxilary cartridge holders etc.
One can do quite a few of the things mentioned above with just an electric drill. Just hold the drill below the jaws of a bench vise. It will do most of the chamfering and polishing that a lathe will do.