Case-Neck Chamfer Tools — Pick Your Angle
There are a wide variety of reloading tools designed to cut a slight chamfer in case necks and deburr the edge of the case mouth. You don’t need to spend a lot of money for an effective tool. A basic “rocket-style” 45° chamfering tool, such as the Forster, actually does a pretty good job taking the sharp edge off case mouths, particularly if you use a little scotch-pad (or steel wool) to smooth the edge of the cut. The $17.49 Forster chamfer tool, shown below, is a nicely-made product, with sharper cutting blades than you’ll find on most other 45° chamferers.
Many folks feel they can get smoother bullet seating by using a tool that cuts at a steeper angle. We like the 22° cutter sold by Lyman. It has a comfortable handle, and costs just $10.45 at MidsouthShooterssupply.com. The Lyman tool is an excellent value, though we’ve seen examples that needed sharpening even when new. Blade-sharpening is easily done, however.
Sinclair International offers a 28° carbide chamferer with many handy features (and sharp blades). The $29.99 Sinclair Carbide VLD Case Mouth Chamfering Tool will chamfer cases from .14 through .45 caliber. This tool features a removable 28° carbide cutter mounted in the green plastic Sinclair handle. NOTE: A hex-shaft cutter head power adapter can be purchased separately for $14.99 (Sinclair item 749-002-488WS). This can be chucked in a power screwdriver or used with the Sinclair Case Prep Power Center when doing large volumes of cases.
K&M makes a depth-adjustable, inside-neck chamferer (“Controlled Depth Tapered Reaper”) with ultra-sharp cutting flutes. The latest version, which costs $45.00 at KMShooting.com, features a central pin that indexes via the flash hole to keep the cutter centered. In addition, the tool has a newly-designed handle, improved depth-stop fingers, plus a new set-screw adjustment for precise cutter depth control. We caution, even with all the depth-control features, if you are not very careful, it is easy to over-cut, slicing away too much brass and basically ruining your neck. We think that most reloaders will get better results using a more conventional chamfer tool, such as the Forster or Lyman.
One last thing to note — tools like the K&M and the Sinclair chamferer are often described as VLD chamferers. That is really a misnomer, as bullets with long boat-tails actually seat easily with very minimal chamfering. In reality, these high-angle chamferers may be most valuable when preparing brass for flat-base bullets and bullets with pressure rings. Using a 22° or 28° chamferer can reduce the risk of cutting a jacket when using VLD bullets though — so long as you make a smooth cut.
Similar Posts:
- Tools to Chamfer INSIDE of Case Necks — Various Angle Options
- Case-Neck Chamfer Tools — Choosing the Right Option
- Inside Neck Chamfer Tools — A Bevy of Options and Angles
- Inside Neck Chamfer Tools — Multiple Options and Angles
- Inside Chamfer Tools — Sorting Through the Options
Tags: Forster, K&M, Lyman, Neck Reamer, Sinclair, VLD Chamferer
Love the K&M tool. It’s the only hand-held one that has depth control.
Wish someone made an outside de-burring tool with a super steep angle. Don’t care if it has to be caliber specific…
Agree with Kris,
K&M tool is by far the best inside chamfer tool I’ve used. I also wish they made an outside deburring tool…
I’ve been using the K&M inside taper neck reamers for years. Bought my first from Ken Markle, and now have 4, one dedicated for each caliber.
In all that time I’ve never “over-cut” and ruined a case.
I see more of a potential problem with the other designs that have no way of preventing the cutter from being held crooked resulting in an uneven cut around the circumference. Something not likely ( I guess anyone can screw-up a “fool-proof” tool)with the K&M, in addition to the others not having a way to control the cutting depth. Seems to me these tools would be more likely to “over-cut” since they do not include an adjustable stop to limit depth,1/32″ with the K&M.
Got a k& m a few years ago, and never looked back.
I love my Forster. But the Lyman and my flatbase bullets seems to work well together.
Giraud power trimmer + #0000SW
Forester tool does it all inside outside trim to length. keeps case centered on guide bushing
Hello,
Could you explain your chamfer tool size 28,39 degree,with insert making 18.50 mm dia or insert life.excellent