This month our spotlight falls on Kestrel Weather Meters made by Nielsen-Kellerman. Today’s electronic wind meters are an extremely useful tool for the active shooter whether you are hunting, competing, varmint hunting, or just tuning up your rifle. The Kestrel Weather Meters can tell you much more than simply wind speed. They offer an entire range of weather meters that satisfy almost any outdoorsman’s needs for weather, wind, temperature, and shooting conditions. As you get ready for a season of shooting, a Kestrel Weather Meter should be part of your standard gear bag.

Kestrel Weather Meters

The basic Kestrel unit (Model 1000) measures  basic wind speed, air temperature, gusts, and calculates the average wind speed. If you need more features from a hand held unit, five (5) other Kestrel models calculate water temperature, snow temperature, wind chill, altitude, density altitude, pressure trends, barometric pressure, wet bulb temperature, heat stress index, relative humidity, wind direction, digital compass heading, crosswind calculations, dewpoint, and more. There is definitely a model for every shooter depending on their needs. We have a great chart in our catalog that shows the features for all six (6) models including the top model, the Model 4500. All Kestrel weather meters include a lanyard, batteries and easy to use instructions. Each Kestrel Weather Meter has a ¼”-20 hole in it’s base for standard tripod mounting, or you can get one of the Kestrel Portable Tripods. These meters are definitely not toys; they are relied on by professionals in many outdoor fields.

The quality of the Kestrel Weather Meters is outstanding. To begin with, they are rugged, waterproof and they float. They are designed and built right here in the U.S.A. But the thing I really like about the Nielsen-Kellerman products is that they come with a full five (5) Year warranty. That is incredible for an electronic product! No extra charge for extended warranties like we are used to seeing. These folks back up their product because they know their weather meters hold up well in the tough conditions we put them through. My Kestrel gets bounced around in my shooting box and has never failed to work.

If you need help selecting a weather meter, give our staff a call and we’ll help walk you through the features. It is great to see a product this well made and a company that is so successful in determining what their customers need. And, one that backs up their products!

Even if you are neck sizing your cases most of the time, you will eventually need to turn to your full length sizing die when your cases are so tight in the chamber that the bolt will not open or close easily. Full length sizing should be done on a 7/8”-14 reloading press that has sufficient rigidity to handle the load required for the size of the case you are re-sizing. Neck sizing takes minimal effort to change the geometry of the case neck. Full length sizing takes considerably more effort as you are sizing a bigger column with thicker walls (the case body), the case neck, and re-positioning the shoulder (headspace) of the case. More press strength is required as well as additional lubrication. If you are loading for a hunting rifle, semi-auto, or just a rifle with weaker extraction such as most lever guns, we recommend that you full length size. In a hunting situation and some competitions, you cannot afford for a round to not chamber or not chamber easily. The risk of it not chambering versus the reward of longer brass life or slightly better accuracy is not worth it.

When cases are new, it may take a few firings before you need to full length size. It is not unusual to have three or four firings on a case before you need to full length size. How often depends on the geometry of the case, the chamber, the softness/hardness of the brass, and the chamber pressure generated from your load.

When setting up a full length die in a press, the procedure is different than with a neck die. The position of the shellholder when the press ram is fully raised in relationship to the bottom of the full length die is critical to determining the amount of full length sizing that occurs. This position determines how much of the body of the case is sized but, more importantly, it affects how much the case shoulder is set back, which changes the cartridge headspace. The amount of cartridge headspace has an impact on accuracy, ease or difficulty in feeding the case whether from a magazine or loading ramp, and on extending the life of the case. Please read the discussion on “Cartridge Headspace and Over Sizing” in the highlighted section if you are not extremely familiar with this concept.

Most die manufacturers have instructions for setting up their dies in a press. These instructions will normally position the die an approximate distance from the shellholder. Usually, these instructions result in almost maximum sizing occurring. They will also have some guidelines for achieving minimal headspace. In the manufacturer’s recommended position, the die will size the cases enough so that the cases will chamber in most rifles. The instructions for setting the dies to a minimal position are usually based on how the sized case “feels” as it is chambered. Using the method of how the case “feels” to chamber is fine but this is preferably done with the firing pin assembly removed from the bolt. If you don’t know how to remove the firing pin assembly from your rifle, refer to the instructions that came with the rifle. Removing the firing pin assembly from the bolt allows you to more easily feel the case as it enters and exits the chamber without feeling the effect of the firing pin spring as it compresses. This method is described in the inset entitled “Feel Method to Adjust Your Full Length Die”.

A better and more accurate way to setup your full length die is to use case gages commonly available throughout the handloading industry. Sinclair International, L.E. Wilson and Hornady makes tools that you can use to measure the amount of sizing your die does to your cases. The method for using them is described in the highlighted section, “Using Gages to Adjust Your Full-Length Die”. These tools take the guesswork out of adjusting your full length sizing dies.

Using Gages to Adjust Your Full Length Die   The easiest and most accurate tool to use to setup your full length sizing die is the Sinclair Bump Gauge. The easiest and most accurate tool to use to setup your full length sizing die is the Sinclair Bump Gauge. A Sinclair Bump Gauge is a tool mounted to dial or digital calipers that you use to measure a case for length from the base to the shoulder of the case. The Sinclair Bump Gauge consists of the tool body and various inserts for specific cases or a family of cases.Begin with your die the manufacturer’s suggested distance away from the shellholder. This is usually the position for near maximum sizing of your case. Then measure a few fired cases with the Sinclair Bump Gauge (see photo) to establish a baseline measurement from the case head to the shoulder. Then incrementally adjust the full length sizing die away from the shellholder, size a case and re-measure it with the Sinclair Bump Gauge. Repeat this step until you have reached the desired amount of sizing or “bump”, then lock the die in the press. Wilson Tools makes Cartridge Headspace gages for traditional bottle neck cartridges as well as belted magnums that traditionally headspace off the belt. Wilson gages mimic the chamber of a rifle and have minimum and maximum steps cut into the surface of the gage. You use the gage by holding the gage horizontally and pushing a fired case into the gage with your finger until the shoulder of the case contacts the machined shoulder of the gage. Turn the gage so the case head is facing up. You should be able to observe the top of the case head with respect to the minimum and maximum steps on the gage. A fired case from most chambers will have the head positioned either slightly above or slightly below the maximum step. You can then adjust your full length sizing die and check the case in the gage until it is positioned so the case head is slightly lower in the gage than was the fired case. This position change will be about .002” to .003” worth of sizing. If the case head falls below the minimum step, you went too far, back the die off. The use of a small steel scale or rule is great for use with these gages. If you place the rule on top of the case head and inline with the minimum steps there should be clearance between the rule and the steps unless the case has been oversized. If you place the rule so it rests on the maximum steps there should be clearance between the bottom of the rule and the case head. If the rule rocks on the case head and doesn’t fully contact both maximum steps, then the case is above the maximum headspace. Hornady (formally Stoney Point) makes a set of Headspace Gauges that attach to calipers. The reloader would use the Hornady tool in a similar manner as the Sinclair Bump Gauge. These gauges do not tell you whether your sized case is between the established SAMMI specifications for minimum and maximum headspace. They indicate the amount of sizing that occurs from a fired case.

Ideally, the amount of sizing you want to have occur for most hunting and varmint rifles is approximately 0.002” to 0.003”. Benchrest shooters and other competitive shooters will normally only “bump” the shoulder back approximately 0.001” so there is minimal case movement in the chamber. The balance that a benchrest shooter tries to achieve is the minimal headspace change he can achieve that still allows the cartridge to chamber without requiring too much effort to close and open the bolt, thus not disturbing the rifle’s position on the rest and sandbags. Some benchrest shooters will not even use a full length die to set back the headspace but will use what is called a “bump die”, which only adjusts the shoulder position and headspace while leaving the body alone. Some of these “bump dies” do have provisions for using bushings to size the neck. This same headspace balance is also important for a position shooter (prone or standing). You want the case to be well fitted to the chamber but you don’t want to have to force the bolt open each time with hot loads and disturb your position and “Natural Point of Aim”.

Sinclair Die Body Shim Set

To adjust the headspace sizing in full length dies, you simply turn the die in or out of the press accordingly. Remember that 1/8 of a turn will result in approximately .009” of vertical die movement and change to the amount of headspace. Some handloaders will set their die up to achieve maximum sizing and then progressively use Sinclair Die Shims between the lock ring and the press head to move the die away from the shellholder. Doing this allows you to leave the lock ring in the same position. These shims are usually available in increments of .001” and work very well. Redding Reloading approaches it in a different manner and has sets of shellholders that are machined in increasing thicknesses to move the case closer to the die without disturbing the die’s position in the press.

Redding Competition Shellholder Set

Setting up your full length die for the correct sizing amount is a relatively easy task to do, but one that pays great dividends in greater brass life, accuracy, and safety.

Outside neck turning is a task that the majority of reloaders may never perform. More handloaders probably should be neck turning based on the quality of the brass we see.

Neck turning is done for three basic reasons:

1. To reduce wall thickness on a case so a loaded round will fit in a tight-necked custom chamber.
2. To uniform the wall thickness to achieve consistent neck tension on the bullet and to achieve even expansion of the case neck.
3. To reduce unwanted wall thickness that is created when forming a cartridge from a parent case. This is more commonly done with an inside neck reamer. A good solution is to remove a portion with the neck reamer and then remove the rest with an outside neck turning tool. This method results in a case neck having the correct thickness, a clean bearing surface inside, and uniform thickness.

A common question that reloaders ask when hearing about neck turning is; “Should I be neck turning my cases for my hunting rifle or varmint rifle?”. This question can be answered yes and no. The answer is yes if the neck wall thickness of your brass is not uniform and is beyond culling out only a few bad cases. The answer is no if your brass is fairly uniform to begin with. Cases that have neck wall thickness variances greater than 0.0015” should be culled out if possible. If you had too many cases that didn’t survive this cut, you should neck turn them to improve the uniformity.

Most shooters will benefit from neck turning their cases. Those with standard chambers are cautioned to only clean up the case necks. The downside to removing too much brass during the neck turning operation is to avoid excessive expansion of the case neck when it expands to seal the chamber. This can result in excessive work hardening of the brass, as it has to expand further than it normally would. This means your cases may have a shorter life. Another downside to neck turning too much is that if you make the walls too thin, some traditional dies may have a problem sizing the case neck down far enough for the expander ball to properly size the neck.

Since we are not always going to get brass that is perfectly uniform lets go ahead and discuss neck turning for standard factory chambers.

Preparing Cases for Outside Neck Turning

Sinclair NT-3000 Neck Turning Tool

In this section we discuss neck turning using the Sinclair Model NT-3000 neck turning tool. There are several other tools that will do a great job in addition to this tool. The principle for using most neck turning tools is the same whether you are using a Sinclair, Hornady, Forster, RCBS, or some other tool.

One of the most important steps in uniforming case necks with a neck turning tool is preparing the case necks. You absolutely must size the case necks prior to neck turning for two critical reasons. First, all of the dents, bumps, ridges, and other uneven surfaces need to be pushed to the outside surface of the case. Second, the fit between the case neck and the neck turning tool mandrel must be close enough that the case doesn’t wobble on the mandrel when turning, but not so tight that it locks up between the mandrel and the cutter.

Sinclair Expander Body

Achieving the proper fit on your case necks is not hard. One method is to find a neck die, full-length die, or expander mandrel that measures slightly larger than the neck turning tool pilot/mandrel. The Sinclair Neck Turning Tool Mandrels are compatible with most sizing die expander balls, but other brands of neck turning tool mandrels are much larger. Sinclair International has separate mandrels available for expansion and neck turning. The Sinclair Expander Mandrels are machined 0.001” larger than the neck turning mandrels for each caliber thus sizing the cases properly. They are used in a Sinclair Expander Body and a 7/8”-14 press. The brass will spring back a little bit after sizing so there won’t be quite 0.001” clearance on the mandrel when you are turning.

Regardless of the expansion method you choose, make sure you do it. This step will “iron” out any wrinkles or dents in the case necks and transfer any irregularities to the outside of the case where they will be removed during the neck turning process.

After you have straightened out the case necks, we sometimes debur/chamfer the case mouth prior to neck turning. You don’t have to do this step but it will help you keep the neck turning tool cutter from catching a burr, tearing the case mouth, and ruining your case.

Sinclair Expanding and Turning Mandrels

Outside Neck Turning – Factory/standard chambers

The goal when turning necks on cases for factory or standard cut chambers is to uniform the case necks without removing too much wall thickness. You will not be turning the case neck to a specific dimension. You will be trying to remove the higher or thicker spots on the case neck and get the overall thickness to be fairly uniform. That means on some cases you may not touch parts of the neck with the cutter where the wall thickness is at its thinnest. What you are striving for with standard chambers is to have the neck turning process cleanup approximately 70 to 80% of the neck surface. You really don’t want to remove much more than 0.001” of material. On most tools, setup will be a bit of a trial and error process. There are adjustment devices and micrometer style neck turning tools that make setup a bit easier but these aren’t really necessary to set up a tool to prepare cases for standard factory chambers.

Setting up a neck turning tool is a good time to use some of the culled cases that came out of the preliminary sorting process. The following basic process applies to almost all brands of neck turning tools.

1. Lubricate the neck turning tool mandrel with a good quality lube. Shooter’s Choice FP-10, Imperial Die Wax, and STP would all be good choices. Use only a light film, don’t get carried away.
2. Back the cutter away from the mandrel leaving room for the case neck to slide onto the mandrel and under the cutter.
3. Put a case into the neck turning tool handle or powered case holder and rotate the case clockwise onto the mandrel until the case neck is positioned underneath the cutting point of the neck turning tool.
   NOTE: Neck turning tool cutters are usually ground with a relief angle so that only a single cutting point actually makes contact with the brass, similar to the way that a lathe tool is designed to cut.
4. Move the cutter inward until it just makes contact with the case neck. Tighten the cutter lock screw lightly.
5. Remove the case from the mandrel by rotating it clockwise while gradually backing it off the mandrel.
6. Without loosening the cutter lock screw (remember you just made it snug not tight), advance the cutter downwards just slightly. On a Sinclair tool the cutter advance screw has a 32 pitch thread so even an 1/8 of a turn will result in about 0.004” of cutter travel. We are looking for something smaller than a 1/8 turn to achieve about a .001” cut. It only just takes a touch of a wrench on the adjusting screw.
7. Slowly advance the same culled case you used in step 3 onto the mandrel while turning it in a clockwise motion. The speed at which you rotate the case is not important but you need to advance the case onto the mandrel slowly. As the case passes underneath the cutter, you should begin to see small curls of brass coming off the cutter.
8. Continue to slowly advance the case onto the mandrel until the cutting point is just at the neck shoulder junction. You want to cut up to this point but not so far that you cut through the junction. Cutting too far into the shoulder can weaken the case in this area. The ideal stopping point is when the angle of the cutter blade puts a slight rub mark on the shoulder. (Step 13 will describe how to set the stopping point).
9. At this point begin backing off the case at approximately the same speed that you advanced it onto the mandrel. Continue to always rotate clockwise.
10. When the case is off the mandrel, inspect the case carefully in a good light. You should see dull and shiny areas if the cutting depth was setup properly. The dull spots represent thinner areas of the case neck and the shiny areas are where the cutter removed material. You are striving to see a shiny surface on about 70 to 80% of the case neck. Don’t get too hung up on this number; just don’t cut too much for the simple goal of making the necks look pretty. It would actually be better to be on the lower side than the high side. Remember, you are just trying to remove the high/thick spots.
11. If you need to advance the cutter a little deeper, just advance the cutter a little bit more and re-turn the original case. It should progressively cut more each time you advance the cutter. If you go too far, just get another culled case and start over. This is the trial and error part. If you have a case neck or tubing micrometer, this is a good time to use it and see what wall thickness you have reached and what the variance is at 4 different points around the neck.
12. Once you have reached a setting that you like, lock the cutter down tight to make sure it doesn’t move.
13. Now you need to adjust the distance that the case will travel beneath the cutter. On a Sinclair tool, the shoulder on the mandrel acts as a depth stop. Position the mandrel in the tool so at the same time the cutter makes contact with the case neck/shoulder junction forward progress is stopped by the case mouth coming into contact with the mandrel’s shoulder. A light scrape or rub on the shoulder of the case from the angled portion of the cutter blade is the ideal stopping point. On other neck turning tools such as those found on case trimmers, you usually use a stop on the cutter shaft for maintaining the length of cut.
14. Once the cutting depth is set, you can begin turning cases.
15. Remember to chamfer and debur the case mouths after you are finished.

Here are some important points to remember:

1. Periodically, wipe off the mandrel to remove any old lube or brass chips. Wipe it off with a paper towel or very fine steel wool.
2. Clean off the chips frequently with a small brush. Sometimes the chip will be one big long curl like an apple peeling. Other times it will break off as the cutter passes over a thin section.
3. Make sure the fit of the cases on the mandrel is correct.
4. Ackley, Weatherby, and various improved cases may need a specially ground cutter since most cutters are relieved for traditional shoulder angles.
5. Make sure you debur/chamfer the case mouths after neck turning. We sometimes perform this step prior to neck turning but you don’t have to.
6. Severe spiral cuts on your case necks are an indication that you are advancing the case into the cutter too fast.

Folks,

We are currently out of all primers and are working with our distributors to get you some. We’ll try to post here again as soon as we get some more in.

Bill Gravatt

President – Sinclair’s