Anyone make modified Lee Trimmers?

[milprileb]

I see that Gear has a solution: some sort of tapped handle into the Lee trimmer shell holder.

Does someone make this type of modification like Buckshot or ???

[smilie=s:

[lead-1]

Do you have a link to Gear's improvement?
If you mean something to make the LEE trimmers easier on the fingers, I drilled a hole in a golf ball a little smaller than the diameter of the hex on the shell holder then pushed the holder into the hole. I did the same to the cutter and I may have even seen that improvement done by someone here on this forum.

[milprileb]

I assume your description means you are trimming by hand and not using the drill to power either case spinning or the cutter spinning.

I am referring to the modification Gear uses to power his case holder so the case is held and spun for cutting and he can unloosen the shell holder easier after cutting is done.

[lead-1]

Yes, that is how I have my LEE cutter and holder, as for a powered unit I have an old cordless screwdriver on a Forster trimmer.

Sorry, I haven't seen Gear's setup.

[geargnasher]

It's a lever so one can lock the shellholder more firmly and release it more easily, just a way of adding some leverage and saving some hand strain.

I think the Lee three-jaw chuck and drill adapter would be the way to go, it will accept most any cartridge and has a large, knurled locking ring that is much easier to grip to tighten/loosen.

If you want to do what I did.....

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=28957&d=1296281781

Just drill a hole through the edge of the shellholder and tap it to 8x32 or whatever size you want. Lowe's sells "Kobalt" brand taps on an individual basis that come paired with the correct drill bit, all for about $4.

Gear

[milprileb]

Gear, many thanks for posting your solution!

I tried that Lee chuck gizmo and on a electric drill it does not hold the case.
Sent it back for a replacement and Lee obliged. Replacement was no better.
Sent this unit to a machinist buddy (reloader) and he found it a *** and useless
unless you use it on the intended Zip Pull Lee trimmer thing.

What is most helpful is the info of taps which will allow me to attempt to replicate what you did.

Its apparent that I got to get a drill press.. just too many tasks are popping up that need this sort of rig.

[geargnasher]

Drill press AND a drilling vise. AND a good center punch. Even a cheap Ryobi drill press will change your life.

Did you get the proper drill adapter from Lee to go with your three-jaw chuck? There are two pieces to buy, it won't work in a drill without the drill adapter that screws onto the base and provides a hexagonal shank to fit the chuck.

Gear

[milprileb]

Gear, yes i got all those parts and it was a No Cigar situation.

I am certain your solution is the ideal one for the Lee system which

by the way yields consistent cuts of brass , same OAL every time

[mpmarty]

I put the cutter and pilot in my DeWalt cordless drill and hold the brass and it's related "shellholder" in my hand.

[Boolseye]

Milprileb: Had the same experience with the chuck. What works great for me is to chuck the cutter in the drill (+1 on that mpmarty), then chuck the shellholder in a little socket screwdriver (just so my hand is nowhere near the cutter). See my rig at http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=99096

[462]

By having the lock stud, shell holder and case mounted in the drill, the case can be trimmed, deburred and chamfered in mere seconds. . . zip, zip, zip. Not so, with the cutter and case length gauge mounted in the drill.

[jhalcott]

I once tried to trim about 500 30-30 cases with the Lee trimmer. After a couple hundred, I noticed the necks SEEMED to be getting shorter??? OOPS, I had started to DRILL into the base of the thing! I was at work and doing this with a variable speed drill waiting for a service call. I welded up the hole and ground it flat and finished the brass. These were for Silly wet shooting. I only lost about 20-25 cases to the shortness.

[DLCTEX]

Sounds as if that one didn't get hardened.

[milprileb]

I was thinking same thing from the sounds of it.

[Boolseye]

By having the lock stud, shell holder and case mounted in the drill, the case can be trimmed, deburred and chamfered in mere seconds. . . zip, zip, zip. Not so, with the cutter and case length gauge mounted in the drill.

Perhaps, but I can go every bit as fast as I like, and the blade turning in the drill is preferable to me. To each their own.

[tomf52]

Milprileb said - "I tried that Lee chuck gizmo and on a electric drill it does not hold the case.
Sent it back for a replacement and Lee obliged. Replacement was no better.
Sent this unit to a machinist buddy (reloader) and he found it a *** and useless
unless you use it on the intended Zip Pull Lee trimmer thing"

Trust me, I went through the same routine, even having Lee send me a replacement but with continued effort I got the hang of it and can now bang out cases quick and easy with the shell holder chucked in a drill and holding the ball end cutter in my hand. Give it some more effort and time and it will come together for you. Tom

[geargnasher]

By having the lock stud, shell holder and case mounted in the drill, the case can be trimmed, deburred and chamfered in mere seconds. . . zip, zip, zip. Not so, with the cutter and case length gauge mounted in the drill.

Perzactly.

I killed a case gauge once getting a little too exuberant with the drill press, for some reason I thought they had a decapping pin for a flash hole pilot and stop, but not so. The steel is pretty soft, not sure they harden them at all, maybe I should finish that little task for them. BTW I was using a piece of tempered glass for a stop. Now I use my setup above, no more ruined tools, although I'm going to pick up a Chinese cordless screwdriver next time I'm at BigLots and see if it doesn't make things a little easier on the hands. That cordless drill gets heavy after a while.

Gear

[milprileb]

I am going with Gears solution for Lee Trimmers for calibers that are not
trimmed in volume. I like the way all my brass is cut every time to correct lenght
with Lee system.

However for 3006, 762Nato and 556Nato, that RCBS trimmer with 3 way cutter driven by power drill is a sure fire winner. The complete Trim Pro motorized version would be wonderful but just the trimmer with a drill is darn fast as well and about 200 buck cheaper on the wallet.

Brass fired in a M1 Garand flows a lot so there is a lot to trim each time you prep that brass for reloading. It ain't a Zip Zip thing for the Lee system as is brass fired in bolt action rifles.

[thehouseproduct]

Perzactly.

I killed a case gauge once getting a little too exuberant with the drill press, for some reason I thought they had a decapping pin for a flash hole pilot and stop, but not so. The steel is pretty soft, not sure they harden them at all, maybe I should finish that little task for them. BTW I was using a piece of tempered glass for a stop. Now I use my setup above, no more ruined tools, although I'm going to pick up a Chinese cordless screwdriver next time I'm at BigLots and see if it doesn't make things a little easier on the hands. That cordless drill gets heavy after a while.

Gear
Me too. I am the proud owner of 200-300 pieces of 308 brass that is 0.050"~0.100" too short. It becomes 45acp shot shells as it gets shot.