Chamfering/Deburring .45/70's?

[Blackwater]

I've long used the little Lee chamferring/deburring tool, and like it. However, it's not doing a great job on my .45/70 cases. Is there a better tool, or have I just worn this one out? I've already shapened this one a few times, so maybe that's the problem???? Yeah. I'm cheap. I also never seem to think of getting a new one. Maybe it's time?

Anyway, how do y'all chamfer and deburr your cases? I have Wilson and RCBS case trimmer setups, but never use them. Always use the Lee stuff - well, ALMOST always. Also have an RCBS chamfer/deburr tool, but never use it.

Any suggestions are appreciated here.

[Bass Ackward]

I've long used the little Lee chamferring/deburring tool, and like it. However, it's not doing a great job on my .45/70 cases. Is there a better tool, or have I just worn this one out? I've already shapened this one a few times, so maybe that's the problem???? Yeah. I'm cheap. I also never seem to think of getting a new one. Maybe it's time?

Anyway, how do y'all chamfer and deburr your cases? I have Wilson and RCBS case trimmer setups, but never use them. Always use the Lee stuff - well, ALMOST always. Also have an RCBS chamfer/deburr tool, but never use it.

Any suggestions are appreciated here.


This is probably my most hated step because it is the most time consuming. I go to great lengths to avoid it like using seperate brass on any case crimped into jacketed so I don't have to remove that canaleur indent before shooting cast. And I polish the crimping ramp in my seating dies too just so exta force doesn't burr there. But in the end, it's done by hand sometimes with a pocket knife on rifle cases.

But most trimmers work for ever. When they don't or they start to skip I suspect my brass, not my tool. That's one way I know it's time to anneal.

[44man]

Good steel should never wear out on brass as long as it is never turned backwards. You might have gotten a soft one. My Wilson has to be 45 years old and is still sharp.
Lyman makes a nice tool with a wood handle. I don't like the case trimmer type setups, takes too long. My friend likes the RCBS work station.

[Edward429451]

I chamfered & deburred my new 45/70 brass with a standard Lyman deburring tool and it was a PITA. The deburring tool is supposed to be good for 17 to 458 cal but that's if you have never dropped it and broken off any of the legs to it...

I bought a Lyman 50 Cal deburring tool ($14.) and life is sweet now. It still does everything from 22 to 458 and thats all I need.

[44man]

Yeah, it is sure a step I hate. So is case trimming. As a matter of fact, I hate all of it except the shooting.
If I was rich, I would lay back, drink fancy beer and booze and let someone else load them for me.
Then I would go to one of those ranches where they raise and feed big deer so I could sit in a box with a lunch and coffee and shoot through a hole from a rest.
Oh damn, you guys know I'm pulling your leg!

[powderburnerr]

go to the hardware store and get a GENERAL hand reamer ,maybe $6.00 and it has a grabable handle and a nice big head to work with it is usually with the screwdrivers .. A real nice tool or if you are real rich go to www.pauljonesmoulds.com and get one of his cal specific ones for 60 .00or so
............. Dean

[jhalcott]

UUHH?? powderburner,didn't he say he IS cheap?

[Dale53]

In a past life, I shot a LOT of rifle combat matches. It required a LOT of ammo. I would do the .308's in batches of 1000. I learned that if you take a Wilson (preferred brand) or Lyman or RCBS case deburer (sp?) and chuck it in the drill press. Turn the press on at a rather slow speed. Have a box of new brass to the left and an empty box to the right. Pick up a case, deburr, put in right box. After you finish, reverse the tool in the chuck and do it all again (inside one pass and outside in the other).

If you PAY ATTENTION it is safe enough. If you let your attention wander, you could hurt yourself - so, PAY ATTENTION boys and girls.

This is a really fast and accurate method after the learning phase. You do have to do it a bit at first to get the feel down so that you don't "underdo" one and "overdo" another.

Dale53

[powderburnerr]

jhalcott ...I did say IF he were rich ......but gave him a cheap solution....Dean

[Uncle Grinch]

I deburr all my brass with a Wilson tool and as much of a chore it is, what I really hate doing is trimming my 45-70. I use a Forster trimmer and the 45-70 requires you to unscrew and remove the collet, then place your brass inside and replace the collet and it's screw-in base. Everything else I trim only requires you to lossen up the collet and insert your brass. If you know a better way using this tool, let me know.

I really have to be in the mood to trim 45-70!!

[Ross]

Forster has a new collet closer body with a larger opening that will accept the larger rims of the .348 and such. It may be called the #4.
Actually, you can open up the one you have to do the same thing.
Cheers from Darkest California,
Ross

[zuke]

Lee case trimmer?

[Edward429451]

Lee has a setup that is basically a shellholder that chucks up in your cordless drill and the trimmer gets inserted with a fixed length probe that indexes through the flash hole and trims the case. A pretty good poorman setup for around 10 bucks, but slow. There's 2 pc's to it bought seperatly, one is the caliber specific shellholder and probe, the other is the cutter and drill chuck.

[Ross]

I chuck the Lee cutter and leave it running. Then the cases can be offered up to the cutter at a fast pace. Then chuck the deburr tool and run them again twice, inside and outside. The shellholder is not needed for the second and third operations.
It's a little faster as you don't turn the motor on and off continually.

[Blackwater]

Thanks for all the comments. Will probably just break down, go get the egg money out, and buy a new ... (choke, choke!) ... Lee chamfer/deburr tool. I just like the way those things work, and I'm used to the feel of using them.

BTW, I use the Lee case spinner, and trim with the little Lee trimmer & pilot, then chamfer & deburr with case still in the spinner, and then use a wad of 0000 steel wool to further polish the case mouth, and then run it down the sides of the case, giving it a better than new shine. The case mouth polishing sure makes J-bullets seat VERY easily - noticably moreso than with unpolished case mouths. I use an old non-compound leverage Reloader Special press, and favor it because it gives me more "feel" to the loading process, as in seating bullets. There's absolutely NO shaving of the bullets, jacketed or cast, using the polished case mouths, as there sometimes can be with unpolished and freshly trimmed cases. Just a FWIW, and if done as I do it, it's about as quick a way as I know to fully process a bunch of brass, and keep it all as uniform as possible. Only problem is, after polishing those cases so dang pretty, I'll sometimes have to take the finished cases and polish any dull looking case heads, so they don't look mismatched. Can't polish the case heads while they're chucked in the spinner.

DANG! I'm even cheaper than I thought, aren't I? :drinks:

[Frank46]

Blackwater,just got my monthly enco catalog. They sell counter sinks for countersinking screw holes and other stuff. Since they are heat treated steel, maybe you should take a look and see if this is what you need. I too have sharpened my chamfering tool a few times. They come in different degree angles and sizes. Wouldn't be too difficult to make up a handle for one and lock it in place with a set screw. Frank

[floodgate]

Blackwater:

Spend a couple of bucks more and get the BIG Lyman (up to .60 cal.) chamfering / deburring tool (#7810206, @ $19.95); it won't slip off the edge of the .45 caliber case mouths like the littler standard one (#7810199, $13,95), has a nice "heft" to it, and is of good steel that should stay sharp just about forever.

floodgate

[Edward429451]

<(#7810206, @ $19.95>

That's the one I got. It came marked 50 cal but the number's the same and it showed up (through a dealer) for 13.95

It's big enough to work easily with and puts the smaller one to shame.

[9.3X62AL]

[QUOTE=Edward429451]<(#7810206, @ $19.95>

Done deal--gotta try that tool.

[rusty marlin]

I deburr all my brass with a Wilson tool and as much of a chore it is, what I really hate doing is trimming my 45-70. I use a Forster trimmer and the 45-70 requires you to unscrew and remove the collet, then place your brass inside and replace the collet and it's screw-in base. Everything else I trim only requires you to lossen up the collet and insert your brass. If you know a better way using this tool, let me know.

I really have to be in the mood to trim 45-70!!

Good God man modify the head! LOL Take the collet out and use a dremel with a small sanding drum, reach through from the rear and go quickly in circles around the opening where the shell sticks through. Keep the dremmal moving to avoid obrounding the hole and check it with a shell caseing often. I did this with mine and life is much better. :mrgreen:

[Leftoverdj]

I chuck the Lee tool in a drill press. Prefer the Lee because it takes a finer cut. The Lyman and RCBS cut too fast under power and the Lee is only a couple of bucks.

It doesn't take a good drill press, neither, as long as it has a big enough chuck. You can pick up a cheap bench press for less than a case trimmer. I do all my case prep on the press. It's no problem to chamfer 15-20 cases a minute and the same for deburring and primer pocket cleaning. Maybe only 10 a minute for cutting out military crimps.