Review: Little Crow Gunworks Worlds Finest Trimmer

[MaryB]

Now that I have an AR I was needing to process larger amounts of brass to reload. Lee trimmers work but slow, clumsy, to many steps. I searched around and ran across this http://www.littlecrowgunworks.com/trimmers.html. Picked one up and I just trimmed to length 557 pieces of brass in 2 hours. That included quite a few random case length checks to make sure it was working well. Cases are +- .001"!! Clean cut that doesn't require any deburring or chamfering. The trimmer locks in a drill chuck and you hold the case in your fingers. Even with my carpal tunnel/arthritis it was no problem to run through that much brass.

Only downside is it flings brass shavings everywhere. I am going to make a hood that clamps over the drill body to make the shavings drop straight down into the brass recycle bucket.



trimmed brass, hard to get good focus on it...

[garym1a2]

I use these for 300 blk and 223, they are wuite fast. But, I do find that I need to deburg the cases inside and outside.

[GabbyM]

I've run my Little Crow trimmer a lot this last year. First I converted a few hundred 5.56mm to 222 Rem. Need to cut off about 1/8" after. Used a 110 volt 3/8" drill so I'd have plenty of power then just hogged it off. Without this tool I'd of had to purchase then use a cutoff saw. Or a trim die with file. Then I trimmed about four thousand 223 Rem remanufactured from once fired military surplus. That took at least .030" off. Then annealed all that.

Also bought an RCBS X die. Ran a few hundred through it and it seams to work as advertised. Others here have used them for years. Claim they work great. That should cut down on case stretching. Increasing life span. So if I anneal them every third to fifth shot. I've enough brass to hold me through retirement.

I recently had a bad experience with split necks on my 5.56mm ammo. It had been stored for about 25 years and split while in storage. Then I read up and learned about effects of age on brass. Enough of that. So now I annealed all that once fired surplus on the first reload. Since I FL sized all that batch a few years ago. After trimming first, cases cut better before annealing, I annealed it then ran it all though a Redding neck die to uniform neck tension. I achieve far lower S.D. numbers with annealed brass. That mil surplus stuff had been seriously blown out. So it gets worked a lot sizing back to 223 Dimensions. Done over I'd FL size with no expander then use my Lyman M die after annealing. Little Crow trimmer works on undersize necks since it bumps off the shoulder with nothing in the neck. Cutter is a standard 4 flute end mill available at any shop supply store. Don't let it rust and it must take many thousands of brass case s to dull. I just use a chamfer tool hand held and give it a half turn to break the sharp edge left behind. Very clean cut.

[youngmman]

Now that I have an AR I was needing to process larger amounts of brass to reload. Lee trimmers work but slow, clumsy, to many steps. I searched around and ran across this http://www.littlecrowgunworks.com/trimmers.html. Picked one up and I just trimmed to length 557 pieces of brass in 2 hours. That included quite a few random case length checks to make sure it was working well. Cases are +- .001"!! Clean cut that doesn't require any deburring or chamfering. The trimmer locks in a drill chuck and you hold the case in your fingers. Even with my carpal tunnel/arthritis it was no problem to run through that much brass.

Only downside is it flings brass shavings everywhere. I am going to make a hood that clamps over the drill body to make the shavings drop straight down into the brass recycle bucket.



trimmed brass, hard to get good focus on it...

I use a Gracie Trimmer for .223 & .308.

[OuchHot!]

I have a Dillon case trimmer and it has a little manifold that takes a small shop vac hose. Maybe you could take a 1.5" pvc tee and make something like that to pull the trimmings off? Those trimmings get into everything!

[GabbyM]

I have a Dillon case trimmer and it has a little manifold that takes a small shop vac hose. Maybe you could take a 1.5" pvc tee and make something like that to pull the trimmings off? Those trimmings get into everything!

I just use a broom and dust pan to clean up when I'm done. No need to over think this one. No more chips are mad per case than with a hand turned cuter. You just make chips fast and yes, sling them a bit. As a retired machinist. I can tell you this is no chip problem. You have a problem when blue ones are getting inside your shirt. Landing in your hair and smoking.

Assume your Dillon trimmer is mounted on the press. Well then you have to keep chips out of the reloading press. Issue with a vacuum is noise. Get it inside a box or in the next room over with a hose through a wall or window. For the Little Crow. I'll just sweep chips.

[sparky45]

I to use the WFT in 223 and 300 BO. I find that the brass doesn't need to be deburred after I run it through a SS pin wash.

I use these for 300 blk and 223, they are wuite fast. But, I do find that I need to deburg the cases inside and outside.

[MaryB]

These will be getting a trip in stainless pins, they were tumbled before I got them and full length sized/deprimed but grungy looking. Broke down and ordered a Dillon Super Swage too.

[GabbyM]

OK:
Dillon Super Swag is by all records a fine tool. Pin Tumblers also work.
Issue I have. Once fired Mil Surp is some effed up stuff. Military loads the stuff at over 62,000 psi. It's about 60% trashed after the first shot. Story I told in post #3 is of brass I purchased at $87 for 5,000 pieces. In all seriousness I'd not pay that again. Took me seven years to get it all cleaned up. Better to just pay the $25 per hundred for Winchester new brass.

What's the Dillon Swagger cost$.I wore out a tumbler. Burned three bottles of propane.
Wore out a primer pocket uniformer.
flash hole uniformer.
RCBS FL die.
Tube full of case lube.
My elbow.


Seriously people. Do the math. Fact is once fired mil brass is worth more by the pound than what it is worth for reloading.
But then a sucker is born. Hell let us just pass laws saying I must purchase it first.

$50 a thousand is 5 cents each. Good Grief. Scrap brass is scrap brass.

I will have corn this fall to sell you at a million dollars per bushel. Trust me it's a bargain. Is the only corn grown this year.

[OuchHot!]

Sorry gabby, I'll stay off your threads in the future

[MaryB]

Out of 590 pieces of military brass I had 30 rejects and no problems processing it... I am retired so a couple hours labor is no big deal, it is free! Used the Dillon today on some FC brass I had saved up, couple hundred pieces went fast. Tossed those in the HF tumbler with pins and cleaned up nice in just 30 minutes. LC brass will get tumbled in batches tomorrow night.

[Edward]

I use a towel dedicated to just that chore , when done shake it out just don"t forget it"s last use!

[cs86]

Anyone know how the little crow trimmer works compared to the Frankford Arsenal Platinum Series Case Prep and Trim Center?

[MT Chambers]

Those cases in the pic. need a lot of chamfering and deburring before they can be used for cast or j-word bullets.

[MaryB]

Pic is out of focus and makes it look like a large bur that actually is barely there. I removed the burr with a fingernail!

[KnotRight]

I use the WFT for 223, 3030 and 308s. When using it, I use a 110 volt drill motor that I lock into a vise. Beats the hell out of holding it.

[MaryB]

Test loaded one for length last night with the bur as is, no issue at all and after crimping it is gone. So unless I run across one that seems really bad I am going to load as is. Have 25 primed for a ladder test of some Winchester 55 grain fmj w/cannelure. Got them cheap so have 800 to load up. Need to see what my AR likes for cfe-223 amount.

[Preacher Jim]

MaryB, pm me after you test the cfe-223 and let me know how you like it. in what i have used it in seems vary stable SD's were consistant. not tried it in AR.

[MaryB]

Worked fine in my AR on prairie dogs, no target pictures using it(need to reload a bunch but saving that for recovery from neck surgery so I am not bored silly) but this target is 100 yards with my Savage Axis 223. Forgot my spotting scope so 2 shots move an inch right then 2 more so I could see the splatter target hits

[Case Stuffer]

Thanks for the review MaryB, I had seen a few reviews on the Web and even one video on U tube but your comments sealed the deal and I just ordered one from Midway. I still have approx. 550 once fired LC 5.56 to trim to length and my Lee Deluxe Quick Trim is just to labor intensive .