I trimmed a BUNCH of .357 Mag brass

[Bookworm]

I recently worked up a full-power load for a 358156GC, in a .357 Mag Ruger 6.5" BH. I don't shoot a lot of full-house 357 loads, or a lot of full-house anything anymore, but I figured I would work up a load anyway. One needs a variety, right ?

I figured I would load up 150-200 just to keep on hand. These will likely last for several years, so I want them to be as consistent as possible. I wanted to load them with the same components I worked the load with - the same brass, boolits from the same casting lot, etc.

To this end, I decided to trim the brass, get the crimp as consistent as possible. I dislike trimming brass. I REALLY dislike trimming brass. I figured, just do a couple hundred cases and get it over with.

I set up the trimming tools, and sat down to trim. I trimmed and trimmed. I was there for HOURS it seemed. I trimmed MOUNTAINS of 357 brass. I trimmed until my fingers felt ready to fall off, yet kept at it. I trimmed as if it was the last job to do before getting a lottery payout. At the end of a lifetime of trimming, I counted up the piles of trimmed, beautiful 357 brass.

59 pieces.

I really dislike trimming cases.

[Texas by God]

Haha- been there, done that, bought the tee shirt.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

[reddog81]

If I'm going to trim .357 brass, I do a quick measure of all the pieces and dertemine which ones actually need any trimming. I'll usually only trim 1/3 of the pieces. Select the longest pieces and trim them to average length on the bunch. Any pieces that are really short get set aside.

I've only done this 2 or 3 times because like you I hate trimming brass. I'll do it after the cases have been loaded somewhere around 10 to 15 times.

[OS OK]

Sooner than later most of us have to deal with this unpleasant task...I figured that a 'wee little bit' of automation might ease the pain.
You can buy these drill motor attachments, this un's homemade.

Attachment 204924

[9.3X62AL]

Case trimming is slightly ahead of "root canals" on my preference list. I long ago added a drill motor to my Forster trimmer, and that speeds things along a bit. One of the truly nice things about cast bullet shooting in rifles is the reduced pressures of said loads causing a lot less need for case trimming--once you get the case shoulders and chamber shoulders singing in harmony.

I just finished a lot of 1500 Starline brass in 357 Magnum. The closeness of their case lengths throughout this lot was astounding--in the range of .002" TIR. I didn't even use the trimmer to even things up--I just primed them, ran the expander spud in, poured powder, and seated bullets. IME, straight-wall cases don't require much trimming once they are "evened up" when first purchased. These Starlines didn't even require that. Some folks might have still run them through an initial trimming, and that is an individual preference. I would need a much better revolver or levergun and far better skill set to discern any difference caused by .002" of case length and resulting roll-crimp application. Just tryin' to keep it real, y'all.

[texassako]

Been there, done that, and currently trimming a couple hundred R-P .380 cases for a short chambered gun. It is not much fun, but at least I don't have to do it often.

[Bookworm]

Sooner than later most of us have to deal with this unpleasant task...I figured that a 'wee little bit' of automation might ease the pain.
You can buy these drill motor attachments, this un's homemade.

Attachment 204924

I really need to get something like this. I've been meaning to, but .... well ....
I need to just break down and purchase a trimmer.

[308Jeff]

Thanks for the Saturday morning giggle, Bookworm!

I too despise trimming. Even with a Giraud.

[mdi]

I haven't been shooting in maybe 6 to 8 months due to forest fire and a losing argument with a ladder, so I have plenty of reloads to shoot up. I have been keeping in touch with my reloading by processing brass, melting and recasting bullets and ingots and researching future reloads. I got out my box of 45 ACP brass, which had been sorted and sized, and got my Lee 45 ACP trimming pilot ready (bought in 1990 and never used). I looked at the pile of brass, then the trimmer, then the pile of brass again then put everything up and went and watched TV Westerns...

[725]

Me either! When it's brass trimmin' time, I clear the decks and organize my works space. I use the Lee zip trim and can speed through a pile in less than a headache. Couple hundred at a time is no problem.

[Jack Stanley]

Glad it was only fifty-nine pieces to do and it only took a lifetime to get it done . Now that you have your lottery payout Call Giraud and get a good trimmer and call Starline and get a pallet of brass huh?

Jack

[mozeppa]

don't like trimming ya say?


tell us how you REALLY feel!

[Mk42gunner]

I loathe and detest trimming brass. I don't do it unless I absolutely have to.

I went from using the original Lee cutter and lock stud with a drill, to a Forster and a Lyman with power adapter. I think the Lee is easiest to use, I just don't like that there isn't any choice as to trim to length.

The funny thing is I like to convert cartridges, and don't mind trimming brass when doing so.

Robert

[runfiverun]

I hate champhering case mouths.

[9.3X62AL]

I hate champhering case mouths.

Yessir. This is the teeth-drilling part of that root canal concept I spoke of above.

[fecmech]

I have always taper crimped .357 mags and never had any bullets jump crimp. All my magnum loads are 358429 over max doses of 296/H110 and a while back I decided to see if trimming was worth the time. I selected 36 cases of identical length and loaded them along with 36 random length cases with my normal load. All cases were the same headstamp, Federal. My wife loaded them in two separate trays so that she knew which were which but I did not. I benched 12 groups over two days @ 50 yds doing 3 from each box each day. I don't remember the exact results except that there was essentially no difference and the averages for both groups were 2 1/4 -2 1/2"@ 50 yds. That ended any desire I ever had to trim straight wall brass.

[Walter Laich]

to pile on, trimming is not for the faint of heart

I usually end up with mine splitting before I need to trim. Been shooting the same batch in cowboy action for 15 years.

let's say I started with a bunch and add to it as the split/crack. Some are so thin now you can read a newspaper through it

[Tom W.]

I had a NEF .270 that if a round was fired from it the case needed trimming. It was a great rifle, very accurate, but I hated to trim the brass... so I sold it.

Once, a long long time ago while I was recuperating from stomach surgery I got really bored so I decided to trim my .44 mag brass. When I got over that I never trimmed straight wall handgun brass again.

[waco]

You're a brave man. I don't trim handgun brass....ever.....

[Kestrel4k]

My biggest adventure in trimming was to take 0.100" off of qty.70-80 .44Mag cases to come up w/ a custom load (not quite as short as .44Spl). Now /that/ was a chore I have no intent on ever repeating. :-/

But recently I replaced the original (& worn out) steel cutters on my Lyman trimmer with a ~$45 carbide one, which has made trimming MUCH easier. Highly recommended for anybody still using their steel cutters.