Trimmed about 600 357 brass recently (just to have uniform crimp) - wasn't eventful at all with Dillon trimmer and CH4D die
Trimmed about 600 357 brass recently (just to have uniform crimp) - wasn't eventful at all with Dillon trimmer and CH4D die
Brass trimming is definitely the 'necessary evil' of reloading.
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I trimmed about 1000 5.56 brass a little over a year ago, it took a few sessions. That RCBS case prep station sure came in handy because I did the primer pockets too.
To me, trimming is just part of reloading. I enjoy reloading and every part of the process, however tedious, is acceptable as just part of the fun...
Most I ever trim is around 60, max., or three boxes of rifle brass. Never trimmed handgun brass...
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The RCBS 3-way cutters do a great job of trimming, chamfering, and deburring in one operation... Mated to their powered Trim-Pro (or a similar drill operated short-cut) they make short work of BIG jobs.
I believe they also fit the current Hornady trimmers.
They might be viewed as over-kill on small batch jobs, but if you really like to minimize efforts on volumn case maintenance they are definitely worth considering.
3-way is the way to go for any kind of volume, IMO. Yes, the RCBS unit fits the Hornady and different arbors can be used for other calibers, ie .308" & 5.56mm. With the Hornady universal shell holders don't work so consider getting their holders if you are considering buying the Hornady.
I tried the new Lee units and although the OAL consistency was OK the chamfering and deburring not so much.
As for trimming pistol brass, I just don't and won't do it.
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Trimming pistol brass isn't regular maintenance every cycle that a case is reloaded, but it is occasionally needed (even on new cases) to maintain uniform crimps (especially heavy roll-crimps for slow-burning powders) and/or proper headspace on rimless casings.
New casings are generally inspected and trimmed if necessary. Used casings that aren't pre-sorted get treated the same.
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I do almost the same thing. I get a bolt the threads into the trimmer die, lock 3 nuts together at 1 end, thread it into my trimmer and lock the bolt in place with a lock nut. I use a 1/4 inch deep socket over the 3 nuts and cunck a 1/4 inch extansion into my 1/2 drill. I found that trimming works best at the hightest speed in low rage.
I took 1000 9x19 Luger .747 to 9x18 MAK.707 (after I resized the cases)
If you place the drill handle up on a support the right height and have something to lean the handle on when you switch casses this greatly increases productivity and reduces stress.
Last edited by Grmps; 10-01-2017 at 02:41 PM.
I trim all my Bottle neck cases ,use the Lee tool in a drill ,you can make a little shim/washer to adjust length out of a pop can ,haven't bothered myself as I'm lazy any content with the Lee set length .don't trim 357 brass as they seem to split long before the stretch enough to worry about ,last about ten plus reloads but I use minimum expansion and don't hot rod my loads I go for accuracy.did I mention I hate trimming brass?
For bottle neck in bulk I use the WFT from little Crow. It is about 5 seconds per case. For straight wall cases, the Lee deluxe quick case trimmer with or without the power attachment.
I put a 3/8 carbide die in my .308 WFT and found it did a much better job.
I power the WFT with a Harbor Freight Mini Lathe. To chamfer and deburr I chuck the tool in the lathe and run it at about 1,000 rpm. I run them all through the chamfer then the deburr. The chamfer is about 4 seconds per case and the deburr is about 5. I grab a hand full of brass in my left hand and feed my right that holds the cases while processing and after till it fills with about half the brass from my left hand. Small cases are faster than large because you can hold more in your hand per cycle. I can do about 18 9mm per minute.
I also hate case trimming.
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My gunsmith set my trimmer up to use a hand drill on it and if I have alot of brass to trim .I set up the drill and dose not take long.It is mainly bottle neck that need the trimming. Not much of the handgun brass.I still can use the hand crank like it was set up for .just remove the handle and put the drill on and take care of it once I have it set up for where I want it to trim at. I do check the lenght of all the brass before I see what need to be trim.
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Yesterday I got out my Giraud, and 2,000 pieces of 30 Carbine brass. Trimmed 10 pieces yesterday, and about 90 today.
I intended to trim 2,000 pieces? I'm funny.
Hi Walter.Ya say they are so thin that they only have one side?Oh yeah.Trimming brass
Good luck.Have fun.Be safe.
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Did I ever mention that I hate to trim brass?
I picked up a dillon rapid trim. If you have enough brass to do to justify it, or just have buckets of money, it is the way to go. I had enough brass, still looking for buckets of money.
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I didn't like trimming either until my wife got me a Lee Quick Trim for Christmas. The thing is fantastic.
https://leeprecision.com/quick-trim/
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The only thing I know more painful was spending an entire Saturday converting 200 223 casings to 300blackout out.
Now that you have them trimmed you can outside neck turn for a real good time.
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