LEE trimmer seems to be shrinking

[lightman]

If your cases are getting trimmed shorter you just about have to be having some wear to the tool. Either the guide pin or on the stud/shellholder. In the past I have used Lee trimmers a lot and I have several that show a measurable amount of wear.

I hope you recover and get back on your feet soon.

[la5676]

If your cases are getting trimmed shorter you just about have to be having some wear to the tool. Either the guide pin or on the stud/shellholder. In the past I have used Lee trimmers a lot and I have several that show a measurable amount of wear.

I hope you recover and get back on your feet soon.

That apparently is exactly what is going on. I finally got downstairs to grab the Starret micrometer and a handful of the very first cases trimmed. It looks like my electronic calipers are reading true. The first ones were 1.750 +/-.0005, using both tools. The later cases are a strong 1.745. I noticed the pin is very flat on the end, no rounded tip. Never noticed if it was flat to begin with. Anyway. I'll keep an eye on case length. I think I can tolerate the .005 so far, but if I drop any more, I better swap studs, and order some more. Have several thousand to go.

[Mk42gunner]

Lord knows I hate case trimming, but the original Lee setup is about the least annoying way to go.

I have never worn the length gauge more than a light polish on the end, but did wonder about it happening. Apparently it can happen.

It has been close to twenty years since I bought any of the length gauges, but as I recall they are pretty inexpensive. I would order a couple of extras, if you can still find them.

Hope your hip gets to feeling better soon. I see a replacement for my left hip in the future, not really looking forward to that.

Robert

[Geezer in NH]

I have a bunch of the Lee trimmers, But have used my Dillon power trimmer more in the last few years and am happy I do.

Costs way more but simple to use. If I was worried about the cost I would have been using my Forster lathe type trimmer instead.

Who ever said reloading saves money? What a great freaking salesman, I hope he got a good pension out of that he earned it .

[blikseme300]

Yep, the Lee trimmers do appear to shrink over time, but very slowly. Personally, I won’t lose sleep over such a minor change in a bottle necked case. I understand the need for economy and even though I have a number of other trimmers, including 2 Dillon RT1500’s, the Lee and other types still have a place in my shop. My reason for getting the power trimmers for my volume cartridges is that I have had CTS surgery and have arthritis. It was giving up on those or get tools that don’t hurt me.

There is another reason for the Lee system to create different lengths. The offset provided by the case head material is sometimes different between manufacturers. As the pilot spaces off that there will be a difference in case OAL.

Some trimmers index off the case shoulder and others of the case head, some by contacting the head surface along the flat and others by squeezing the edge of the case head. Each of these systems will have varying levels of accuracy, variation or consistency. So much variety and throughput capabilities that you need to make your decision based upon your needs and capabilities.

[jetinteriorguy]

Lyman makes a similar setup to the Lee trimmer, except it works much much better.