I need a good quality case trimmer?

[Racingsnake]

Hi guys,

I'm looking to improve the accuracy of my 38 Special target loads and want to start trimming the cases. I have 20+ years worth of assorted head stamps and ages and I'm sure there are some inconsistencies.

Which good quality case trimmer will give me consistent lengths?

Regards, Racingsnake

[Jack Stanley]

Redding amongst others , it would depend on how much you have to do compared to how much you have to spend and how long you want the job to last .

Jack

[r1kk1]

Shoot more.

I don't trim most pistol cases and use a taper crimp die for some loads while others no crimp.

Take care

r1kk1

[Racingsnake]

I find I get different seating depths at times and while the powder charges are always the accurate with my Lee Auto Disc, differing case length can alter the extent of the belling.

[Tazman1602]

Hornady cam-lock but buy the Hornady shell holders with it and the collets you need. VERY accurate, VERY repeatable, and FAST with a cordless drill attachment.

LOVE mine although I rarely trim handgun brass except for a few .357's to shoot certain cast bullets (358429 I *think*) and the Hornady LeveRevolution 140 grain FTX.

Art

[Hardcast416taylor]

Over the span of my loading lifetime I have had 3 different trimmers. They are Lyman, Forster and RCBS. I now just have the RCBS trimmer with the power attachment. All the companies that make trimmers will do a decent job of trimming. However as has been pointed out you must make a choice upon which one does the better job while doing the task the fastest. In all my years of pistol shooting I have yet to trim a case, probably because I am talking about loading hundreds to thousands at a setting.Robert

[Racingsnake]

Thanks guys

[RCE1]

Most of the trimming I do is on a Wilson trimmer. I think it yields the most consistant and square cuts. Most of the reloading I do, however, is for rifle cartridges.

[TNsailorman]

Just for pure accuracy, I have found the Wilson and the C&H trimmer to be the most accurate and repeatable. Forster, Lyman, and RCBS all do a very good job also. I have owned and do own all of these brands and you can't go wrong with either of them. There are others I am sure that will do a good job, but these are the ones I have used for the last 60 plus years. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention the Lee trimmers, very accurate but not adjustable. You are stuck with Lee's length as manufactured. Take care, james

[Racingsnake]

Thanks James. Good info.

[jeff423]

I use an RCBS to trim for my S&W 52-2.

Jeff

[dragon813gt]

I have a Forster and one from CH4D. I use the Forster for large batches of brass as I have the drill adapter. I use the CH4D for small batches of rifle. The collet setup on the CH4D leads to more consistent trim lengths.

[novalty]

Most of the trimming I do is on a Wilson trimmer. I think it yields the most consistant and square cuts. Most of the reloading I do, however, is for rifle cartridges.

+1. I am a big fan of the L.E. Wilson case trimmer.

[gunoil]

i have ebay RCBS Trimmer. Its good.

[o6Patient]

Started with a Lyman universal went to an rcbs and came back to a Lyman,
I really like their universal chuck. It's the fastest for me, ymmv.

[Jack Stanley]

I've noticed when using a taper crimp die the case length isn't near as critical provided cases are reasonably close .

Jack

[HoosierShooter]

A different approach is to sort by case length. My 38 spl cases vary in length by total 0.040 inch. I sort into 0.010 inch groupings. Setting up and loading by these groups gives me good consistant roll crimps. Since the cases do not grow much after many reloads, I don't have to to sort that often.

[ridurall]

I've been loading for close to 40 years and I got tired of the collet type of trimmers. Unless you use a torque wrench to tighten the collet the length will vary somewhat. I found that the Lee trimmer suits me best especially when trimming my cases for the 50 BMG. No matter what caliber I'm trimming they come out exactly the same length every time. Sure makes for much more accurate loading when seating the boolit and crimping the case mouth. Most of the time I just chuck it in a drill but also use the Lee spring loaded rope trimmer. Kind of like starting a lawn mower. Another thing I like about the Lee trimmer is being able to chuck the shell holder in a drill for polishing my 50 BMG bottle openers. It's also nice for cleaning up any brass using steel wool.

[Pooch]

Been using the LEE case trimmer for nearly fourty years. Never an issue. It's economical, accurate & consistant!

[march41]

I have a lyman and RCBS they both work great,but the lyman uses std shellholders and will do up to 50/70.it also is abit faster then my RCBS. I DON,t need 2 Ill sell the lyman AccuTRim ANIB for $35.00plus 5.00ship.Most of the trimmers do a good job,so take your pick,good luck.

[Westerner]

Hi guys,

I'm looking to improve the accuracy of my 38 Special target loads and want to start trimming the cases. I have 20+ years worth of assorted head stamps and ages and I'm sure there are some inconsistencies.

Which good quality case trimmer will give me consistent lengths?

Regards, Racingsnake

Good evening Racingsnake,
I started reloading for my father at 10 years of age. That was in 1951 and at 71 I expect I have shot more than 100,000 rounds of very accurate rifle and pistol loads. I am a trained gun smith for my own weapons and won't accept a group greater than a half inch at 100 yards for all of my rifles. My best pistol is a Ruger Super Blackhawk .44 mag that puts 4 rounds in a 3/4" group with 2 rounds that consistently take it to 1.25" at 25 yards. That is my preamble to the use of Lee case length trimmers. My first task is to measure a good number of cases to find the minimum length. Take one of the longer cases and trim with a new Lee trimmer to find it's cutting depth by measuring the case length. Using a fine stone with the length gage in a drill press and bring the tip to the stone very gently to take off small amounts of metal until it cuts the same case to the minimum length by repeated trials. Once you have reached the desired length bevel the edge of the tip to leave 2/3rds of the flat face of the tip so the ware is minimal on the contact surface and won't hang up on the primer hole edges. I then put the shell base chuck in a flat base machine clamp leaving the cutter in the drill chuck and insert the probe into the shell until it is aligned and bottomed out then clamp it tight. Set the depth stop at that point and start trimming at the rate of 150 to 200 shells per hour. Deburring inside and outside the case rim and uniforming the inside primer hole are essential to best accuracy. All your cases will bell the same minimal diameter to accept the slug and maximize case life. Good accuracy starts with identical cases which you will need to sort into categories of brand and weight within brands. All should end up accurate within their own uniformity but at different grouping on your target. Good shooting my friend.

[Racingsnake]

Hi Westerner, thank you for that very useful information. Much appreciated.

[bob208]

i use a lyman universal chuck mounted in a block that i use on my millimg machine. then i set the trim length with the z travel. then have at it.

[r1kk1]

Wilson or CH4D for me.

Take care,

r1kk1

[montana_charlie]

A trimmer which holds the case in a reloading press 'shell holder' has a threaded ram that tightens the front of the case rim against the shell holder lip. The (eventual) length of the trimmed case will index to that rim 'face'.
Any variance in thickness of the rim will cause different overall lengths in the cases.

A trimmer with a 'collet' that grabs the edge of the rim will cause trimmed length to index to the 'center' of the rim's thickness. Thick rims will cause longer cases and thin rims will result in shorter overall lengths.

The Wilson trimmer cuts to an overall length determined by the flat surface where the headstamp is.
It doesn't matter how thick the rim is, the end of the case will be a certain distance from the head ... and that's that.

Since your case is also 'indexed' to the headstamp when held in the shell holder in the reloading press, the crimp (for example) will always be applied at a particular distance from the headstamp ... just like the critical dimension is determined by the Wilson trimmer.

In addition, the Wilson cuts a 'square' case mouth. Some of the 'shell holder types' don't ... not ever.

CM

[RCE1]

In addition, the Wilson cuts a 'square' case mouth. Some of the 'shell holder types' don't ... not ever.

CM

This is why I decided to use the Wilson for any target cartridge I work with.

[o6Patient]

I agree with Westerner, I keep my brass quite consistent in length...reloading accurate rounds
is consistency for the most part.

[doulos]

I have a RCBS Trim Pro power case trimmer. I like it a lot. Its very easy to set up. Holds the case very secure. And is very quick. Its expensive though.

[Racingsnake]

Do you guys use a good quality vernier / dial caliper for measuring the length or case gauges?

[r1kk1]

Do you guys use a good quality vernier / dial caliper for measuring the length or case gauges?

I have a mitutoyo caliper I use.

r1kk1

[dragon813gt]

Calipers. I don't own any case gauges.