Unusual Case Forming & Trimming situation

[Mr_Sheesh]

Having some reloading issues here. I am in a too-small apartment and need a better answer. For trimming cases like .300 AAC Blackout some day, and for trimming 308 cases to 45ACP shotshell cases, you cannot really use a Forster or RCBS style trimmer - since you are going to trim the entire neck away from the shoulder, then the entire shoulder away, and a good chunk of the cylindricalish portion of the case.) I could get a chop saw maybe from "Horror Fright" (aka Harbor Freight) and saw them to a shorter length, that would beat the current method of running them into a sizing die, hacksawing most of the excess off, then filing the case down to match the die.

What do people use who're doing this more commercially? (I only have a small spot in the kitchen for the grinder stand my reloading rig is on, using that there sucks but at least some case forming is doable - No air circulation etc. etc. and it's not "ideal" in any way. I don't have access to a machine shop but know some people to ask. Maybe a Forster or RCBS style pilot would be possible to make, then you could saw off the excess and then power trim it? It's taking way too long, not to speak of having misplaced a bunch I've done, this living alone with being disabled mess beats not breathing but bleah!)

Planning to change some things soon that happened while I was sick, but that has to wait. Want to move reloading into another room but have to move some things beforehand!

[popper]

HF mini chop saw, lyman or other power trimmer ( elec. drill ) and a LARGE PLASTIC table cloth - brass fillings make a mess. Also inside & outside chamfer tools - in the drill.

[lightman]

When I make 357 Herretts from 30-30 cases I use a file type trim die and a hacksaw. Its a little bit messy but it keeps everything near the press. The HF cutoff saw sounds good.

[Grmps]

I converted 30-06 into 8MM using a HF 1/8 in. - 1-1/8 in. Mini Tubing Cutter to remove most of the excess material

[Mr_Sheesh]

TY folks; The filing is about as bad in terms of time and brass bits flying all over as hacksawing is, maybe I can calibrate the chop saw to cut almost all the excess off though, while still keeping my 3 remaining fingers! :kidding:

[funnyjim014]

Mini tubing cutter...then final trim

[Omega]

HF saw, with a jig inside a plastic container to catch the brass dust and cutoffs. Here I'm making my first thousand .277 Wolverine, the jig I had purchased for the 300 Blackout had just enough adjustment to do these too, but they make one specifically for a few calibers. I have another jig, the one with a groove, but this one works the best.
225485

[15meter]

There are co-op work shops opening up around the country, http://sodomakerspace.com, is one example. You might want to check if there is one near you. The rate per hour might make it worth it.

I know of three in South East Michigan, two of the three wouldn't bat an eye at someone prepping brass. The third one in Ann Arbor (think the University of Michigan) would probably go into a group heart attack[smilie=1:

[nun2kute]

Converted 223 Brass to 7.62x40 on a 14" bandsaw with a non-ferrous blade. I made a sled out of a small piece of plywood (maybe 8x12") with a wood fence and used a screw to adjust the length with, and I didn't spend anything to do it. The bandsaw is slow enough I won't need anymore fingers. I'm already mostly deff, I couldn't stand listening to any Harbor Freight tools screaming at me. Sorry I can't post pictures yet, don't know why it just won't work for me. I hope you get it all worked out, you shouldn't have to work so hard to have a little fun.

[DocSavage]

I used a file and trim diet form,sawsall to cut excess,file to clean and then debut. Tried a hacksaw at first that was too slow so I used a sawmill much faster.

[vagrantviking]

I've done some by making a jig to set the length of the cases and cut with a pneumatic die grinder with a cut-off wheel.
Not quiet or mess free or 100% accurate but can get a pile close enough for a final trim quickly.

[Lead pot]

get yourself one of these and you will get the job done in fine shape https://www.harborfreight.com/2-in-mini-bench-top-cut-off-saw-62136.html
I have cut down .45 basic cases for several years and I have never changed the blade yet and the cut is just as clean as ever.
I made a wood block with a V and I also have a round groove to hold the case with a stop at the head so all cuts are exact then just a couple turns with the Wilson case trimmer to get them exact.

[bob208]

I use a parting tool in my lathe. I can really crank them out. for other trimming I use a lyman chuck in my milling machine.

[vagrantviking]

get yourself one of these and you will get the job done in fine shape https://www.harborfreight.com/2-in-mini-bench-top-cut-off-saw-62136.html
I have cut down .45 basic cases for several years and I have never changed the blade yet and the cut is just as clean as ever.
I made a wood block with a V and I also have a round groove to hold the case with a stop at the head so all cuts are exact then just a couple turns with the Wilson case trimmer to get them exact.

That's exactly what I was trying to do with a homemade arrangement.
I might have to see if I can find one of those.

[Grmps]

I use a parting tool in my lathe. I can really crank them out. for other trimming I use a lyman chuck in my milling machine.

Not sure the lathe would fit in his apartment :)

[Mr_Sheesh]

LOL good point, Grmps - On the other hand, I could toss out the stove and put a small lathe in its place? LOL

[bob208]

the old atlas 6 x 18 would work nice. also could run across a watch makers lathe. there are a few desk top lathes also.

[TheDoctor]

Custom made C&H die with Honey Badger trimmer on a Dillon. Haven't done it, but looked into it. It should work.

[Texas by God]

Does anyone know where to get an 8x57 jig for the chop saw or must I make my own?

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

[Grmps]

Does anyone know where to get an 8x57 jig for the chop saw or must I make my own?

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

Didn't see one In my search, I ended up with the RCBS trimmer die BUT only used it for full-length sizing I much prefer using the tubing cutter, cleaner margins.

I've seen people use a Dremel to rough trim brass

[popper]

I did the dremel thing, HF works much better.

[country gent]

On the mini chop saws a simple fixture from a block of wood and destaco clamp you can make a very quick accurate case holder fixture. The big thing is to desighn it so once clamped in the saws vise it can be opened, closed and cases changed.

Heres what Im thinking right now. A 1 1/2" square block of hardwood scrap long enough for the case.
drill a thru hole slightly bigger than the case case dia +.100
center a release agent coated case in this hole front and back. You will want enough extra in the back for a nut to be glued in. This matches the case taper in the fixture the nut and screw lock nut a fine adjustment.
When cured cut in half on center line use a doubled hacksaw blade and lightly clean up cut. on top half relieve both sides .060-.080 so it is free moving in the vise when base is clamped. A small destaco clamp on the base provides clamping attach top half of bloc to arm and the clamp will raise lower and clamp.

In use set up in vise close to size the screw nut can be used to fine adjust the cut. The epoxy formed holder should make very square cuts so only a few thousandths need to be left for final trim

[country gent]

An even better cut jig would be a modified case trimmer. mounted on a board and the hinge arm motor and blade from a mini saw mounted cases could be turned during the cut making a squarer cleaner cut the arm would need to be mounted on a slide to adjust.

When cutting with the mini saws a damp rag hung behind the blade catches a lot of the grit and will help contain the neck / shoulders. but you need to give it a spray of water every so often. A wire stand in a c about 2-3" tall and a wash cloth or rag draped over it wetted every so often

[Omega]

It's tough to beat the HF saw for ease, price and compactness.
225536
This is a bit more expensive, but it has all the stations I needed to chamfer/debur the case mouth, decrimp, and uniform the primer pocket. And with an adapter, I trim to length as well with a Lee hand trimmer after forming the cases.
225537
And when finished, everything fits in the container for storage.

[Mr_Sheesh]

The shoe box is a good idea for containing the metal bits!

[EDG]

Many of these problems can never be satisfied because of too many constraints.
1.The poster has little room
2. The poster wants to limit the outlay of cash.
3. The poster wants a clean, neat , quiet and fast process that is safe.

The answer is there is no process that meets all the requirements without compromise.

All the really cheap processes generate noise chips and make you sweat.
The easy quiet processes require either a mill with a slitting blade or a lathe with a parting tool.

A shop with a Hardinge lathe with a 5C collet closer could part those cases of about 6 a minute. Literally millions of parts are cut off in automatic equipment using the same process every hour of every day.

A lathe is by a million miles the best solution.
But you either buy a lathe and get someone to spend a few hours helping you set this operation up or you just pay a savvy reloader who own a lathe a little cash to mow off about 3 years worth of brass.

Consult with grumpa here at cast bullets. He knows exactly how to do the work you need.

[mold maker]

Unless funds are limitless, a mini tubing cutter will allow you to trim almost to length without a mess. I have done lots while in my recliner watching TV or youtube. The only space needed would be to contain the brass before and after cutting and the scraps.
Regardless of which method. you are going to need a final precise trim by file or trim cutter. A trimmer mounted in a square cake pan will contain the brass scraps and trimmings while working on your lap or table. Trimmers can be drill powered or hand cranked.
If you contract out all the work involved in this hobby, you might as well shoot factory.
Throwing money at a task is like hiring a chauffeur to drive you across the street to church while maintaining a car and drivers license.

[David2011]

It's tough to beat the HF saw for ease, price and compactness.
225536
This is a bit more expensive, but it has all the stations I needed to chamfer/debur the case mouth, decrimp, and uniform the primer pocket. And with an adapter, I trim to length as well with a Lee hand trimmer after forming the cases.
225537
And when finished, everything fits in the container for storage.

While I don't mess with 300BO I have read of many people successfully using the HF mini chop saw to trim the brass. There are lots of references on the 'net.

I do have one of the Lyman prep stations in the second picture and I love it. If the pocket reamers are replaced with Hornady version it makes it a much better tool.

The plastic box is an awesome idea!

[Mr_Sheesh]

I have an RCBS case prep center, need to make space somewhere to set it up. One step at a time. I agree that it's a tough situation, just need to figure it all out.

[rockshooter]

For 300 BO, I use the HF 2" chop saw, then to final trim with the little crow worlds fastest trimmer- works great
Loren

[nicholst55]

An even better cut jig would be a modified case trimmer. mounted on a board and the hinge arm motor and blade from a mini saw mounted cases could be turned during the cut making a squarer cleaner cut the arm would need to be mounted on a slide to adjust.

I saw one of these done with a Lyman Universal Trimmer. The chuck was removed and reinstalled facing the opposite direction, on the outside of the trimmer. I don't know how well it worked in practice, but it's about the best use I can envision for that particular piece of equipment.

[Hossfly]

Like the harbor freight chop saw, I installed 7\16 deep socket 1\4’ drive in saw clamp and adj. for length. Works well, chopped about 50 or so then put in hand cranked trimmer for final work. Loud, yes, brass partials all over, yes. In the end very good and close cutting, very fast. Little to trim. This was making 300BO from .223 cases with split necks.

[Blanket]

with the restrictions you place on doing so you might want to just consider buying from someone that is set up to make the brass you want

[JimB..]

I have built a little slide that runs against the fence on my drill press, in that slide is a hole sized for the brass I want to trim. In the chuck is a mandrel with a 4” cutoff blade which I run at max speed. Table is set so that once trimmed the brass falls into a box. Need to work on managing the chips and scrap.

Thinking about redesigning it so the feed is a circle instead of a slide, then I can have a small motor turn it and just drop brass into the holes.

Building this to make jackets to swage .38/.357 from 223, but suppose it’d work for other sizes with minor adjustment.

Now this obviously won’t work for Mr S, but it could probably be rigged up with a stand and a battery operated drill so you could run it anywhere. Of course that little HF cutoff saw could probably be run from an inverter in the car and it’d be a lot less trouble to setup in the far corner of a big box store parking lot.

[Mr_Sheesh]

I don't think there IS anyone set up to make these. Easy solution'd be to just go nuts, but there're bad consequences to that. I'll try the HF chop saw, can't be any worse. (Then go nuts and froth at the mouth if that fails :P)

[Grmps]

You could use this concept https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LlAFF79us8U&t=52s

with a temporary spacer between the drill and the tubing cutter to get proper depth -- no brass chips/mess, then form and trim to length

[StratsMan]

Some good ideas in that video... True DIY thinking...

[BD]

225655225656I use my regular twelve inch Dewalt mitre saw. I just drill the appropriate size hole through a block of wood, trim to .1 longer than I need, clamp it to the fence and use a shell holder on the case head to register the case against the wood block. Using a triple chip non ferrous blade like I use for aluminum trim I get a pretty smooth cut. I can set up and cut down about two hundred an hour. You still have to trim them in the trimmer, (I use and RCBS with a battery drill on the handle end), but it only takes a second if they are close to length. The first time I did this I made about 400 .450 Bushmaster cases this way in around 2 1/2 hours including the time spent figuring it out and drilling the block. I think having the case in a close fitting hole right to the cut line really helps in getting a clean cut without any deformation and not much burr.

[Mr_Sheesh]

Unsure what size pilots I have for the RCBS trimmer, the older Forster I will have to find (Chaos is a good word for this place, sadly.) Guess I'll look at the RCBS trimmer and see. It'd sure be faster than a file! I need to adapt it for a drill yet, too.

[Mr_Sheesh]

This (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LAGxcKI6XDc) video looks like an even easier way maybe and would use that HF Chop Saw, that's SPEEDY and if you put an adjustment device in the wood block used for spacing you could fine adjust it.

Now if I can figure out where some of the finished rounds went I can ship them out, sigh. Getting things done but slowly - At least it's cooling off here now.

[Grmps]

I like the way you think. the groove really doesn't need to be round, but round looks better.
You could cut a dado then cut a cross dado for the stop (looks like a cross) and glue in the stop then adjust the jig until it lined up correctly with the blade then fastened/clamp it to the saw. OR just cut a groove, put a piece of square stock in the grove (for a stop) and clamp the square stock where you need it.

To get fancy, Maybe a guy could incorporate a micrometer adjustment off a powder measure so you could fine adjust for 300 BO and 7.62x25 Tokarev but I think moving the jig would be soo much easier.

I bought the 300BO jig off e-bay and bought a HF saw. the saw died 2 days after I got it (3 pieces of brass short of what I was going to cut). So I returned it for a refund.

[Mr_Sheesh]

Ack, I hate it when stuff dies on me. At least it was in warranty for you!

[Omega]

I am up to 3K cases so far on my HF saw, all I did was replace the blade (after the first 1K) to one that cuts smoother than the factory one. I did buy extra blades and belts when I got the saw, but have yet to use them.

[Freightman]

I have cut 1000's of 223 off and 30-06 and 338 win over 10 years still going strong, did replace blade once.

[Iowa Fox]

Cheap and easy jigs for use with the HF saw. Has a few vids of them in operation at the bottom of the pages. Neighbors might not like the noise.

http://www.squirreldaddy.com/Cartridge-case-trimmers-s/294.htm

[Mr_Sheesh]

Interesting design; It doesn't match my needs (shortening a 308 type case) but the idea could be adapted - Thanks! And VERY good to know that this chop saw works well for some folks :)

[dimaprok]

This (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LAGxcKI6XDc) video looks like an even easier way maybe and would use that HF Chop Saw, that's SPEEDY and if you put an adjustment device in the wood block used for spacing you could fine adjust it.

Now if I can figure out where some of the finished rounds went I can ship them out, sigh. Getting things done but slowly - At least it's cooling off here now.

I used very similar setup, except I used 2 layers of plywood to create a channel and later I added a bolt to control the cut depth. Worked fine until I found a local guy who charged 5 cents to convert my brass (24 hour turn around) and I said screw all this labor, I'll just pay him $25 bucks for 500 pieces and be done, my time is worth more. He has several Dillon stations with case trimmer motors he showed me, when you raise the ram it trims and deb-burs in seconds and with each pull of the handle a converted piece fall to the tray. All he has do to is pull the handle. he also asked me if I just want to swap my brass for already converted cases so I did.

[dimaprok]

I like the way you think. the groove really doesn't need to be round, but round looks better.
You could cut a dado then cut a cross dado for the stop (looks like a cross) and glue in the stop then adjust the jig until it lined up correctly with the blade then fastened/clamp it to the saw. OR just cut a groove, put a piece of square stock in the grove (for a stop) and clamp the square stock where you need it.

To get fancy, Maybe a guy could incorporate a micrometer adjustment off a powder measure so you could fine adjust for 300 BO and 7.62x25 Tokarev but I think moving the jig would be soo much easier.

I bought the 300BO jig off e-bay and bought a HF saw. the saw died 2 days after I got it (3 pieces of brass short of what I was going to cut). So I returned it for a refund.

The micrometer would be waste of money. The amount of play in that HF hinge is at least 10 thousands if not 20. I kept messing with adjusting screw I added as a stopper so I don't have to trim more than 5 thousands later but when I realized how much play it had - forget it, I been meaning to rebuild it, I am in the process of converting to 221 fireball and soon 7.62 x 40 WT.

[dimaprok]

After I posted I decided I am going to do something about that play in the hinge of the saw so I machined a thicker rod for the hinge and now there is almost no play and accuracy is spot on! +/- .001. Take a look at how quick the cutting process is: https://youtu.be/ORfPgmkmdpo

[Mr_Sheesh]

Pretty nice. Wish I could machine a thicker rod for mine, at least i'll beat the heck out of hacksawing these cases!

[Elkins45]

There's a cottage industry of people making trimming jigs to use with the HF chop saw. Check eBay.

[MostlyLeverGuns]

I use a Case Holder for a Wilson case trimmer to hold the case in the mini chop saw. The case holder holds the case square to the table. All that is needed is a stop block to set length. Cases cut square and accurately. The Wilson case holder deals with case taper that cause crooked cutting on a saw. A single jig could be made, then swap case holders for different calibers. Really handy for '06 to 8x57, 308 to 300 Savage.

[wildwilly501]

I see some replace the blade for smoother cuts.What blade do you use?