Please explain, I just don't get it.

[Blammer]

Ok, WHY!
Why, why do people recommend trimming the brass shorter if the bullet is too long?

Is the sole purpose to fit the brass into the crimp groove of the boolit?

If the purpose to trim the brass so it will be a shorter OAL when the boolit is seated in the crimp groove, i'd just as soon fore go the brass trimming and seat the boolit deeper and be done with it.

If this is the case, count me out, I'll not trim my brass just to have it fit in the crimp groove. I'll just not crimp in the crimp groove.

I just don't understand.

I'd rather not have to keep track of 2 different lengths of brass depending on what boolit I am loading for a gun.

What's your view on the brass trimming thing?

[Boerrancher]

There are some boolits that the crimp grove is so for forward that to seat them any deeper would put you trying to crimp the case on to the tapered part of the nose. (The old style RNFP 44-40 and 45 LC boolits are prime examples.) One of the Lyman 205 gr 429 dia moulds that I can't remember the number of now was a great example. If you loaded it in a 44-40, and needed not to exceed the Max over all length for the loaded round, you had to trim your 44-40 cases a bit to get them to feed in the old lever guns, and still crimp in the groove. This is the reason I sold that Lyman Mould years ago, and bought a Lee. I refused to have 2 lengths of brass, on for the rifle and one for the pistol. Now I Just trim my brass when it starts to exceed the max length.

Best wishes from the Boer Ranch,

Joe

[bishopgrandpa]

My Ruger #1 has a short throat. To get a 350 grain bullet, be it Hornady or Speer, to chamber the bullet must be set back. The solutions are to work the barrel or to trim the case. A leverevolution case is shorter that I would like so I trim the longer case. Another choice is to find another style bullet or design one to be made. I did this from Mountain Molds and with luck it shoots fine. Changing style of bullet doesn't always work. Find what does shoot accurately and work with it. What's the big deal to trim a few cases?

[HeavyMetal]

The only time I've ever encontered this requirement is with the lyman 358429 mold.

This was originally designed for the 38 special to be shot in a 357 magnum revolver.

Loaded in the 357 case it can be to long for some Cylinders. This weekend I found that it works well in my Contender but is about .040 to long for the BIL's Dan Wesson Model 15.

So I could trim a bunch of case's back .060 or so and work up a load from there or I can simply switch to the RCBS 150 SWC and not sweat it.

That's the simple answer for today. Back when Lyman was to only player in town and brass ( 357) a lot harder to find I may have made a different choice.

So I'm with you! I'd rather adjust seating depth or switch molds before I'd trim brass excssively. Brass needs to be the same length for crimp to alway be the same but we're talking .005 to .010 here not .060 to .100!

[S.R.Custom]

Is the sole purpose to fit the brass into the crimp groove of the boolit?If this is the case, count me out, I'll not trim my brass just to have it fit in the crimp groove. I'll just not crimp in the crimp groove.

I just don't understand.

You apparently haven't done much work with lever guns, or you'd have a most intimate understanding of the problem... [smilie=1:

Some lever gun calibers are by their nature difficult to work with, in that their SAAMI specs call for a max length that leaves little room for exposed bullet; there is frequently little or no useable exposed bearing surface when the cartridge is assembled to max OAL. (I'm thinking of the .444 Marlin as I write this.) So to get a cartridge to measure and feed correctly when using a long bullet, you trim the brass.

On a more theoretical level, crimping in some place other than the crimp groove reduces the available groove-diameter bearing surface where it's needed most-- the front driving band. Why would I ever want to do that? I just don't understand... ;)

[Boerrancher]

SuperMag,

Thanks for reminding me again of the headache I had when I first started loading the lee C309-180-R in my Mod 94. Trying to find that perfect balance where the gas check is still in the neck, and the round will still short enough to feed. I liked the way the boolit shot while single loading it, so I wanted to see if I could get it to feed and shoot nearly as well. I got it done but It was a PITA.

Best wishes from the Boer Ranch,

Joe

[beagle]

I'm agreein'. I'm not trimming brass so to make a bullet fit a chamber or feed. I'll either seat deeper or change bullets.

The 358429 is a prime example. When I ran into this delima, I cut back on the powder charge and seated deeper and had no problems. Accuracy was improved if anything as well as I recall.

I encounter this all the time on my Ruger .45/70 and so far, I haven't trimmed a case....same as with the .444.

Just too much hassle. Trim to the stated "trim to" length and work it out./beagle

[Bret4207]

I just save my nickel 38 brass form the 358429 357 mag range loads. If it's a nickel 38 case with a 358429 I know it's for my M-28. Little brother M-19 will handle a few if needs be, but littlest brother Airweight Bodyguard never gets any, or the Uncle the Smiths don't discuss- the Colt Officers Model Target.

[NSP64]

Ok, WHY!
Why, why do people recommend trimming the brass shorter if the bullet is too long?

Is the sole purpose to fit the brass into the crimp groove of the boolit?

If the purpose to trim the brass so it will be a shorter OAL when the boolit is seated in the crimp groove, i'd just as soon fore go the brass trimming and seat the boolit deeper and be done with it.

If this is the case, count me out, I'll not trim my brass just to have it fit in the crimp groove. I'll just not crimp in the crimp groove.

I just don't understand.

I'd rather not have to keep track of 2 different lengths of brass depending on what boolit I am loading for a gun.

what's your view on the brass trimming thing?


I believe the trimming of brass is to give a uniform length to the brass so the crimp applied by the crimp die is the same from round to round, thereby more uniform ignition. Also to prevent the brass from becoming so long that the brass will not fit into the throat with a loaded boolit, causing unsafe pressure once fired.

[S.R.Custom]

I just save my nickel 38 brass form the 358429 357 mag range loads. If it's a nickel 38 case with a 358429 I know it's for my M-28...

Indeed... My next Mountain Moulds project is a 158 gr boolit with a nose length/crimp groove location that allows me to use a 38 Spl case to duplicate the case capacity of a .357 Mag case with 'normal' bullets.