Trimming brass is the worst

[MostlyLeverGuns]

For large lots of case trimming I use a Little Crow in a drill press, like 308 down to 300 Savage, buckets of 223.. I use an L E Wilson for most trimming, I do have the Lee Trimmers and like them better than the Forster type, the do are precise and very accurate.

[JoeJames]

Lee trimmer is spot on for minimum in 308. Have to kind of watch the Lee 223 trimmer though.

[45DUDE]

I was going to shoot high power and bought a new Dillon set up for 308. I went to my first match and it was 100 degrees and never used it again. I had rather be on jury duty than trim. Pistol is so much easier and no trim.

[kayala]

Pistol is so much easier and no trim.

Cough-cough, I do trim my magnum brass as well for consistent roll crimp

[Liberty1776]

I bought a Forster trimmer 41 years ago. To speed things up, I replaced the crank with a 1/4" hex adapter that I drive with a right-angle battery powered drill/driver.



I also bought a Lyman Case Trim Express for shouldered cases when it was on sale at Midway in June, 2021.



Have not used it yet, but reviews are good.

https://youtu.be/GbgKTXSazUo

[45DUDE]

Cough-cough, I do trim my magnum brass as well for consistent roll crimp

I picked up 96 rounds of LC 223 brass last month at one place. None needed trimmed after I sized them and the crimps were removed. Talk about lucking out. I couldn't find the other 4.

[GWS]

I too doctored up my 20 year-old Forster, making it easier on my arms, wrists, and hands with a vertical mounted screw-gun that lifts with a pulley and a foot pedal. Forster's 3 way trimmer blade is used of course.

[GregLaROCHE]

I’m still trimming by hand on my Lyman trimmer. It’s certainly not the most fun part of reloading. I need to get something to power the trimmer. For the moment however, I haven’t been doing much trimming because I’ve gotten into muzzleloading.

[farmerjim]

you may want to look into the worlds cheapest trimmer
I give you credit for having the patience to do that much brass with the lee tools.

I have both the worlds finest trimmer and the worlds cheapest trimmer. They are both fast and good. For 50 or less I don't have a WFT or WCT so I use one of the Lee trimmers.

[Walks]

I've been using the Lyman Powered Trimmer for 30+ years, put the Lyman Case Express behind it and it goes Really Fast.
That lee trimmer worked like horse apples for me.

[358429]

Cookies are in the oven

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[Dieselhorses]

Not that big of a deal with Dillon trimmer and I don’t even use case feeder, because I apply lube to every case; for me it’s deprime, size and trim at a single handle pull.

But does it chamfer and debur also?

[Dieselhorses]

Waiting on the Frankford Arsenal Platinum series case trimmer and prep center. Should make life easier.

[Liberty1776]

I too doctored up my 20 year-old Forster, making it easier on my arms, wrists, and hands with a vertical mounted screw-gun that lifts with a pulley and a foot pedal.

That is one nice setup. Hard to argue with the Forster's collet chuck and its pilot that guarantees coaxial and reliable trimming.

I'm still using the original cutter head too, 41 years later.

Biggest problem? I want to trim some .45 Colt brass but all the distributors are out of the Forster .452 pilot.

I ordered one from Forster direct on 6/20/21 and paid way too much for shipping. And I have no idea when the pilot will arrive. (Gee, Forster. The pilot weighs exactly nothing. Why the $8 shipping when a single stamp would do???)

I did buy a .455 pilot from Midway, but after it arrived today, I find it's too big to fit the .45 Colt brass.

I'm trying to be patient and receive the correct pilot, but also fighting the temptation to chuck the oversized .455 pilot in my drill press and hit it with a file to take a few thousandths off.

But if I wait long enough, I'm sure Forster will come through for me.

Now, if I had even a cheapie Harbor Freight Mini Lathe, I'd already have the tiny part and be good to go....

Oh, well.

[GregLaROCHE]

Mini lathes come in handy all the time. I made a pilot for my Lyman trimmer on my mini lathe once.

[Big Wes]

I use Giraud tri-way's for 308 & 223

[kayala]

But does it chamfer and debur also?

No, that's a separate, more tedious step. Lyman prep center for that task: debur, chamfer, primer cleanup and crimp removal (if any).

[Three44s]

While I do not own one of the new generation “fast trimmers” that merely index off the shoulder I am never the less skeptical of the consistency they deliver.

A regular trimmer indexes from the head of the case to the mouth, just like a firearm does. These later day trimmers measure from the shoulder to the case neck. That gives me pause.

These quick trimmers ignore differences in case body length. Now if you are getting your brass length the same with old school techniques, then firing all that brass in the same firearm and then referencing the neck with a quick trim tool of some sort, I can see a viable option.

However, if you are getting range fired brass or any other variable solution and only quick trimming, I can not see how one can get consistent CARTRIDGE length when you are really only making your case neck length the same.

I know I will draw the ire of many who worship these newer methods of case trimming but I really do not give a hoot about that by bringing this up.

And if a member dares to investigate this, it only takes a brief stint with your measuring stick to check it out.

Three44s

[Three44s]

No, that's a separate, more tedious step. Lyman prep center for that task: debur, chamfer, primer cleanup and crimp removal (if any).

A member who is local loaned me his and that tool is a dandy. It is going to be real hard sending it home!

Three44s

[Dieselhorses]

While I do not own one of the new generation “fast trimmers” that merely index off the shoulder I am never the less skeptical of the consistency they deliver.

A regular trimmer indexes from the head of the case to the mouth, just like a firearm does. These later day trimmers measure from the shoulder to the case neck. That gives me pause.

These quick trimmers ignore differences in case body length. Now if you are getting your brass length the same with old school techniques, then firing all that brass in the same firearm and then referencing the neck with a quick trim tool of some sort, I can see a viable option.

However, if you are getting range fired brass or any other variable solution and only quick trimming, I can not see how one can get consistent CARTRIDGE length when you are really only making your case neck length the same.

I know I will draw the ire of many who worship these newer methods of case trimming but I really do not give a hoot about that by bringing this up.

And if a member dares to investigate this, it only takes a brief stint with your measuring stick to check it out.

Three44s

I see your point. Kinda like making a copy of a door key from another copy. The analogy is, after running a piece of brass through full length sizer, wouldn’t the neck be consistent in relation to head? Always measuring from head to mouth won’t fix neck problems either. But again, I see what you were saying.


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