I Hate Trimming Brass!

[Tuco]

Of all the things about reloading, trimming brass is my least favorite thing to do. I shoot revolver quite a bit and one thing I've started doing more and more is using .38 special and .44 special cases in my .357 and 44 magnum revolvers and loading them hot. That way I don't even bother worrying about how much the case stretches, cause it'll never get long enough to cause any problems before the cases split or something. As long as you have a quality revolver that can take +P loads, it sure makes reloading easier. Also, just neck sizing cases for bolt action rifles really reduces the need to trim for those. The Lee Collet Die sure is a fantastic way to go if you haven't tried it yet.

[ArizonaGunOwners.com]

[gamestalker]

 I know I'm weird, but I absolutely love every step of reloading, including trimming. The hobby as a whole, is one that I've always enjoyed, so much so,that I even trim pistol brass. But in my defense, I don't load plinking or target ammunition, only full tilt jacketed stuff, slow burning powders, and trimming is just one more step in the process that assures me, that I'm not going to encounter any surprises.

 GS

 "When seconds count, the police are minutes away"

[pc1p]

I hate trimming too!

I picked up a few of those "WFT Trimmers" and so far I love them. I can trim a couple hundred cases per hour. Over winter, I'm going to hit up some yard sales and try to find an old horizontal motor and arbor - maybe even an old single-sided bench grinder. I'm currently using my trimmers in a tabletop drill press and while it is effective, I do have to stop every now and then to "clean" the cutter (gravity doesn't work as well as you think). If I can get something to turn the trimmer sideways (as it was intended to be used), most of the brass would naturally fall out of the cutouts and I'd only have to clean once or twice per 400 cases (I currently clean with an old paintbrush about every 50 cases).

[billt]

Of all the things about reloading, trimming brass is my least favorite thing to do.

Trimming is a PITA. I broke down a couple of years ago and purchased a Giraud Powered Case Trimmer.



I have thousands of .223 cases I reload, and most all of them require trimming. There was, is, no other product that makes this task so effortless. Once you're set up and running, you can easily trim 10 cases per minute. To give you an idea how smoothly it operates, my wife trimmed a 5 gallon bucket, (around 2,500 cases), in a little over 4 hours start to finish. That included a few breaks. It works like an electric pencil sharpener with a positive stop. It trims the case + - .002, and puts a chamfer on both the inside, as well as the outside of the case at the same time. While a bit pricey, the thing is a lifesaver. There is no way I could reload as much .223 / 5.56 MM as I do without it. I'm actually thinking of buying another one in .308. That way I don't have to change back and forth.

[anm2_man]

Where do all the brass shavings go ?

[billt]

Where do all the brass shavings go ?

They're kept inside a clear, cylindrical Lucite cover that fits around the cutter assembly. About every 1,000 cases or so you simply slide the cover upward, then either brush or vacuum the shavings away. When I'm completely finished trimming a big load of brass, I take the unit outside and blow it all off with a container of that "canned air". Or else hit it with my air compressor if I'm in the garage.

[Tuco]

Neat tool, but how much did it cost you?

[428CJ]

Trimming is a PITA. I broke down a couple of years ago and purchased a Giraud Powered Case Trimmer.



I have thousands of .223 cases I reload, and most all of them require trimming. There was, is, no other product that makes this task so effortless. Once you're set up and running, you can easily trim 10 cases per minute. To give you an idea how smoothly it operates, my wife trimmed a 5 gallon bucket, (around 2,500 cases), in a little over 4 hours start to finish. That included a few breaks. It works like an electric pencil sharpener with a positive stop. It trims the case + - .002, and puts a chamfer on both the inside, as well as the outside of the case at the same time. While a bit pricey, the thing is a lifesaver. There is no way I could reload as much .223 / 5.56 MM as I do without it. I'm actually thinking of buying another one in .308. That way I don't have to change back and forth.

  Nice, you didn't play around.

[billt]

Neat tool, but how much did it cost you?

I think I paid $390.00. They're up to $440.00 now.

[anm2_man]

They're kept inside a clear, cylindrical Lucite cover that fits around the cutter assembly. About every 1,000 cases or so you simply slide the cover upward, then either brush or vacuum the shavings away. When I'm completely finished trimming a big load of brass, I take the unit outside and blow it all off with a container of that "canned air". Or else hit it with my air compressor if I'm in the garage.

Thanks for the video.  I've heard a lot about them but never seen one in action.  Pretty cool.   But my trimmer will out run yours.  I have Dillon stuff.  I can do about 2500 in 1 hr running flat out.  Since I size, decap, swage & trim at one time, I would have steal more cookie sheets from the wife unit (that could be a problem), so I could stage more brass.  So I really only do about 1k per hour.

Good stuff.

[Arizonagunsmith]

I hate trimming too!

I picked up a few of those "WFT Trimmers" and so far I love them. I can trim a couple hundred cases per hour. Over winter, I'm going to hit up some yard sales and try to find an old horizontal motor and arbor - maybe even an old single-sided bench grinder. I'm currently using my trimmers in a tabletop drill press and while it is effective, I do have to stop every now and then to "clean" the cutter (gravity doesn't work as well as you think). If I can get something to turn the trimmer sideways (as it was intended to be used), most of the brass would naturally fall out of the cutouts and I'd only have to clean once or twice per 400 cases (I currently clean with an old paintbrush about every 50 cases).

What about a battery powered hand drill held in a vise? The pawn shops have them fairly reasonable, saw one the other day for $24, 3/8" chuck.

Jon

[billt]

I have Dillon stuff.

Does the Dillon Trimmer chamfer the I.D and the O.D. of the case as it trims it?

[428CJ]

Want to skip the deburring so necessary after trimming cases to length?
You can do just that by using our 3-in-1 Case Mouth Cutter with long-lasting carbide blades. This innovative product combines case trimming, inside deburring and outside deburring into one easy step. You can trim from 250 to 400 cases per hour.


http://www.forsterproducts.com/store.asp?pid=35808&catid=19938

[car-ram-rod]

If I'm not happy with the new giraurd tri way trimmer I'll be grabbing the Forster. I've been using Forster for years and they've been great.

[428CJ]

I started with them in the 70's. I have that three way and I love it.

[car-ram-rod]

How much each?

[428CJ]

How much each?

I just check it and it's $86.00.

[billt]

Want to skip the deburring so necessary after trimming cases to length?

Nothing to skip with the Giraud. It trims to length, and chamfers both the inside, as well as the outside of the case mouth all at the same time. If a case trimmer doesn't do all three at once, all it's doing is creating another 2 steps to complete that process. That's a ton of time and effort when you're talking about trimming 2,500 cases at a crack.

[ArizonaGunOwners.com]