Best case trimmer? Not happy with my Lyman.

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Brappp306

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So I finally picked up a trimmer. The universal Lyman, hand crank. It doesn't seem to hold an accurate trim even when you set the two locks, I'll set it for 2.003" for .308, but seems to if you put a tiny bit more pressure(can't even notice it) it'll go past down to 1.999 - 2.0001 or stop at 2.005". I want something that doesn't change spec no matter how much pressure is applied, do I go electric? What is the most accurate trimmer out there, not worried about price. Thanks

-Also is it ok to use the cases that are trimmed down to 1.999"? I know it says trim length is suppose to be around 2.005"
 
Giraud case trimmer. Just ordered mine last week, so as of yet I don't have hand on experience with it. Once I started loading for .223 my rcbs trim pro was just not good enough. Too slow and the cases wouldn't stay in the holder properly. This is going to be a major upgrade.
Very expensive though but you said price is no issue.
Order direct from giraud tool. There's a few good reviews on YouTube.
For my Remington I keep my cases trimmed to 2.015
For my ruger 2.005
 
I was in your boat for the past couple years. I used the lee trim guide and got fairly consistent results but it took forever to trim and destroys your fingers if your doing a couple hundred round. I was using it for 223. My ars are hungry beasts. I then tried the lee trim dies with the hand crank. It was a bit faster but got varying degrees of accuracy.

I finally ordered up the wft2 from down south and all I can say is I think its fantastic. I'm running it in my drill press and it's fast like 600 cases an hour. My buddy uses the Dillon trimmer and really ikes it but you're getting into the same money as a geraud (sp) trimmer.

The 2.005 is recommended trim to length shorter will be fine. I've had factory 223 ammo that was wayyy shorter than trim too
 
I have a RCBS
i use 2 stroke oil on the rotating shaft for lube
I lock the case in the trimmer when pressing/ rotating the Crank handle
(pushes the base of the case against the back of the holder eliminates some of the play)

a cordless drill can speed it up

A Giraud case trimmer works off the shoulder so if the shoulder is different from case to case length will be different
 
Giraud is my trimmer of choice. Yes, it's expensive, but the labour savings are worth it.

You don't actually need to trim cases within .001". Around .005" extreme spread is fairly normal. I only trim cases when they exceed maximum length. Minimum case length for .308 is 1.995", so the cases that are 1.999" are still within SAAMI spec.
 
I have wft's for my varmint/volume calibers, an rcbs for others. I find the rcbs a pain in the ..... So lots of times for big game rifles I'll just use the lee cutters to load up 20-40 rnds for pre season prep and the ensuing deer/moose/elk hunt
 
just having some fun said:
I have a RCBS
i use 2 stroke oil on the rotating shaft for lube
I lock the case in the trimmer when pressing/ rotating the Crank handle
(pushes the base of the case against the back of the holder eliminates some of the play)

a cordless drill can speed it up
Click to expand...

RCBS is what I use as well. . Also use the cordless drill now again, it works like a charm.
 
I started with the manual Forster unit: OK but slow even with the cordless screwdriver attachment.

Went looking for alternatives and it seems Giraud is the #1 unit.
I'm not working up MOA target loads so having cases +/- .001 is not important enough for me to spend 600 dollars for case trimmer.

I did not need the accuracy (for that price) so went with the Original WFT (Worlds Finest Trimmer).
https://littlecrowgunworks.com/product/worlds-finest-trimmer-wft/?v=f2e6e3b9bff5
 
257Wby said:
L E Wilson case trimmer , very accurate and repeatable
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Brappp306 said:
Thanks guys! Gonna look into Giraud! I'm going for supreme accuracy and I was told having your cases as close as possible will help with that, I'm not very experienced yet so not sure if that is bull#### or not? Thanks
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I have a Wilson, use it for precision rifle brass and like it very much. You do need a case holder for each family of cartridges.

Also have a Giraud style trimmer for .223. Mount it in my little lathe. Very fast. Cases must be uniformed FL sized before trimming.
 
I have a Gracey power trimmer. It work like an electric pencil sharpener. Takes about 2 seconds to trim to length and chamfer inside and outside all in one step. It works off the shoulder so you need to full length resize before trimming or at least bump the shoulder back. If you are doing several different calibers this may not be the machine for you, because you need to order the case holder and cutter for each cartridge. I am only loading .308 for accuracy and just ordered the case holder and cutter to start trimming .223. No problems shipping these parts from the US.
 
I went from a lathe type to a Lee Quick Trim with the dies and a cordless drill. I really like it. It's supposed to deburr and chamfer but I usually give them and quick touch up when they are done. Really quick.
 
Roddy said:
I went from a lathe type to a Lee Quick Trim with the dies and a cordless drill. I really like it. It's supposed to deburr and chamfer but I usually give them and quick touch up when they are done. Really quick.
Click to expand...

I've been having a decent time with this as well. I do find the lowest setting doesn't do much, but the highest setting shreds the brass. Took a couple sacrifice cases to sort it out.
 
Brappp306 said:
Thanks guys! Gonna look into Giraud! I'm going for supreme accuracy and I was told having your cases as close as possible will help with that, I'm not very experienced yet so not sure if that is bull#### or not? Thanks
Click to expand...


Give them a call. They are great to deal with, and will be able to answer any questions of concerns you may have.
 
Giraud is great but was not in the budget.

After alot of research I bought a Trim-It with the four blade endmill and I run it off my drill. Very happy with it. I chamfer by hand, prefer it that way.
 
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