Best case trimmer

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whitey07

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Looking to see what everone is doing for case length trimmers
I’m thinking about Frankfort arsenal universal trimmer
Or prep center
Or just do the Lee case trimmers
Any input is appreciated
 
I have a little crow gunworks wtf2 trimmer as well as a lyman case prep center i got on sale. The trimmer can get down to a half thou off the brass (once set up, i had to watch their video on you tube)

I also have a lyman case prep center. Its O.K.

Both work well for my recreational shooting, and i cant see myself spending over 1k for the henderson/hornady/rcbs machine.
 
I have the FA universal trimmer and it works well for me, I like that it’s meant to “chuck” into a drill and I set that in a vice with soft jaws. Easy to swap sizes.
I don’t shoot competitively so if you are looking for high end trimmers those guys/gals would be more knowledgeable in that department.
Good luck in your search.
 
For bulk trimming I use the RCBS case trimmer with the universal shellholder. The adapter to attach a drill makes trimming very fast.

For small batches, I use the lee trimmer with the pilot and locking shellholder and chuck it in a drill. Also very fast and the pilot prevents you from overtrimming. TBH, I use the lee kit 90% of the time.
 
Beeron said:
I use the RCBS Trim Pro II with the universal jaws.

Works great, altho slow. aren't all case trimmers slow?
It's my least fav part of case prep, that's for sure.
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These work well when used with a drill. I've had one for 20 years with no problems. Nice part is You can do a variety of different cases. Mine has the old style case retention

World finest trimmer works good for one caliber. I processed a few thousand cases of 223 with it. Time saver.

Lyman makes a new electric trimmer as well. I don't hate it but I do find fingers get sore from pushing the case in. Drawback is no straight wall cases.

I keep coming back to regular lathe style trimmer because it can do just about everything, bottleneck, straight wall. Might not be as fancy, but they do work.
 
Irons78 said:
For bulk trimming I use the RCBS case trimmer with the universal shellholder. The adapter to attach a drill makes trimming very fast.

For small batches, I use the lee trimmer with the pilot and locking shellholder and chuck it in a drill. Also very fast and the pilot prevents you from overtrimming. TBH, I use the lee kit 90% of the time.
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The combination of drill power and the 3-way cutter head in the RCBS trimmer helps speed things along.
 
OldDude said:
The combination of drill power and the 3-way cutter head in the RCBS trimmer helps speed things along.
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Unfortunately I don’t have that 3 way accessory. I have to chamfer the old fashioned way by hand using the RCBS, or faster when the case is locked into the lee shellholder and a drill.
 
Beeron said:
I use the RCBS Trim Pro II with the universal jaws.

Works great, altho slow. aren't all case trimmers slow?
It's my least fav part of case prep, that's for sure.
Click to expand...
My least favourite part of the process is when I outside chamfer and that stupid little ring of brass on the edge of the mouth won’t go away! I end up having to angle the chamfer bit almost parallel to the case neck to get rid of that little ring of brass.
 
I use the Lee case trim system with a Lyman case prep center
Just had to buy the 8-32 cutter piece that goes in the case prep center
It’s simple, easy and idiot proof so I like it
 
The new hornady 3 in 1 or the Giraud powered unit should take my vote.

I have the Giraud (didn't know I still have it) with the 223 holder. If you are in Alberta, Calgary or Edmonton, I'm more than happy to let you use the unit. Be good to see it get some use.
 
The pinnacle of trimmers are the Giroud, Henderson and RCBS Matchmaster (which was developed with Henderson).
The new Hornady 3 in 1 is a blatant copy of the Henderson. Probably excellent, but my money went to the RCBS matchmaster.

The Lyman case trim xpress is a poor man's Giroud. Excellent little case trimmer. Strong motor, zero plastic and it is super consistent. L3i makes 3-way heads for it, which I highly recommend. But I recommend 3-way cutters regardless of what brand or model, they're worth every penny.

I briefly used the trimmer on my FA prep center and didn't like it. The plastic bushings didn't fit some cartridges well and I couldn't get consistent trimmer lengths. The Xpress was 10x more consistent, way easier to set up and adjust and I could buy 3-way heads for it. This new FA trimmer could be much improved, but I haven't used one.

I've only owned one lathe trimmer - the RCBS trim pro 2. Used it for 3 years and absolutely hated it. Trim lengths were never consistent, the universal case holder sucked, and tweaking trim lengths required an Allen key. Would have been better if they used their collets instead of that universal contraption. The Xpress beats the brakes off that POS.
 
Completely agree w/ Unholysavage here, though I don't have experience with anything else other than the Giraud. If I were to get a trimmer today, RCBS matchmaster most likely will get my money. It's available in Canada, and costs the same as Hornady.

I like how Giraud cuts and indexes from the shoulder, but for cases like 223, you have very little to grab on the case and you thumb and index finger will go numb after a few 100's of cases.

Again, anyone in Edmonton or Calgary who wants to trim cases, hit me up so I have a reason to dust off the Giraud. I have only located the 223 cutting die/holder at the moment.
 
When I started with reloading I chose L.E.Wilson for all my tools, not a cheapest but really quality products.
This trimmer clamps down the brass and only moving part is a cutting tool.
Works like a mini lathe, preset the length and the trimming also chamfering is nice perpendicular to the axis.
 
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