Case Prep and Overall Length Triming Question

A

AndrewNS

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Hey guys, I'm looking for a good, fast way to get cases preped and trimmed to overall length. I've been looking at the Hornady Lock N Load Power Case Prep system and it seems to work well.

What I'm wondering is, is there a better / faster / cheaper system on the market?

Anyone using the Hornady unit? Comments on it's performance?

Where is the best place to buy one of these units? (Hornady or other brand)

Thanks in advance!
 
Take a look at little crow gunworks worlds finest trimmer or the giraud tri way trimmer lots of vids and info on them.I personally don't own one but it is very high on my want list.Maybe someone here can give us some real world experience with either of these tools.
 
500 ss bob said:
Take a look at little crow gunworks worlds finest trimmer or the giraud tri way trimmer lots of vids and info on them.I personally don't own one but it is very high on my want list.Maybe someone here can give us some real world experience with either of these tools.
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Thanks for the info, I looked up some videos on these two systems but although these systems would definately be cheaper, it appears that there would also be more room for error in them... And they only trim, they don't do the case prep. They might be a good answer for som, but not really what I'm looking for.

But again, thanks for the info. It's good to see what else is out there.
 
cdn1canhunt said:
I haven't reloaded long but I have to say the stupid lee system with the case length gauge and a drill is super cheap and pretty darn consistent. Just saying! Fast too!
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Ahh, the Lee system... That's what I currently have. The thing that I don't like about the Lee system is there is no instruction anywhere (that I've found) to show you how far down to turn the case guage into the cutter. Should it be just touching the cutter? Should it be turned in all the way? There is definatly room for a lot of error in this system... You are correct though, it does work and it is cheap. I'm just looking for something that is a little more precise and consistant.
 
These are very nice and easier to set up and are repeatable.

h ttp://www.brownells.com/reloading/case-preparation/case-trimming/case-trimmers/wilson-stainless-micrometer-trimmer-with-stand-prod39291.aspx
 
I turn my lee case length gauge in until it bottoms out on the cutter,i measure cases after i am done trimming and they seem consistent to me.
 
I reload .223 and .260 Rem. When I was looking for a trimmer, I stumbled across the EZ Trim-it. (I got the "Gen 1 version.) It had a couple features that I liked. It measured off the shoulder so case to case consistency was very good once it was set. It had a micrometer adjustment so you could fine tune your trimming to get exactly the length you want (Although the .260 Rem is based on the .308, trimming the case to .308 specs would NOT work.) and there were a wide variety of bushings for calibers. (At the time, I was also loading 6.8SPC.)

There was a bit of a learning curve with it, but now, I really do like it. One caution though ... make sure that if/when you order it you are very specific that you do not want UPS shipping! Mine was shipped UPS, and it had a brokerage fee going through customs that was almost the cost of the trimmer.

h ttp://www.eztrimit.com/

Here is a video of the Gen 2:
 
AndrewNS said:
Thanks for the info, I looked up some videos on these two systems but although these systems would definately be cheaper, it appears that there would also be more room for error in them... And they only trim, they don't do the case prep. They might be a good answer for som, but not really what I'm looking for.

But again, thanks for the info. It's good to see what else is out there.
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What exactly do you mean by case prep?

The tri-way trimmer trims, chamfers and deburrs in one step. The WFT only trims, so you have to chamfer and deburr afterward as separate steps.

Both are absurdly fast and very accurate.

I personally bought the WFT before the Giraud tri-way trimmer came out, so I use a Lyman case prep center to chamfer and deburr after I trim. For things like primer pocket uniforming, the Lyman is too slow so I use a uniformer tool in a power drill. For removing crimps I either ream them on the Lyman or swage them with a Dillon Super Swage 600.

What else are you trying to do in terms of case-prep?
 
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I have been using the Lee Deluxe Trim/Cutter. I just buy the appropriate die for the calibre I am reloading. I have been using it for .308 loads and just bought the die for .270.

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While the Hornady case prep center is a great unit, don't expect to get match prepped brass out of it when you're done. It is not terrible but there are variations in case length which will drive you crazy if you are an OCD type.
 
I'm using a rbcs power trimmer,I find it's consistent and fast, but slide it back and forth by hand. I'm going to get a case prep center to go with it.
 
HeavyTread said:
What exactly do you mean by case prep?

The tri-way trimmer trims, chamfers and deburrs in one step. The WFT only trims, so you have to chamfer and deburr afterward as separate steps.

Both are absurdly fast and very accurate.

I personally bought the WFT before the Giraud tri-way trimmer came out, so I use a Lyman case prep center to chamfer and deburr after I trim. For things like primer pocket uniforming, the Lyman is too slow so I use a uniformer tool in a power drill. For removing crimps I either ream them on the Lyman or swage them with a Dillon Super Swage 600.

What else are you trying to do in terms of case-prep?
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I guess I didn't look them up well enough....... I didn't notice that they had a tri-way trimmer that trims, chamfers and deburrs in one step.

I'll take a closer look at them.
 
ivo said:
While the Hornady case prep center is a great unit, don't expect to get match prepped brass out of it when you're done. It is not terrible but there are variations in case length which will drive you crazy if you are an OCD type.
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Good to know, I'm certainly the OCD type when it comes to loading (and everything else for that matter).

I'll do more research and explore all other options.
 
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