Case Trimmer recommendations?
- Thread starter Suther
- Start date
X2 on the FA Case Trimmer system which I have had for a few years. I also use a Lyman Trimmer (mini-lathe type) for my straight-wall/express cartridge cases. Obviously, I resize prior to trimming, and the major difference I've seen is that the Frankford trimmer trims based on shoulder position after resizing and "bumping back" the shoulder to spec, where the Lyman system trims from the base as a fixed point.
I have seen variances when using the Lyman trimmer on bottle neck cases, although the straight-wall cases come out pretty consistently. The Frankford trimmed cases using the shoulder as the baseline are very consistently trimmed to length.
I did switch over to carbide cutters on both the Frankford and Lyman trimmers, nice clean edges with not as much of a burr.
I do reload .223 Rem brass on the Frankford for my ground hog rifle, but not 5.56 cases since it is cheaper to buy new factory rounds than it is to reload that caliber.
O.N.G.
In that case the Lee handheld trimmers are probably all you need. Mechanize with a drill or cheap drill press. The Lyman machine works well but it's no faster than the handheld Lee. I use a cheap drill press, made a thread about it long time ago. See if I can find the link.
Don't have a drill press, nor do I have the space to get right now. I've used the drill method but I find getting the shell holder tight enough that the brass stays put is a pain (I find I end up needing pliers for that) and my hands get sore by the time I get through 40 cases, especially when each piece takes 3 steps (trim, deburr, chamfer). I've also had a bit of trouble finding a 7mm-08 case length gauge thingy, I've found them online but then I'm paying like $25 after shipping for a system I don't really like, and thats like half the cost of getting into a Quick Trim setup which looks so much faster/easier...
I just saw the Lee 3 jaw chuck. That looks like it'll make life a lot easier with the case length gauges if I keep using them.
Can anyone explain how the Lee Quick Trim setup stops the case from spinning? It looks like it uses a regular shell holder, does the trim die somehow hold it in place? This video sure makes it look easy to use though!
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Tightening the lock nut is hard on the hands for sure. I now use small needle nosed vice grips as a temporary handle on the locknut to make that easier in my setup. Trimming is my least favorite part of reloading.
Me too! lol
The 3 jaw chuck is a nice upgrade, as is the cutter with ball head. The 2 of those will make trimming so much nicer. Ditching the Lee deburring tool for either a 1 pc double ended (lol) or seperate inside/outside tools with handles takes the strain out of it. Especially since the multi fluted models require less pressure and time to do the job. Go with a VLD inside chamfer tool for nicer bullet seating without shaving bullet jacket. As for the quick trim dies, they have a polymer insert in the dies that grip the case to stop it from spinning.
