Case Trimmer

twig_40

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Good morning gentlemen,

I have been lurking over this forum and have noticed a lot of discussion about powder, bullets and what type of press. Only the odd thread here and there about new tools.

I am in the market for a good powered case trimmer, and am amazed at how much they are. Regardless, I have to say I love reloading but loathe trimming (Pita). I have been debating between the Dillon 1200 and the Giraud. The RCBS is a good trimmer but too slow. I process a lot of .223.

My question is two fold: Does anyone have the equipment named above? And what are you using and do you like it? Just like everything else, there is good and bad about them.

Any thoughts on the above will be greatly appreciated, as 3-4 hundred is a lot to invest.
 
I'm with you - I have a Lyman bench mounted jobbie and I freekin HATE trimming.

There is one you can attach to a drill, but I forget what it's called... that would make trimming while watching TV actually possible!
 
I have the lyman bench job also, think I will buy the lee set up mount it on a hand drill from there I will save my pennies up and buy that Giraud in time.
The lyman is ok but comes out of spec ever so often.
 
I have not seen anyone say anything bad about the Giraud Trimmer. I have not used it myself so all I can go on is other peoples reviews.

Do a search in this section and I am sure you will find lots on the giraud.
 
I have a Gracey trimmer. Cheaper than a Giraurd. Like the Giraurd it also trims to length and chamfers both inside and outside in one step.
 
I guess I'm the 'bad guy' here. When I acquired my 500 S&W, the Forester I had didn't have the ability to trim 50 cal. A friend, who was also the guy that got me into reloading years ago, had just picked up a Lyman Universal. It seemed to work quite well, so, I got the same. No complaints. Works like a dream and I'm well pleased, so far.:)
 
I'm with you - I have a Lyman bench mounted jobbie and I freekin HATE trimming.

There is one you can attach to a drill, but I forget what it's called... that would make trimming while watching TV actually possible!

That would be a lee trimmer, they are cheap and work well but not as fast as some.
 
I had difficulty getting the cases to sit "on axis" with the Lee tool. Also the length gauge was always coming loose. I bought a Forster trimmer that is made up of a base that attaches to your drill press that holds your case while the cutter is chucked. ~$50 from Lock, Stock and Barrel. I'm liking it so far.
 
I have the Dillon. I debated getting the Giraud. But, for my reloading method, it was the best solution and much quicker than the Giraud or Gracey (in the bigger picture). I reload mainly precision 308 Win. (for use at a 1000 yard local range, which I am a member). I've got my entire reloading process down to two toolheads on my Dillon 550 and two tumblings. And yes, its still very accurate.

There are a few points that I had to address in order for the Dillon trimmer to be a viable solution:

1) Neck tension. The stock Dillon dies comes in at around 0.330" around the neck. I opened it up to 0.336" on a lathe, which is ideal for the Lapua brass I use. Anyone with a lathe can do this for you in about 5 min. There are also companies such as CH4D and Neil Jones Custom Products that can make you a custom trim die, with specific neck tension, that neck sizes only or even a FL dies that is tailored to your actual chamber (if you send them a fired case - Neil Jones only). CH4D only charges about $15 more than Dillon for their custom die. The neck tension issue can also be solved by choosing thinner brass (Winchester) and/or neck turning.

2) Chamfering the inside or the neck (outside isn't necessary). The Dillon doesn't leave a burr per say. But the edge of the cut is a sharp 90 degrees. There are two ways of addressing this: the first is to just chamfer afterwards. This isn't any slower than the Giraud/Gracey since those require sizing and with the Dillon the trimming is done during sizing. So either method is sizing plus a case handling operation (same s**t, different pile). The second method (which I use) is to install a Lyman 'M' die in the Dillon Tool head. This makes chamfering unnecessary (with the Dillon, won't help with a manual trimmer). It expands the case mouth about 0.002" over bullet diameter, just at the tip of the case. This doesn't change neck tension over chamfering since you aren't getting any neck contact in the chamfered area anyway. You can also add a Redding taper crimp die after the bullet seater to bring the bell back in a bit. This also rounds the outside edge of the trim as an added bonus. I wet tumble with 1mm ceramic media. In addition to cleaning the insides of the case and primer pocket, this also rounds the edge of the cut slightly. Kind of makes it look like new brass.

3) Changing calibers. I put a Hornady locking ring on my trim die, which makes adjusting the size length for a proper 0.002" shoulder bump a heck of a lot easier. The Dillon nuts are only there to torture you... they're useless! I made a locking ring for the trimmer motor side of the die. Alternatively, you can use two nuts on that side and lock them together. This way, you just unscrew the motor from one die and screw it down on another. Its quite repeatable.

4) Vibration. On a Dillon toolhead, this thing rattles around like an SOB. Having worked 10 years designing automotive parts, I can tell you that movement under vibration is a bad thing. It wears down parts and worse than that... its loud and annoying as hell. The solution I found mimics this: http://www.uniquetek.com/site/696296/product/T1230. However, I just bought the 5-40 helicoils and STI tap, shaped a screw for an insert tool and accomplished the same thing for around $10. I believe the Dillon toolhead should be free floating for normal operations. But, with the trimmer, this is a must. Not necessary if you're using it on a single stage though.

Now, let me dispel a few rumors and misconceptions about the Dillon trimmer. First off, the Dillon trimmer does trim squarely. Your case is being aligned by the die square to the cutter. Also, its does trim accurately. My results are always within +/- 0.001", consistently. Now, someone will inevitably point out that their hand trimmers will always hit the same length, right on the same 0.001" mark. This is true, but guess what? if you're chamfering with a hand tool, the depth of that chamfer isn't going to be within +/-0.001". You'd better be chamfering on a setup similar to a trimmer if you really think thats important. Using the 'M' die, the depth of my "chamfer" is very consistent. More consistent and square than something being done between one's hands, I guarantee this.

In the end, it depends on your reloading practices. I personally hate reloading... especially the tedious steps that involve handling cases. So, I've built my methodology with that in mind. The Dillon trimmer fits it very nicely. I spend a lot more time on the range than at the loading bench and I can create a ton of ammo in a very short time.
 
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kombayotch said:
if you're chamfering with a hand tool, the depth of that chamfer isn't going to be within +/-0.001"


http://www.kinneman.com/kandmtaperedcasemouthreamer-2.aspx

The new ones have a small locating rod that goes through the flashole, to keep the unit squared-up with the case mouth. As they index on the case mouth, your chamfer is as good or better than +/-.001" .
 
How is it you always seem to find fancier #### than I do? I stand corrected... I meant with your generic Lyman/RCBS/Hornady/etc.. chamfering tool.
 
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In .223 I'm a big fan of the Dillon power trimmer for rounds that end up in my AR or mini-14. I find that first trims on once-fired brass usually have a good need for chamfering (inside and outside).

I like shortcuts myself - I run a SB sizing die and decapper on the first stage of my 550 and the trimmer on the third stage. I can then do any other case prep function and toss the brass in the tumbler to remove the case lube prior to reloading.

FYIW - I trim .308 for precision loads by hand on a Wilson.
 
I take it you mean a seperate tool head... yes. Universal decapping die in station #1, Trimmer in station #3. There isn't any room for any other dies on a 550. If you had a 650, you could add another die in station #5. That would probably be a neck expansion mandrel or perhaps a bushing neck sizer if you were trimming different brass that required more neck tension.

Loading is done on a second toolhead.
 
I bought an RCBS case prep center and adapted the lee trim tool . Did what this guy did on youtube and it works great . Only about $100
watch about 1:20 into the video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZGkWUtKz4k&feature=related
 
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