Lee case trimmer trims 223 to 1.740

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woofer2609

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So, my 3x fired 223 shells are 1.760 after firing. I know recommended length is 1.750. Question is, should i be trimming down to 1.740, or leave at 1.760? 1.740 is what my Lee trimmer seems to be resizing down to, and i wonder if the depth guage end is getting worn down. I always trim after resizing. I wish there was more adjustability with the Lee case trimmers, so that the depth guage extended through the trimmer, and had a lock ring on the top of the trimmer.
How, and how long, is everybody else trimming there 223 brass?
 
Is it the trimmer with the dies? Mine is adjustable 1.740 to 1.750 by .001 increment.

If not I would trim to 1.740, so you won't need to trim every reload.
 
Trim to 1.740" and call it a day. A large amount of Federal I see coming off of police ranges measures 1.735" after processing... My trimmer doesn't even touch it as it is set to 1.747"+/- <0.003". It seem to shoot fine.

BSB
 
If you have the simple Lee trimmer below trim length is governed by how far the case length gauge screws into the cutter and pin length. On the majority of my simple Lee trimmers I stone/sand the pin down so it trims to minimum length.(1.750) If your trimmer is making the cases too short I would suspect the case length gauge part of the trimmer being too short and needing to be replaced. Get a magnifying glass and look at the junction where the cutter meets the case length gauge and see if it has been screwed in to far or if it is worn.

case_trimmer_7mm08.gif
 
1.740" is the SAAMI minimum for .223 per the drawing on their website. Your cases are at least in spec, albeit shorter than the usual trim length given in manuals. If your reloads shoot OK, I would carry on and take advantage of more firings between trimming. Otherwise, the case length gauges are pretty cheap to replace, so I would try another one.
 
Thank you all for your helpful responses! I will use the cases trimmed to 1.740 and check case guage. Probably pick up a Hornady 1 pc trimmer.
 
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