Reloading for AR....what a ton of work!

Where can you buy one of those Giraud units? I don't think I've ever seen one.

Directly from the maker:

giraudtool.com

I also use a Giraud. Yes, it's expensive, but it's worth it for the huge labour saving. I trim every time because it's faster to just trim the case with the Giraud than to measure, sort, and trim the long cases.
 
Directly from the maker:

giraudtool.com

I also use a Giraud. Yes, it's expensive, but it's worth it for the huge labour saving. I trim every time because it's faster to just trim the case with the Giraud than to measure, sort, and trim the long cases.

Does the Giraud index off the shoulder?

One problem I've found with the WFT is that the occasional case is too long but doesn't trim. I'm trying to figure out why this is, and have examined these cases closely in a go/no-go gauge and put them through a full length resizer multiple times, etc.
 
Yes, the Giraud indexes off the shoulder.

Is it possible that your sizing die is not screwed in enough? You should feel the handle "cam over" slightly as the shell holder makes contact with the die body.
 
Before abandoning the Lee trimming gear, if you have a drill press try the following :
- detach the cutter and he case length gauge from the "ball" and use this assembly in the drill press as you would a drill-bit
- get a small screwdriver that takes her heads and use the Lee trim shell holder in the screwdriver
- cases can quickly be placed in the shell holder and pressed against the cutter

This has reduced my time per case to a few seconds.
 
Yes, the Giraud indexes off the shoulder.

Is it possible that your sizing die is not screwed in enough? You should feel the handle "cam over" slightly as the shell holder makes contact with the die body.

So, maybe. I've done the 'screw the die down until it touches the shell holder and then screw it in another 1/8 to 1/4 turn' thing and the press definitely cams over. And, if the die were adjusted incorrectly, I would have expected this behaviour to occur on every case. It only happens on about 1 in 50.

As mentioned, I always check cases like this in a go/no-go gauge and it's fine. I also have a Lyman universal trimmer lying around, so I'll usually pop the case in there and trim it to length.

Next time this happens I'll put the case aside and try to do some very close inspection of the dimensions. Unfortunately I've gone through all my recently acquired once-fired brass and have something like 2000 cases ready to prime and load before I need to start thinking about getting into case prep again ;)
 
Before abandoning the Lee trimming gear, if you have a drill press try the following :
- detach the cutter and he case length gauge from the "ball" and use this assembly in the drill press as you would a drill-bit
- get a small screwdriver that takes her heads and use the Lee trim shell holder in the screwdriver
- cases can quickly be placed in the shell holder and pressed against the cutter

This has reduced my time per case to a few seconds.

As it so happens, I will actually be inheriting one. This is an excellent idea.

That Giraud looks awesome but can't justify the expense atm. With a free drill press coming in, I'll give that a go.
 
Before abandoning the Lee trimming gear, if you have a drill press try the following :
- detach the cutter and he case length gauge from the "ball" and use this assembly in the drill press as you would a drill-bit
- get a small screwdriver that takes her heads and use the Lee trim shell holder in the screwdriver
- cases can quickly be placed in the shell holder and pressed against the cutter

This has reduced my time per case to a few seconds.

You don't have to use the shell holder, you can just hold the case by hand on the drill press table, and let the case length gauge bottom on the press table while feeding the cutter down with the spindle just like you are drilling something. Super fast and no messing with that PITA shell holder. Wearing some tacky nitrile type gloves helps save wear and tear on the fingers holding the case against the cutter.


Mark
 
To trim I use an rcbs trimmer with the handle removed and a cordless drill attached to the shaft. Works like a charm. Once cases go thru that, I use the rcbs power case prep centre for debur, chamfer and a quick primer pocket clean. Done and done.

I find about 1/2 of my brass ends up needing trimming after first firing, then less each time.
 
I'd love to know why you would consider brass trimmed on the Dillon RT-1200 to be "semi ####"?
I understand that deburring and chamfering is still required but it trims and sizes to the exact same length every time.
Manual chamfering and deburring can also be skipped by tumbling the brass in SS pins for several hours.
This removes the small ridge left behind by the trimmer.
I tumble to remove the lube anyway.

Remember we are discussing AR-15 ammo here not bolt gun stuff therefore full length sizing is a must
Especially for ammo which was not fired through your own guns such as range pickup brass.

I have carpal tunnel syndrome so not handling brass one by one when not absolutely necessary is a primary concern for me.
For all my precision trimming needs I use the Sinclair/L.E. Wilson trimmer.

Most guys espousing the RT-1200 trim and then directly load that case - claiming it as the quickest option. Without deburring, bullets tend to drag and have their jackets damaged and the increased potential of concentricity issues - hence my reference to loading semi-sh!t ammo.
If you are trimming and then separately chamfering and de-burring with you RT-1200 then the Giraud is not only producing a better product, it is also doing it faster.

I use a WFT and a Lyman power case prep center. Total time for each case is probably 15 seconds..

With a case that you have previously trimmed and fired again, the Giraud will take about a second - so it is about as fast as you can feed them through it. It is akin to feeding a pencil into an electric pencil sharpener for about a second. I think the most I've ever spent on a case that was real long and needed considerable trimming was about 3 seconds.
 
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I use a WFT trimmer for 223. I can do a case in 2 seconds. 1000 cases takes 30 minutes
But then I chamfer and debur on a hornady case prep trio.

The giraud is the best, but I don't have 500$ for a trimmer.

Lee is total junk. I dont care if some people say it's good. Mine have all been anihilated after a few hundred drill-prep cases.

I use a WFT in 308 and 223. Works for me. Is the giraud better? yes, but 500$ more.
 
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