Figured I'd post the link http://canadianblackrifle.azurewebsites.net/?p=401
The TRIM-IT II is a micrometer adjustable precision cutting head that simply inserts into the end of your power drill and makes case trimming a breeze. No more hand cranking, no more “It’s not cut short enough yet” . Once set up you then simply install the tool in your drill, hold a case into the end of the unit, pull the trigger on the drill and wait for the cutting to finish. It uses inserts to securely center the case in the center of the cutter and indexes for depth right off the cartridge shoulder.
[h=2]The Review[/h]After obtaining one of the units via a nice discussion with the good people at ACT TACTIAL I proceeded to give it a close examination and summarize the “Goodies” provided in the standard package.
Included in a really nicely packed box were the following components:
[h=2]Setting it up[/h]I began using the TRIM-IT tool right way. Loosening the set screw to pull the Chamfer/Deburr bit out I quickly swapped it for the four-fluted cutting bit and left the set screw loose. Then I inserted the 308 caliber die and tightened the set screw to hold that in place.
Now this is where it gets a bit tricky – You loosen the set screw on the Micrometer dial and turn the dial inwards (clockwise) and then align it to the last “tic”. Then insert your resized casing into the caliber die and let the cutter head rest on the mouth of the case. Tighten the set screw for the fluted cutter shank and the tool is basically “Zeroed” and ready for a bit of math/trial to get the process going.
I know it sounds complex, but it’s really not and it’s actually covered in a step by step fashion in the instructions that come with the tool. The whole “Zeroing” process takes less than a minute.
My resized and cleaned 308 Win brass averaged around 2.012” in length. I personally like my 308 cases to be 2.005-2.006 long before I reload them.
So a little math involvement comes in handy there:
2.012 – 2.006 = 0.006 / 0.002 = 3 “Tics”
Three “Tics” it is! Made the adjustment and now it’s off to the races! I’m just going to chuck this unit up in my 18V Dewalt drill and put on my safety glasses…
[h=2]Shall we begin…[/h]*Note to self – set the drill speed to high. Low speed may be good for driving screws but it really blows for case trimming. Lesson learned, after case #1 they were all done pretty damn fast!
Surprisingly you get a very good amount of feedback while trimming. You can actually feel in both the drill and the case you’ve inserted into the unit for trimming the metal being cut away. When the cut is completed you know it right away and it’s just a matter of giving it a little twist to knock any burrs off and it’s all cut to length. My 6 case test run went remarkably fast actually. The case mouths we cut true & clean and there was a nice pile of brass shavings in my little catch bin!
Less than 30 seconds fast actually….
I’m going to give conservative “Guesstimate” here that the average human can run a case though this trimmer at a rate of around a case every 5 seconds or so (with a good drill) so I’d say the output rate is around 12-15 cases trimmed a minute – as a beginner. I imagine as you get more and more efficient with the tool you could easy increase your output rate! Of course – Coffee breaks will slow you down but there is no more hand cranking, inserting into shell holders or any of that nonsense…
Out of my very first test run of 6 cases I had the following case lengths:
2.006” (S&B)
2.006” (S&B)
2.0055” (Federal)
2.006” (Winchester)
2.0058” (Winchester)
2.006” (Hornady)
With less than a thousandth of variation between them I can easily live with that!
I know you will ask about NICKEL PLATED cases. This was a question I actually asked the good folks at ACT Tactical before I began this review. Here is the quick exchange for your enjoyment.
Q. Nickel Plated Brass – Yes or no?
A. The Trim-it II’s cutting head is carbide and the 4-Fluted Cutter is High Speed Tool Steel, so nickel plated brass should not give it any problems. It cuts the 7.62×39 steel cases just fine.
Makes me wish I was set up for reloading steel cased 7.62 now…. Think of the money I’d save! Oh right, that stupid primer thing… forget it!
[h=2]Now onto the Chamfering…[/h]
The TRIM-IT II differs from the TRIM-IT the inclusion of an adjustable Chamfer tool. The tool is of my interest because it not only gives a nice chamfer to the inside of the case but the outside as well all in one step.
Setting it up can be a little tricky the first time, but the large cut-out window in the side of the TRIM-IT body helps to visually align the component properly on the case mouth. It took me a few cases to find the “Sweet spot” but once I did the whole process was completed on my test cases in no time flat. No more sore fingers from the VLD chamfer tool I hate so much!
Basically, once it’s set – just zip the cases back though the TRIM-IT II and they are good to load.
I’ll include in the following picture a case that I had the cutter too far in just for giggles – if anyone asks please tell them it was just a test of how efficient the cutting head is. The two cases on the left are perfect and will gladly accept even flat based bullets.
Conclusion
Although the price may seem a little much at first once you begin to realize the accuracy of the TRIM-IT II kit and the speed that your brass gets processed – You’ll see that it’s money well spent. I’ve seen manual case trimmers sell retail for as much as this powered unit and none of them could compare to it in speed and ease of use.
This is simply one of those must have tools that frees you from your bench and gives you some time back!
Would I purchase one? In a heart-beat I would!
Pros
Check out the website – http://www.eztrimit.com/
The TRIM-IT II is a micrometer adjustable precision cutting head that simply inserts into the end of your power drill and makes case trimming a breeze. No more hand cranking, no more “It’s not cut short enough yet” . Once set up you then simply install the tool in your drill, hold a case into the end of the unit, pull the trigger on the drill and wait for the cutting to finish. It uses inserts to securely center the case in the center of the cutter and indexes for depth right off the cartridge shoulder.
[h=2]The Review[/h]After obtaining one of the units via a nice discussion with the good people at ACT TACTIAL I proceeded to give it a close examination and summarize the “Goodies” provided in the standard package.
Included in a really nicely packed box were the following components:
- The TRIM-IT Body with a pre-installed Chamfer tool (Nicely bubble wrapped)
- A hardened high-speed steel four-fluted cutting bit
- 3 Cartridge caliber dies (223, 308 and 30-06)
- Two sets of instructions (one for the adjustable Chamfer tool)
- A lifetime warranty form
- And the Allen Keys to put it all together!
When you first start examining the TRIM-IT body you’re a little taken back on just how big the unit is. At 2-3/4 inches long and just over 2 inches wide it gives the owner the “This tool is built to last” feeling in your hand. The body is made from Aluminum and is hard anodized for durability. All the markings have been cleanly laser engraved and there are windows on both sides to clear cuttings and act as a window so you can clearly see your progress/setup.
One of the most interesting things about this tool is the laser etched micrometer on the body itself. Clearly visible are the series of lines around the tool and as shown under the logo the space between each “Tic” corresponds to 0.002” – Two THOUSANDS of an inch. I looked forward to “Dialing in my cases” when I began the trimming process.[h=2]Setting it up[/h]I began using the TRIM-IT tool right way. Loosening the set screw to pull the Chamfer/Deburr bit out I quickly swapped it for the four-fluted cutting bit and left the set screw loose. Then I inserted the 308 caliber die and tightened the set screw to hold that in place.
Now this is where it gets a bit tricky – You loosen the set screw on the Micrometer dial and turn the dial inwards (clockwise) and then align it to the last “tic”. Then insert your resized casing into the caliber die and let the cutter head rest on the mouth of the case. Tighten the set screw for the fluted cutter shank and the tool is basically “Zeroed” and ready for a bit of math/trial to get the process going.
I know it sounds complex, but it’s really not and it’s actually covered in a step by step fashion in the instructions that come with the tool. The whole “Zeroing” process takes less than a minute.
My resized and cleaned 308 Win brass averaged around 2.012” in length. I personally like my 308 cases to be 2.005-2.006 long before I reload them.
So a little math involvement comes in handy there:
2.012 – 2.006 = 0.006 / 0.002 = 3 “Tics”
Three “Tics” it is! Made the adjustment and now it’s off to the races! I’m just going to chuck this unit up in my 18V Dewalt drill and put on my safety glasses…
[h=2]Shall we begin…[/h]*Note to self – set the drill speed to high. Low speed may be good for driving screws but it really blows for case trimming. Lesson learned, after case #1 they were all done pretty damn fast!
Surprisingly you get a very good amount of feedback while trimming. You can actually feel in both the drill and the case you’ve inserted into the unit for trimming the metal being cut away. When the cut is completed you know it right away and it’s just a matter of giving it a little twist to knock any burrs off and it’s all cut to length. My 6 case test run went remarkably fast actually. The case mouths we cut true & clean and there was a nice pile of brass shavings in my little catch bin!
Less than 30 seconds fast actually….
I’m going to give conservative “Guesstimate” here that the average human can run a case though this trimmer at a rate of around a case every 5 seconds or so (with a good drill) so I’d say the output rate is around 12-15 cases trimmed a minute – as a beginner. I imagine as you get more and more efficient with the tool you could easy increase your output rate! Of course – Coffee breaks will slow you down but there is no more hand cranking, inserting into shell holders or any of that nonsense…
Out of my very first test run of 6 cases I had the following case lengths:
2.006” (S&B)
2.006” (S&B)
2.0055” (Federal)
2.006” (Winchester)
2.0058” (Winchester)
2.006” (Hornady)
With less than a thousandth of variation between them I can easily live with that!
I know you will ask about NICKEL PLATED cases. This was a question I actually asked the good folks at ACT Tactical before I began this review. Here is the quick exchange for your enjoyment.
Q. Nickel Plated Brass – Yes or no?
A. The Trim-it II’s cutting head is carbide and the 4-Fluted Cutter is High Speed Tool Steel, so nickel plated brass should not give it any problems. It cuts the 7.62×39 steel cases just fine.
Makes me wish I was set up for reloading steel cased 7.62 now…. Think of the money I’d save! Oh right, that stupid primer thing… forget it!
[h=2]Now onto the Chamfering…[/h]
The TRIM-IT II differs from the TRIM-IT the inclusion of an adjustable Chamfer tool. The tool is of my interest because it not only gives a nice chamfer to the inside of the case but the outside as well all in one step.
Setting it up can be a little tricky the first time, but the large cut-out window in the side of the TRIM-IT body helps to visually align the component properly on the case mouth. It took me a few cases to find the “Sweet spot” but once I did the whole process was completed on my test cases in no time flat. No more sore fingers from the VLD chamfer tool I hate so much!
Basically, once it’s set – just zip the cases back though the TRIM-IT II and they are good to load.
I’ll include in the following picture a case that I had the cutter too far in just for giggles – if anyone asks please tell them it was just a test of how efficient the cutting head is. The two cases on the left are perfect and will gladly accept even flat based bullets.
Conclusion
Although the price may seem a little much at first once you begin to realize the accuracy of the TRIM-IT II kit and the speed that your brass gets processed – You’ll see that it’s money well spent. I’ve seen manual case trimmers sell retail for as much as this powered unit and none of them could compare to it in speed and ease of use.
This is simply one of those must have tools that frees you from your bench and gives you some time back!
Would I purchase one? In a heart-beat I would!
Pros
- Ultra-fast case preparation
- Amazingly accurate & uniform trimming
- Inserts available in most calibers (custom ones are an additional $10
- Solid construction with 100% “Forever Guarantee” (excluding tool wear).
- MADE IN THE USA!
- Unit seems a little large
- Some would say it’s a bit pricy – but spend once and only cry once (It’s worth every dime)
Check out the website – http://www.eztrimit.com/
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