Trimming .30-06

[WhelanLad]

guys, in aus it was almost impossible to get a Lee 9.3x62 case length gauge thingy, so i filed down the 35 whelen to suit.........
wwhat im wondering is i see the 06 and 35 whelen have same case lengths and seeing as ive knocked appx 1mm off the Top of said case gauge, this should still be Suitable to use for Neck sizing my 30-06 brasS??

i cant see why it wouldnt, shouldnt be TOO short but keen to hear from knowledgable blokes.

thanks!

 

[Boomer]

In the dark days before I got my Giraud case trimmer, I considered trimming a PIA, that was to be done as infrequently as possible, so I frequently trimmed my brass shorter than the trim length recommended in the loading manuals, with, no ill effect I might add. The one proviso is that you maintain the correct COAL, which means that you probably cannot use the cannelure for crimping since it will be located well forward of the case mouth. I seem to be a minority of one in my preference to crimp my game loads anyway, so its a non-issue for most. Not to be dissuaded from the practice though, I bought a cannelure hand tool from Corbin, and if I thought trimming brass was a PIA, well . . .

Anyway, to answer your question, no, trimming shorter than the published trim length has no detrimental or dangerous effect of pressure provided you maintain the correct COAL. It may well reduce the bullet pull weight since there is less contact between the case neck and the bullet shank, but since all of your cases are trimmed to the same length, the bullet pull weight is uniform, so round to round accuracy is maintained.