What Trimmer to get?

Again for the Giraud crowd.

Those of you that trim multiple calibers. Do you have a different cutter head for each one or adjust it every time you switch calibers?
 
TrxR said:
Anyone try the giraud that you chuck into a drill or are you all using the complete unit?
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I have the Giraud Tri Way Trimmer (powered by your own drill) for .223 and like it quite a lot. For doing batches of a couple hundred at a time, it's quick and decently consistent (usually within 0.001-0.002"). I had the Frankford Arsenal Case Prep and wasn't impressed by its speed, so I returned it. Most of my bulk trimming is for .223 so the Giraud Tri Way is perfect in that you can have a case trimmed and chamfered in ~5 seconds; if I have a bunch of brass to process and I'm not picky about having the inside chamfered, it's tough to beat the Dillon RT1200b.
 
I would look at a Forster trimmer with a 3-1 case mouth cutter. I just picked one up and its fantastic. I would suggest at least trying the power adapter for it though!

Another great trimmer is the Wilson if your dead set on doing it by hand
 
JayCarver said:
Again for the Giraud crowd.

Those of you that trim multiple calibers. Do you have a different cutter head for each one or adjust it every time you switch calibers?
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I bought cutter heads in .223, .30, .338 and .50 (50 BMG) plus case holder inserts for lots of different calibres - that way, no need to adjust the cutter head blade each time - so changeover time is 30-60 seconds. I also added Hornady lock rings to each insert so once depth is set for a particular case (except for minor variations by headstamp/brand) - the trim length is preset.

This setup will literally last me decades!
 
FirearmsEnthusiast said:
I bought cutter heads in .223, .30, .338 and .50 (50 BMG) plus case holder inserts for lots of different calibres - that way, no need to adjust the cutter head blade each time - so changeover time is 30-60 seconds. I also added Hornady lock rings to each insert so once depth is set for a particular case (except for minor variations by headstamp/brand) - the trim length is preset.

This setup will literally last me decades!
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Thank you, this was my exact plan! Glad to know it will work.
 
MDF said:
I use the Lee case length gauges and trimmers with a powder drill for most trimming operations. They are quick and consistent and they don't take up a lot of storage space.

I have the Lyman universal trimmer and only use it when making special cases, like 32 WSL or 7.5×54.5 for the Schmidt-Rubin. I don't think I would use the Lyman universal for day to day trimming like for, say, 223. I just think it would be too tedious for a lot of that. Setting up the depth of cut can also be a bit tedious, especially if you forget to keep a properly trimmed case as a gauge for setting the depth. Keep a case to use as a gauge and you should be good.

The Lyman universal works well. I have the power adapter for it for when I have a lot of stuff to get through. The normal cutters are holding up fine; I don't think I need the carbide cutters. I might pick them up if I saw them at a good price, though.

The set of pilots that come with the thing have worked for everything I've used them on. I've not had to buy pilots.

For deburring, I use both the little Lee chamfer tools and the Lyman case prep tool thing, depending on the thickness of the brass:

https://www.lymanproducts.com/brand...case-prep-care-kits/case-prep-multi-tool.html

For thin brass, like the 32-20 cases I used to make 32 WSL and 1882 Swiss Ordnance pistol cases, I prefer the Lee chamfer tool.

A local shop carries the Little Crow cutters. I might try one in 223.
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I found taht the LEE case trimming guide/rod would get torn up by the cutter teeth, and thus cut lower than it should have (below min spec). Lee replaced it, but it kept happening again and again... I was a high volume shooter at the time (100-200 rounds of 308 match weekly, then another 1000+ 223 monthly).
 
Frankford Arsenal trimmer works very well. Trimmed lots of 223. You can add other manufacturers cutters and accessories as it uses standard threads, nothing weird or proprietary.
 
TheCircle said:
I have heard mixed reviews of the Lil crow worlds finest trimmer but then again I have heard mixed reviews of both. Mostly positive though!
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I have a Little Crow, I do a lot of machining on other projects. The Little Crow deserves glowing reviews and nothing else. It is briliiant. Brownells.
 
I just started using the WFT2, ordered it with .223, .308 and .375 H&H inserts. I just finished processing 300x .308 brass with it. Quite an upgrade over my Lee drill powered quick trim. It cuts very fast and clean. It doesn't really need a chamfer and deburr but I give it a quick one on the RCBS case prep center anyway.

It's great but it's not perfect though. The WFT2 has a 1/2" shank, so you have to make sure you have a 1/2" drill to go with it. I used an old plastic bottle for a shroud because brass shavings just fly all over without it. You also have to clean up the bushing every now and then if there's brass shavings in there. The bushing indexes on the shoulder, meaning if you have inconsistent shoulder position you'll have inconsistent case length. As long as the cases don't end up over max it's not that big a deal though.
 
bsand said:
I found taht the LEE case trimming guide/rod would get torn up by the cutter teeth, and thus cut lower than it should have (below min spec). Lee replaced it, but it kept happening again and again... I was a high volume shooter at the time (100-200 rounds of 308 match weekly, then another 1000+ 223 monthly).
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Where was your case length gauge getting chewed up? On the shoulder right above the thread that screws into the cutter?

Were you swapping different case length gauges into the same cutter?
 
MDF said:
Where was your case length gauge getting chewed up? On the shoulder right above the thread that screws into the cutter?

Were you swapping different case length gauges into the same cutter?
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yep on the shoulder. it was taking out a chunk thus getting shorter by couple thou. The missing chunk was very noticable. Probably swapped over twice? I stopped trimming 223, mostly cause I only used it once or twice before "losing" it at a match.
 
bsand said:
yep on the shoulder. it was taking out a chunk thus getting shorter by couple thou. The missing chunk was very noticable. Probably swapped over twice? I stopped trimming 223, mostly cause I only used it once or twice before "losing" it at a match.
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Good to know that can happen. And it's clearly a limitation of the Lee design. I have a cutter on each gauge so I never change them over - I just leave them permanently assembled.

I wonder what the cutters and gauges would cost if they had better threads and some sort of shoulder in the cutter so that you don't have to turn the gauge down right against the cutter thread.
 
I have an RCBS Trim Pro-2 and it worked (and continues to work) pretty well. I'm not a huge fan of the shell plate system but with the pilot in the case mouth it seems to hold the cases fairly straight. However, there is a limit of how big a case head you can use. I switched to a Forster Classic trimmer because it would accommodate the rim diameter on the 470 NE where the RCBS would not. I like the Forster very well but it is a little challenging to mount to the bench. I ended up mounting it to a piece of oak and clamping that to the bench. I prefer to clamp reloading tools to the bench to allow me to remove them when not in use.
 
I have the Lyman Universal trimmer, it works great and I like how the clamp works, but I do not load super high volume calibers. Just trim 270, and 6.5CM. I think one of the power units would be needed for high volume.
 
Another vote for the Worlds Finest Trimmer. I've got one that I use for making 300blk brass. It works incredibly well in a drill press. I have an RCBS Pro Trim II that I used to use. I still use that for trimming my 308 rounds, but for high volume trimming, you can beat the WFT.
 
The Giraud tri-way trimmer is nice piece of machinery if your considering WFT.. It will trim chamfer and debur the WFT doesn't. I own two WFT they're great but the giraud tri-way of really slicksystem cutting down extra steps.
 
I have used a Forster trimmer for many years, slow and tedious if your doing more than 20 at a time. Bought a Frankford Arsenal and love it when doing large batches.
 
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