Case Trimmer Needed for New Brass?

[Shooter_308]

Hey all, i'm getting into the reloading scene (as my older pot shows) and i just had a quick question. If i'm using brand new Winchester Brass, never fired to develop loads, should i buy a case trimmer? Or save that for when i start reloading fired brass? Trying to save a little bit here and there as i'm just starting out. Thanks for any info.

 

[cav.scout]

Re: Case Trimmer Needed for New Brass?

I would go ahead and get it your going to need it. If you want to save a little right now just pick up a lee case trimmer and chuck it in a drill there only like 11 bucks.

 

[lightman]

Re: Case Trimmer Needed for New Brass?

I would also suggest buying it now.You will need one,sooner or later.New brass should be ok for 3,4, maybe even 5 firings or so,but after that the excess length could cause pressure problems.Even on new brass,the consistancy from trimming is nice,and the Lee tool will do the job for 10 or 11 dollars. Lightman

 

[Shooter_308]

Re: Case Trimmer Needed for New Brass?

Thanks guys for the quick responses.

 

[Fuzzball]

Re: Case Trimmer Needed for New Brass?

It is unlikely you'll need to trim new brass but you will need a trimmer of some kind evenatully.

I suggest you get a set of Lee's very simple, very inexpensive and very effective case trimmer tools along with Lee's chamfer/deburring tool. They work very well and even if you should want a more costly hand cranked lathe type trimmer later you won't have lost anything.

 

[Fuzzball]

Re: Case Trimmer Needed for New Brass?

It is unlikely you'll need to trim new brass but you will need a trimmer of some kind evenatully.

I suggest you get a set of Lee's very simple, very inexpensive and very effective case trimmer tools along with Lee's chamfer/deburring tool. They work very well and even if you should want a more costly hand cranked lathe type trimmer later you won't have lost anything.

 

[sirhrmechanic]

Re: Case Trimmer Needed for New Brass?

http://www.giraudtool.com/prod02.htm

If you are going to buy a case trimmer, go for a good one up front. Hand cranked tools do work very well. And are inexpensive. But after about an hour of cranking, you will be ready to throw it through a wall.

The GTC is more expensive than some of the budget tools, but it is motorized, dead nuts accurate and way better than dealing with hand cranking. I have one and your time is worth the extra expense...

Regardless, you need a chamfering/deburring tool as mentioned above.

Cheers,

Sirhr

 

[rodnocker1`]

Re: Case Trimmer Needed for New Brass?

I've gotta agree with Sirhr.

I"ve got the Lee trimmers for pretty much all of the calibers I reload for (and there are many) and still use them occasionally. They do a good job but take alot of time to trim/chamfer/debur if you have alot of brass to do.

I also have a couple of Lyman universal trimmers but they stay on a shelf. Like Sirhr says, after about an hour of cranking, you want to throw them through the wall (if you can still lift your arm LOL!).

After the manual trimmers, I was torn between the RCBS motorized trim pro and a Giraud. I decided to go the cheaper route and got the RCBS. After only a couple of 1,000 pcs, I gave Doug a call (actually talked to his Wife since he was at the Camp Perry Competition) and ordered one for .223. When it arrived, I knew I had made the right choice (finally). Using the Giraud, I knocked out 1,000 pcs of .223 in no time (I didn't actually expect it to be that quick or I would have timed it). The higher price was more than offset by the time I saved since the Giraud trims, chamfers, and deburs all at once and you don't have to chuck the shell in anything.

I liked it so much, I bought another one set up for .30 Cal (.308 Win and .300 Win Mag). You can just buy another cutting head and swap them out instead of buying a complete trimmer but I didn't want to have to bother with that.

<span style="text-decoration: underline"><span style="font-weight: bold">NOTE:</span></span> I'm nowhere near rich.....wealthy....or even well off but what little spare time I have is pretty valuable to me so almost anything I can do to save time is worth it.

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Sirhrmechanic</div><div class="ubbcode-body">http://www.giraudtool.com/prod02.htm

If you are going to buy a case trimmer, go for a good one up front. Hand cranked tools do work very well. And are inexpensive. But after about an hour of cranking, you will be ready to throw it through a wall.

The GTC is more expensive than some of the budget tools, but it is motorized, dead nuts accurate and way better than dealing with hand cranking. I have one and your time is worth the extra expense...

Regardless, you need a chamfering/deburring tool as mentioned above.

Cheers,

Sirhr </div></div>

 

[gunsnjeeps]

Re: Case Trimmer Needed for New Brass?

In the bag of Winchester .223 I bought, I had cases any where from just under trim to length to well over "maximum" length.

I'll second the "buy a Giraud" if you have the budget. There are good trimmers out there but the Giraud is probably the best, and about 12-15 times faster than my RCBS Pro Trim Power.

 

[patriotoutlaw]

Re: Case Trimmer Needed for New Brass?

Trim all your brass to the same length, new or old.

 

[DubGunner]

Re: Case Trimmer Needed for New Brass?

I just cracked open a new bag on Winchester brass and they all needed trimmed.

 

[Unknown]

Re: Case Trimmer Needed for New Brass?

I really suggest checking out the possum hollow case trimmer with the power adapter. They are cheap, fast, and do a really decent job.

 

[plant.one]

Re: Case Trimmer Needed for New Brass?

i cant beleive nobody mentioned the lee zip trim.
throw on a universal mount, and i fly through trimming my brass. its a lot of convienance for a $35 tool that i can use to trim brass during power outages.


i put every peice on the trimmer and 'gauge' it with the proper lee case length gauge on the cutter. Its one pull to check if they touch the cutter (and need trimming) and about 4-5 total to have it ready to come off the zip trim with the front end case prep done. 2 pulls usually (sometimes 3) for actual cutting, 1 pull for chamfer, 1 deburing. I ran through around 600 peices of brass just a few weeks ago in no time flat.




mine leaves a nice little pile of brass on the bench thats for sure!

 

[kineticmedic]

Re: Case Trimmer Needed for New Brass?

I'm a big fan of the Giraud as well. I've probably run about 10,000 pieces of brass through mine and it cuts like day one still.

 

[KelsonAK]

Re: Case Trimmer Needed for New Brass?

The WFT from little crow gunworks gets my vote. As much as I love the meditative function of trimming brass, it gets old doing it on my redding hand cranker. I can't afford a Giraud right now, the hobby is pulling my money in other directions, but the WFT seems to be just about as fast, although it is a little messier.

I use redding hand cranker for 'occasional' case, and I've used the Lee. They all work.