Case trimmers set up advice

[kujuak]

I need to buy a set up to trim my Lapua 308 Palma brass to correct length. I would appreciate advice on best $/quality way to go. The simpler the better. Needs to be available to order on line. I trim my other brass with Lee Hand trimmers which work well for my old guy hobbyist needs.The Lee hand trimmer pin is too large for the pa;ma brass hole. Guess I'll need to get set up to trim 6.5 Creedmoor small primer Lapua brass, I assume they have the same teeny tiny primer hole. (Base line, I don't sort my bullets by weight, turn necks, anneal brass, measure primer holes etc.) I reload to shoot more and my Mark 70 y.o.eyes, arthritic neck etc do not warrant those extra accuracy efforts. My loading technique also gives me excuses when I pull a shot or misread the wind.


Thank you!

 

[Threadcutter308]

I need to buy a set up to trim my Lapua 308 Palma brass to correct length. I would appreciate advice on best $/quality way to go. The simpler the better. Needs to be available to order on line. I trim my other brass with Lee Hand trimmers which work well for my old guy hobbyist needs.The Lee hand trimmer pin is too large for the pa;ma brass hole. Guess I'll need to get set up to trim 6.5 Creedmoor small primer Lapua brass, I assume they have the same teeny tiny primer hole. (Base line, I don't sort my bullets by weight, turn necks, anneal brass, measure primer holes etc.) I reload to shoot more and my Mark 70 y.o.eyes, arthritic neck etc do not warrant those extra accuracy efforts. My loading technique also gives me excuses when I pull a shot or misread the wind.


Thank you!

L. E. Wilson Case Trimmer Stainless Steel - (17 - 45 cal.) with SS Micrometer

Gunstop is a premier dealer of reloading supplies and ammunition. Established in 1991, we pride ourselves on providing unbeatable value and client satisfaction.

www.gunstop.com

L. E. Wilson Case Trimmer Stand & Case Holder Clamp

Gunstop is a premier dealer of reloading supplies and ammunition. Established in 1991, we pride ourselves on providing unbeatable value and client satisfaction.

www.gunstop.com

You'll need a caseholder too. Gunstop has great prices on LE Wilson stuff, but finding the caseholder means you're going to have to work a little on their website......

 

[straightshooter1]

I need to buy a set up to trim my Lapua 308 Palma brass to correct length. I would appreciate advice on best $/quality way to go. The simpler the better. Needs to be available to order on line. I trim my other brass with Lee Hand trimmers which work well for my old guy hobbyist needs.The Lee hand trimmer pin is too large for the pa;ma brass hole. Guess I'll need to get set up to trim 6.5 Creedmoor small primer Lapua brass, I assume they have the same teeny tiny primer hole. (Base line, I don't sort my bullets by weight, turn necks, anneal brass, measure primer holes etc.) I reload to shoot more and my Mark 70 y.o.eyes, arthritic neck etc do not warrant those extra accuracy efforts. My loading technique also gives me excuses when I pull a shot or misread the wind.


Thank you!

I have a Wilson trimmer that I really like, BUT . . . I never use now since I got a 3 way trimmer that is WAY faster and just as accurate. So, you might want to check out a Trim-it 2 for your needs:

TRIM-IT II W/ 2 CALIBER DIES | blackwidow

Trim-It II 3 WAY CASE TRIMMER 2 Caliber Dies Included

www.blackwidowshooters.com

 

[Mike Casselton]

Gun stop is a great little shop.
If you want to make trimming easier, faster and less tiresome to your hands, I'll suggest this:

Resize your case, trim it and chamfer. You're done.

I do use this to do the inside and outside deburring.
Lyman makes one also, but I already had this one.
The lyman also has a VLD deburring tip.

Lastly, to keep my hands from cramping, I hold the case in this while trimming.

The only other thing you'll need is the Lee autoprime shell holder to fit your case.


I've always despised trimming.
I did try the Lee trimmers and gave up on them too.

Once I got this setup, I actually started enjoying trimming.

Since I bought the Lymsn

 

[Threadcutter308]

I have a Wilson trimmer that I really like, BUT . . . I never use now since I got a 3 way trimmer that is WAY faster and just as accurate. So, you might want to check out a Trim-it 2 for your needs:

TRIM-IT II W/ 2 CALIBER DIES | blackwidow

Trim-It II 3 WAY CASE TRIMMER 2 Caliber Dies Included

www.blackwidowshooters.com

Hey SS1, I respect everyone's opinions and mine is also just that. I went around and around with case trimmers earlier this year. I suppose the first thing that I should get out in the open is that I only trim for brass that lives with my bolt guns. I don't shoot anything resembling PRS, so I never lose any. Because of all that, I trim a relatively small number of pieces of brass and do it infrequently. So, the quantities/frequency are low for me.

I bought and tried a Trim-it 2 and I think it's a nice unit. The one problem that just did not sit right with me was that the case (neck/shoulder/body) was not fully supported/aligned in the holder until the shoulder bottomed out on the corresponding area of the holder. Problem was, that was when the trimming had been completed. In my opinion, the case needs to be fully supported/bottomed out /aligned before the trimming begins. So, I ended up selling it. But, it's a well made product and reasonably priced for what you get.
Giraud makes a similar type of product to Trim-it 2 in addition to their Mac Daddy trimmer, but it looked like I would have the same issue with it, so I passed.

I'm certainly not going to try and make the argument that the Wilson is "faster", because it's not. However, doing 50 or 100 cases on the Wilson (and following up with chamfer/de-burr) is not an ugly exercise. I do use a small Metabo powered screwdriver, so it's really not a bad route to go.

 

[straightshooter1]

Hey SS1, I respect everyone's opinions and mine is also just that. I went around and around with case trimmers earlier this year. I suppose the first thing that I should get out in the open is that I only trim for brass that lives with my bolt guns. I don't shoot anything resembling PRS, so I never lose any. Because of all that, I trim a relatively small number of pieces of brass and do it infrequently. So, the quantities/frequency are low for me.

I bought and tried a Trim-it 2 and I think it's a nice unit. The one problem that just did not sit right with me was that the case (neck/shoulder/body) was not fully supported/aligned in the holder until the shoulder bottomed out on the corresponding area of the holder. Problem was, that was when the trimming had been completed. In my opinion, the case needs to be fully supported/bottomed out /aligned before the trimming begins. So, I ended up selling it. But, it's a well made product and reasonably priced for what you get.
Giraud makes a similar type of product to Trim-it 2 in addition to their Mac Daddy trimmer, but it looked like I would have the same issue with it, so I passed.

I'm certainly not going to try and make the argument that the Wilson is "faster", because it's not. However, doing 50 or 100 cases on the Wilson (and following up with chamfer/de-burr) is not an ugly exercise. I do use a small Metabo powered screwdriver, so it's really not a bad route to go.

I happen to use a Giraud and don't have an issue with being "fully supported" . . . certainly not a FL seating die. But I do like trimmers that index off of the shoulder rather than the base so that I not only get uniform case length, but also the distance from neck junction to the mouth rim is uniform length as well. I don't get that as well with anything that indexes off of the base of the case.

If one is not processing a large number of cases, the Wilson trimmer is certainly a good trimmer to use and to use it as you do with some kind of powered driver. I just didn't like doing all that chamfering and deburring afterwards (and I didn't get a particularly consistent square chamfer relative the the neck's axes on all my cases either).

 

[lightman]

The Wilson is a nice timmer and the basic trimmer is pretty inexpensive. The ad-ons run the price up but they are worth it to me. Mine is the whole tricked out one that Sinclair sells. As mentioned, you will need the correct shell holder for it.

 

[Powder_Burns]

Nice thing about the lyman is it comes with a set of the shoulder bushings that accomodates a pretty large swath of cartridges on the market. You don’t have to buy individual collets or mandrels. I broke down the cost difference between the forster classic, 4 mandrels, and 3 collets, and the lyman unit can trim more different cartridges for half the price.

The new rcbs brass boss has 6 stations versus the 4 on the case prep center. 2 of the stations run at higher rpm’s and you can adjust the speed of the motor on the rcbs brass boss and the lyman case trim express.

Just trimmed and chamfer/deburred 200 pieces of .308 in less than 45 minutes with those two units.

 

[ifgator]

I know I'm in the super minority here but I had a Giraud trimmer but I couldn't adjust the blade properly. As in moving the blade so it chamfers inside/outside properly. If they could figure out a micrometer for that I'd be all in. Full disclosure I've had injuries robbing my fine motor in my hands. However if I knew it had the type of adjustment it does, then I wouldn't have bought it. I am in no way saying it's a bad trimmer. I wish it worked for me.

 

[straightshooter1]

I know I'm in the super minority here but I had a Giraud trimmer but I couldn't adjust the blade properly. As in moving the blade so it chamfers inside/outside properly. If they could figure out a micrometer for that I'd be all in. Full disclosure I've had injuries robbing my fine motor in my hands. However if I knew it had the type of adjustment it does, then I wouldn't have bought it. I am in no way saying it's a bad trimmer. I wish it worked for me.

The Trim It 2 did a nice job of solving that problem using the same cutter.

 

[ifgator]

The Trim It 2 did a nice job of solving that problem using the same cutter.

This has peaked my interest because I despise trimming. I like other parts of the reloading process and geeking out with awesome tools BUT if the Trim it 2 is precise AND easy to then you have my attention.
Just to be clear because I can't get my wallet out fast enough....are you saying it is a precise trimmer and reasonably easy to adjust???? Within reason???

 

[straightshooter1]

This has peaked my interest because I despise trimming. I like other parts of the reloading process and geeking out with awesome tools BUT if the Trim it 2 is precise AND easy to then you have my attention.
Just to be clear because I can't get my wallet out fast enough....are you saying it is a precise trimmer and reasonably easy to adjust???? Within reason???

Take a look at this YouTube video and see what you think:



Here's a link to see what they cost:
https://www.blackwidowshooters.com/product-page/trim-it-ii-with-2-free-dies

 

[ifgator]

Take a look at this YouTube video and see what you think:



Here's a link to see what they cost:
https://www.blackwidowshooters.com/product-page/trim-it-ii-with-2-free-dies

That adjuster on the blade addresses the exact issues I was having. I'd get close and try to nudge ever so slightly and BAM the damn thing goes a mile. Then I was back to square one. Thank you straightshooter for your efforts.

 

[kujuak]

I assume correct case length is determined by the calibre specific inserts he showed early on in the video?

 

[straightshooter1]

I assume correct case length is determined by the calibre specific inserts he showed early on in the video?

No. Case length is adjustable and you set it to what you're trying to achieve. The caliber specific inserts are to keep the case somewhat loosely tight and so the cut on the mouth is square to the axis of the case body. There there is a stop on the inside of the inserts for the shoulder to index from. So, if you have consistent head space on your cases, your going to get consistent case lengths.

I favor indexing off the shoulder over indexing of the case base so that measurement between the shoulder junction and the mouth is uniform, as that's important to me as I turn necks and want to be sure the cutter touches the shoulder the same way every time. Indexing off the base doesn't work well for that.

 

[OLD308]

Well I have a trim it 2 for 308 and .223. PM me a decent offer and it’s yours.

 

[alchrisr]

Well I have a trim it 2 for 308 and .223. PM me a decent offer and it’s yours.

Just wondering why you did not like this system. I am using the Lee 3 way cutter with a power set up and it is ok, but getting weak and this and the Giraud looks like my next. I like the Giraud triway but there is no 6.5 cr available. The trim it is my only option for 6.5 or the full bore Giraud. My volume and wallet dictates that I look at something else! I also do .308 and .223. If you still are wanting to part with the trim it let me know.

CR

 

[OLD308]

They are sold.
I bought them for the stuff I don't shoot as much so as to avoid altering my Henderson trimmer.
Setting up the blades on the Trim it 2 was a PITA.
There was so much play in the caliber dies that a consistent trim length is impossible. To my standards anyway.
More than good enough, but for that price I just bought the additional pieces for the Henderson.
The Henderson (over all length) and Giraud (shoulder) are expensive. Shoulder vs over all length. Personal preference is the only difference.
I reload 300-1000 rounds a week so the Henderson or Giraud are worth it to me.
Had the Giraud, great machine, just prefer over all length style cutters to the Girauld method of shoulder.
Hope this helps.