Considering purchasing a Giraud power trimmer but have a few questions. First and foremost I know the quality of the product, that’s not in question. My questions are about these ease and cost to change different calibers. Also if it’s worth the sizable investment for lower quantities. I have a wildcat that requires significant trimming of cases after forming so that’s my primary interest but I also reload a couple other common calibers but total less then 1500 cases per year total. Thoughts?
Giraud power trimmer questions
- Thread starter 03psd
- Start date
I love mine. It used to take me an hour to do 50 cases by hand. Now I can do 100 in less than 10 minutes. I have a cutting blade for each caliber and then a case holder for each cartridge. Putting a lock ring on makes return to the previous setting a breeze. Not sure on the wildcat ease as it needs to be ordered as a blank and then your smith can ream it with whatever reamer your chamber was cut with. So that assumes you still have access to the reamer. Its the best trimmer in the world. It’s also really expensive for 1500 a year. But with the ease of it maybe you’ll end up shooting more.
I'm with spife, I fought buying one for 5 yrs, even replaced my RCBS electric a couple yrs ago. There are some tools that are just frivolous buys, this is not one of them.
I too have been looking to buy one of these for years, but I am unclear about the "add-on costs" for each cartridge listed at the bottom of the website.
(And it may be beneficial to this discussion/thread):
1) Is it roughly $35 extra per "cartridge" (less any replacement blades) for the "case holder"?
2) Is there any multiple cartridge compatibility, given that this system references off of the shoulder(ie between 7mm-08 with 308 Win) or is every case holder totally unique?
(And it may be beneficial to this discussion/thread):
1) Is it roughly $35 extra per "cartridge" (less any replacement blades) for the "case holder"?
2) Is there any multiple cartridge compatibility, given that this system references off of the shoulder(ie between 7mm-08 with 308 Win) or is every case holder totally unique?
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I put some answers above in red but read this as well http://www.accuracy-tech.com/giraud-case-trimmer/
I'm with Spife on this. What used to take an hour to trim, chamfer, and deburr by hand takes mere minutes now. I might replace my dies, or press, or even my annealing machine, but the Giraud will always have a spot on my bench. The initial cost outlay is high, but if you can afford it, you won't regret it. Personally, I value my time more than money, so something that is essentially a multi-tasking tool that frees me to do other things is money well spent.
Edit: I meant to add that you'll want to buy one cutter blade for each caliber you're reloading and case holders for each, meaning a cutter blade set up for 6mm Dasher will also trim 6 BR, 243, etc, since they're all 6mm, but you need the case holders for each. Swapping calibers is easy for the case holder and only slightly more time consuming for the cutter blade. Set your case holder to the desired depth for trim length, add on a Hornady Sure-Loc die ring or something similar, and you can "return to zero" every time you swap.
Edit: I meant to add that you'll want to buy one cutter blade for each caliber you're reloading and case holders for each, meaning a cutter blade set up for 6mm Dasher will also trim 6 BR, 243, etc, since they're all 6mm, but you need the case holders for each. Swapping calibers is easy for the case holder and only slightly more time consuming for the cutter blade. Set your case holder to the desired depth for trim length, add on a Hornady Sure-Loc die ring or something similar, and you can "return to zero" every time you swap.
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Like others have said the up front cost is some what high. But when you sit down with a icecream bucket of brass to trim and it only takes you a hour or so, instead of all day then you think to yourself it was totally worth the money! Caliber changes are fairly fast and easy but it is nice to have a cutter blade set for each cal. that way you don't have to fiddle with moving the blade and getting it set just right again for the chamfer and deburr. The blades do seem to last quite awhile and are well made. I bought mine about 2 years ago just for .223 and have sense bought a case holder for everything I shoot, it just dose a really nice job and makes life easier. Plus I have kids now so my time is more valuable than what it used to be.
I don't have a Giraud bench-top model, but I do have a Tri-Way trimmer. It cost right at $100 new. As far as I'm concerned, it paid for itself, in time alone, the first night I had it. It literally took a three or four day job and turned it into about three hours. Like someone else mentioned, it is one of the best tools on the bench. It trims a .223 casing perfectly every 6-7 seconds, and that's not getting in a hurry. One day I'm going have a Giraud bench-top trimmer, and I won't regret the cost at all.
Love mine.
Use it for every caliber I have they make a case holder for, and even asked them for some custom stuff they couldn't do, unfortunately.
Use it for every caliber I have they make a case holder for, and even asked them for some custom stuff they couldn't do, unfortunately.
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