Good case trimming tool?

View · by **Nalez** on Sun Jul 07, 2013 2:21 pm

So what is a good process for trimming cases accurately that does not cost an arm and a leg? I am up north this week going through a bunch of LC cartages; and I know when I get home they are all going to be long. In the past I have used the lee zip trim + the lee trimming tool. I have noticed in the past that the lee case gauge seems to make things a bit short for my liking.

Also; I am looking for thoughts on swagging vs reaming the primer pockets. I like the idea of swagging; but I do not like the idea of another dedicated device to get it done.

thanks!

View · by **Duff-Man** on Sun Jul 07, 2013 4:14 pm

I've been using Lee Quick Trim works fine as far as I can tell.

View · by **BigDog58** on Sun Jul 07, 2013 6:33 pm

I use the Lee Case Length gauges/trim tools. About three bucks each and every case is trimmed the same length. I do suggest getting the wooden "Ball" trimmer (sort of a handle) if you have lots of brass to trim. The stock little trimmer that you get with the length gauge will eat your fingers if you have lots to trim.
If you are near Edina, and I have the one for your caliber, you are welcome to come get it and try it. The ball trim was the best $8 I spent on reloading. I trimmed about 300 30 Carbine cases using the regular trim tool, and my fingers hurt for days afterward.

I also bought the "chuck" that originally came with the Lee "Zip" trimmer and I put it in my rechargeable drill and it spins the case to trim it. It really speeds the whole process up. I also have a Hornady trimmer that I rarely use.

Stop by and I can show you my cheap trimming operation first hand

View · by **Countryfried Frank** on Sun Jul 07, 2013 7:18 pm

I have a Lyman that I use to trim .300 MinMag and .223 Rem. Gloves are a must when processing large volumes. Mrs. C. doesn't know this yet but another trimmer is on the list once I get down to Texas so I can keep one set up per caliber. The Lee trimmer is easy and consistent but not adjustable. I like to have the ability to tweak things if I wish.

View · by **jspace** on Sun Jul 07, 2013 7:57 pm

How much is an arm & leg?

View · by **JFettig** on Sun Jul 07, 2013 8:05 pm

This is my absolute favorite one and I have done some weird things to try and speed up the process

http://www.littlecrowgunworks.com/wft.html

Minnesota made.

View · by **SIGP240** on Sun Jul 07, 2013 9:38 pm

Swaging with RCBS Primer swagin tool is very fast. Get a comfortable chair height, brass loose to the left on bench. Staple a towel to the left and right of press with it funneled into a 5G pail. The spacer ejects the round up and off the tit and case drops on towel, quickly feed I another case and bingo, I can do 1600 223s I one sitting.

View · by **shooter115** on Mon Jul 08, 2013 12:08 am

JFettig wrote:This is my absolute favorite one and I have done some weird things to try and speed up the process

http://www.littlecrowgunworks.com/wft.html

Minnesota made.

If you are doing a high volume of brass the WFT is tough to beat. I must have 10k rounds on mine with zero issues.

View · by **RJWesleyIII** on Mon Jul 08, 2013 4:56 am

I had the little crow gun works trimmer for .223. It worked great. Especially for the money. I was doing a lot of brass and it started hurting my fingers. Now I have the dillon rapid trimmer on top of my 650.

Sent from my iPhone 5 using Tapatalk

View · by **UpNorthSavage** on Tue Jul 09, 2013 6:56 pm

I like to put the Lee case trimmer in a small bench top drill press. You just use to drill table as the stop. If the casings a little bit slippery I just use a standard pair of pliers to gently grip the casing
I can process a lot of brass in a very short time with this method. Before this I used a Lee zip trim. You do need a 1/2 inch chuck to fit the cutter. You can get a very clean cut depending on how fast you set the drill press up to run.

View · by **Countryfried Frank** on Wed Jul 10, 2013 9:05 am

JFettig wrote:This is my absolute favorite one and I have done some weird things to try and speed up the process

http://www.littlecrowgunworks.com/wft.html

Minnesota made.

I've seen some videos on that but I can't quite wrap my mind around the process. How do you adjust the trim length? Do you chuck it in a press or does it trim to a set distance from the shoulder with no adjustment for case length?

View · by **samginko** on Wed Jul 10, 2013 10:29 am

I use a cordless drill. I used 2.007 length brass to set the chuck, which produced 2.005 on the nose. Setting length takes time, but once set your golden.

View · by **Countryfried Frank** on Wed Jul 10, 2013 10:40 am

What does it index off of? It doesn't look like it is long enough to reach the case head. Does it operate on the theory that all your brass is of the same dimension from the head to the neck? I'm sorry for being a pain but I'm trying to understand how it gets a repeatable trim length. I believe that it works but how it works puzzles me.

View · by **Hoot** on Wed Jul 10, 2013 10:55 am

I have my share of the Lee units and the case lock studs have a million uses besides trimming. My go-to is an RCBS Trim-Pro. One under appreciated trimmer head you can get in a few of the more ubiquitous calibers also deburr the inside and outside in the same step. They take a little fiddling to get set just right, but then they stay set. I was too cheap to get the motorized trim-pro, but I adapted mine for a motor that I have rigged up with a foot switch, for times when I'm processing a large quantity. Otherwise I get organ grinder wrist.

I have lusted after those WFTs, but like I said, I'm cheap. :lol:

Hoot

View · by **samginko** on Wed Jul 10, 2013 11:12 am

Countryfried Frank wrote:What does it index off of? It doesn't look like it is long enough to reach the case head. Does it operate on the theory that all your brass is of the same dimension from the head to the neck? I'm sorry for being a pain but I'm trying to understand how it gets a repeatable trim length. I believe that it works but how it works puzzles me.

WFT indexes off of sized shoulder.