[Richard.Howe]

Trim then size, or size then trim?

What's your practice, and why?

Books sometimes interchange the steps...which leads me to believe that this is not a high-criticality order of operations.

Clearly -- if your cases were too long to begin with, then you trimmed them long, and rezised, you run the risk of chamber-crimping and overpressuring your face.

BUT, assuming that brass length is of reasonable length after you fire it; trim then size, or size then trim?

Rich

[ocabj]

Size then trim.

If you trim then size, the case length can get longer. I trim to get all the brass to the same length, not because it's longer than spec.

[The Bushmaster]

Easy question...Resize them then trim them...That's two votes...

[P95Carry]

Three votes :)

[Fumbler]

Make it 4.

It you don't resize before you trim and use something like the Lee case length guage/trimmer, then the case will rock back and fourth a little bit when pushed up against the trimmer. I don't know for sure, but that seems like it would introduce some variation from case to case. Resizing first eliminates that.

[stans]

Five.

[The Bushmaster]

Well Cajuncoona...How's that for a unnanimous vote??? What say ye??

[Sistema1927]

Another vote: Size then trim.

[Richard.Howe]

Unanimity on an internet discussion board.

Now I've seen everything. :)

Thanks for the input -- I've always sized and trimmed, in that order. Two of my manuals have the operations listed in the reverse order, which led to my question.

Thanks,
Rich

[Mal H]

"Two of my manuals have the operations listed in the reverse order ..."

Really?? Which ones? That seems completely counterproductive. If you trim to size first and then resize, you have, by all logic I can think of, incorrectly sized cases; that is, cases of incorrect length.

[Gatofeo]

trize and sim .. er .. um .. sheesh ... darn Spoonerism ... size and trim ... :scrutiny:

[Richard.Howe]

Which ones?

"Complete Reloading Guide" by Traister and Traister, published by Stoeger in 1996

Hornady "Handbook of Cartrige Reloading" Volume I

I thought this was at least confusing, and at most misleading -- and potentially dangerous.

Glad to see I'm not alone in this boat.

Have a good night,
Rich

[Mal H]

I don't have Traister & Traister so I can't verify that one. But, in the Hornady manual, I can't find where they explicitly or implicitly recommend trimming before sizing. On page 66, which is the main trimming topic, they don't mention when to size in relation to trimming at all.

[Richard.Howe]

Ah, it's easy to get confused when you're a bonehead like me. :)

I was referring to "Reloading Step By Step" starting on page 44, and continuing to page 55. On p. 46 they mention the trimming operation, chamfering and deburring on 47, lubing on 48, and resizing/depriming on 49.

[JuniorG]

Yep size n trim.