Lee trimmer issue

I don't even use pliers to tighten the shell holder down, I just snug the shell holder down with my fingers. Been working great for me for decades.

I seem to recall having that happen early on, I think it had something to do with how fast I ran the drill, and how hard I pressed the cutter head against the case mouth.

Just a thought, you do have the drill spinning the right direction to cut? As I sit here, I can't for the life of me remember which direction is necessary to cut? I think it's counter clock wise.

GS

I have the same issue on .223. I have found the easiest way to deal with it is to use an open-ended wrench, about a 15mm if I remember correctly. It will engage the flats on the shellhoder with enough grab to tighten/loosen the holder. Much quicker than pliers.

I agree with GS. I only hand tighten and use the low setting on the drill.

The face of the stud may not be square check it with a straightedge. I had one that was slightly domed.

I use the Lee trimmer--but I do it differently--I chuck the trimmer in the drill and hold the shell holder and case in my hand. With my hand wrapped around the case, it will stay in the holder better, and with this approach, the shell holder only serves as a stop for the depth of cut.

Never had a problem with mine, as like just about everybody else here I just hand tighten the case and hold it in my hand and let er go.

Is there a better drill chuck I can use?

Click to expand...

this: http://www.midwayusa.com/product/352653/lee-zip-trim-case-trimmer-universal-3-jaw-chuck-case-holder

plus this:
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/17...hank-for-use-with-3-jaw-chuck?cm_vc=OBv174316

plus a hand drill.

There's a learning curve, but if you can get the hang of it, it can look like this:
http://s688.photobucket.com/user/gloob27x/media/LeeZipTrim.mp4.html?sort=3&o=23

I've run into this problem from time to time. It is usually caused by too much speed (or sometimes too little) or too much pressure. If the cutter grabs the case instead of cutting through the brass, it will cause it to walk out of the holder.

I rarely use pliers or anything. I chuck the holder in the drill (or drill press, depending on where I am), and tighten the shell holder nut to hand tight. I hold the trimmer in my hand, like you, with light pressure against the shell. I still run into the problem sometimes if I press too hard, but I've gotten pretty consistent at it.

If you have or can find a drill press just chuck up the cutter with the pilot. Set the case on the table, and run the cutter down till the pilot bottoms out on the table. Done.

It takes less time to do it than it does to write it down.

A nice grippy glove helps hold onto the cases. After a few hundred they start getting a little slippery, Or maybe my fingers stop working. Ether way.

I had this occur and found after using the pliers too many times, I needed to replace the holder. With the new one, I stopped pushing so hard, stopped using pliers and have had good lifespan out of the new one.

H1

Delete

I had the same problem as well. My issue was speed. Too much of a good thing.