100.00 trimmer

[Rem700CDLSF3006]

hi all am looking at saving up getting me a case trimmer.the 2 I really like are the LE Wilson and the Forester Does either have the advantage over the other

 

[Walkalong]

Both fine trimmers. How precise do you need to be? The Wilson will be more precise, although the Forster is very good as well, and the Forster will be faster.

 

[KansasSasquatch]

If I weren't concerned with hair-splitting precision I think I would look into a Lyman and their power drill adapter. It's the cheapest powered trimmer you can get, if you already have a drill or electric screwdriver to use with it. About $130 for the trimmer and power adaptor, and $20-30 for a cordless screwdriver if you don't have one already. I don't have one so maybe someone else can speak to the quality of it, but it's definitely on my list. After trimming thousands of pieces of .223 on my Hornady manual trimmer, I can definitely see the advantage of a powered trimmer.

 

[rcmodel]

I hate to disagree, but the Lee trimmer cutter and depth stop is the cheapest trimmer you can get for one caliber.

I have only one, in .223, and I can go through a bucket of brass on the drill press faster then I can pick them up and throw them in another bucket.

I have an old Forster, but I very seldom if ever use it anymore.

rc

 

[FROGO207]

I am with RC on this. Especially if you have a drill press with a 1/2 inch chuck. Use the table as the base to stop the trimmer and all the time is spent handling the brass IMHO. It would rival the speed of a Possum Hollow trimmer from what I have seen of them on You Tube.

 

[KansasSasquatch]

I hate to disagree, but the Lee trimmer cutter and depth stop is the cheapest trimmer you can get for one caliber.

I have only one, in .223, and I can go through a bucket of brass on the drill press faster then I can pick them up and throw them in another bucket.

I have an old Forster, but I very seldom if ever use it anymore.

rc

Well that works for one caliber. But if you load or plan to load a ton of different calibers, I imagine those case length gauges and shellholders add up. The Lyman doesn't need a shellholder at all and will trim everything from .22 Hornet to .454 Casull without buying anything else. The power adaptor and electric screwdriver are extra but once you have that stuff you're set. The Lyman can also be used manually should the need ever arise. It comes down to what you need/want I guess.... just like everything else in reloading. But you are right about being the cheapest for one caliber.

 

[cfullgraf]

The Lee case gauge and shell holders are pretty cheap, in the $5-$10 range. The case stud and cutter can be used for numerous cartridges so the Lee system is pretty cheap to use even for multiple cartridges. Even if you bought a cutter and case stud for each cartridge, the Lee system is pretty inexpensive. If you hold the cutter by hand, the cutter with the wooden all is better than without.

I have never tried rcmodel's drill press method but it looks pretty good. The case holder/shell plate system of holding the case has its moments. But, for a good low cost trimmer, the Lee is pretty good.

I also have a LE Wilson trimmer with the Sinclair base, shark fin holder, and micrometer adjuster. It is very good and I use it where the Lee system does not have case gauges. The Wilson case gauges, the only piece needed for different cartridges unless you trim 17 caliber cases, are reasonable in cost.

I recently got into the Little Croww WFT trimmers. They are great. For one cartridge, you will spend less than $100 but if you have to trim several cartridges, the costs will add up. I have WFT trimmers dedicated for particular cartridges so that I do not have to reset them. I trim small batches of cartridges as opposed to waiting until I have "billions" to process and trim.

Hope this helps.

 

[Hondo 60]

Is there a reason you didn't look at a Lyman?
http://www.amazon.com/Lyman-Reloading-Universal-Trimmer-Multi-Pack/dp/B001OPNT9E

This one even has a drill or cordless screwdriver attachment.

You can probably get it cheaper by shopping around

 

[warhwkbb]

The only prop to using a bench mounted trimmer would be to use the RCBS 3-way cutting head. http://www.midwayusa.com/Product/145038/rcbs-trim-pro-case-trimmer-3-way-cutter-22-caliber

Otherwise, a drill press mounted trimmer makes more sense. I have been tempted by the Little Crow, but that could get expensive with multiple calibers.

 

[Searcher4851]

The Lee trimmer system and drill press work fine for me. Very cost effective, especially when doing multiple calibers.

 

[stubbicatt]

When I first started out reloading in the 80s, I bought a Lyman kit which came with the lathe style trimmer. Uniformity of trim was a real issue with that trimmer, no two cases were the same length. I found it was frustrating to use. It may be that it has been updated since then to work better, but I have found that the Lee trimmer is much more uniform, much faster, and I prefer it to the Lyman. With the Lyman, one set the depth of cut by adjusting a "stop" with a grub screw which threaded in against the oily shaft, and would not stay put. As one engaged the cutter head, one had to apply pressure by handagainst the cutter to get it to feed, while turning it, which is more difficult than walking and chewing gum at the same time. As the stop approached the frame of the lathe, one finds oneself sort of letting off of the feed pressure, as when the stop hits the frame, it moves, no matter how hard you snug down that grub screw. In the end I just found it wholly unsatisfactory for my needs..

Lee has also introduced a new sort of trimmer with a hand crank and dies which thread into your press. It allows a variable depth of cut, and I understand that once set, it stays at that depth of cut until changed to a different depth of cut. It is attractive to me and may be something I get for some "oddball" calibers I may encounter. It is relatively inexpensive also.

In my experience, the finest trimmer I ever used was the Dillon press mounted powered trimmer. Very uniform length when done, and a nice clean cut every time. FWIW.

 

[KansasSasquatch]

When I first started out reloading in the 80s, I bought a Lyman kit which came with the lathe style trimmer. Uniformity of trim was a real issue with that trimmer, no two cases were the same length. I found it was frustrating to use. It may be that it has been updated since then to work better, but I have found that the Lee trimmer is much more uniform, much faster, and I prefer it to the Lyman. With the Lyman, one set the depth of cut by adjusting a "stop" with a grub screw which threaded in against the oily shaft, and would not stay put. As one engaged the cutter head, one had to apply pressure by handagainst the cutter to get it to feed, while turning it, which is more difficult than walking and chewing gum at the same time. As the stop approached the frame of the lathe, one finds oneself sort of letting off of the feed pressure, as when the stop hits the frame, it moves, no matter how hard you snug down that grub screw. In the end I just found it wholly unsatisfactory for my needs..

Lee has also introduced a new sort of trimmer with a hand crank and dies which thread into your press. It allows a variable depth of cut, and I understand that once set, it stays at that depth of cut until changed to a different depth of cut. It is attractive to me and may be something I get for some "oddball" calibers I may encounter. It is relatively inexpensive also.

In my experience, the finest trimmer I ever used was the Dillon press mounted powered trimmer. Very uniform length when done, and a nice clean cut every time. FWIW.

But was your Lyman the same as their current trimmers? Like this http://www.midwayusa.com/product/435802/lyman-universal-carbide-case-trimmer-kit-with-9-pilots

 

[GLOOB]

The only prop to using a bench mounted trimmer would be to use the RCBS 3-way cutting head. http://www.midwayusa.com/Product/145...ter-22-caliber

This is how I see it, as well. On the one hand, getting the case in/out of the bench mounted trimmers make them significantly slower and more work than a Possum Hollow or WFT. OTOH, you get about the same speed but at least double the cost of the LEE/drill system, unless you have over a dozen rifle calibers to trim?!?

 

[GW Staar]

The Wilson is a great trimmer but it's not very speedy even with a drill adapter. The Forster is very nearly as accurate, much faster manually, and you can get a 3-way cutter for common diameters.

The Lee is fast with a drill, but I find the collet miserable to tighten enough to prevent slipping (but then my wrists are toast from 40 years of swinging a hammer). I have one in .223 also. Gave it up as not for arthritis sufferers....yes you can use channel locks, but that's a royal pain too.

Keeping under your hundred dollar bill, I'd go with the Forster with a couple of collets and pilots to do all your case sizes...and add three-ways later as you can afford them.

Ultimately, I automated mine and found it nearly as fast as a Giraud. Click the picture below for the video:
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This is trimming .308, .223 uses the same collet.... different slip-on 3-way cutter. Which is swapped by loosening a set screw on the cutter. The depth ring is reset with another set screw. Depth is set by colleting a "pattern" piece of brass...carefully resting the cutter on top...lowering the depth ring and tightening it.....pretty fast, IMO.

BTW, since the slip-on 3-way cutters slide right over the original cutter, to trim something you don't have a 3-way for, you just slide off the 3-way, and add a pilot.....and change collet if necessary by unscrewing it. The 3-ways are caliber not case specific, so obviously .308, and 30-06 use the same 3-way.

 

[stubbicatt]

But was your Lyman the same as their current trimmers? Like this http://www.midwayusa.com/product/435802/lyman-universal-carbide-case-trimmer-kit-with-9-pilots

Yes. That looks exactly like the trimmer that came in my kit. On the far right of that photo there is the hand crank, and then between the hand crank and the frame of the trimmer is the "stop" assembly which is held in place by threading in a grub screw which bears on the trimmer shaft, which in my case, was lubricated with oil.

As you turned the crank, you had to sort of press the assembly towards the frame with hand strength to "feed" the mechanism in such a way as to keep the cutter turning against the case mouth.

I think there are better choices available to the handloader than that trimmer.