Dillon Rapid Trim 1200

[neal7250]

Does anyone use it? Is it worth the investment?

 

[mallc]

I have one.

Depends on how much brass you process at one time. They work great! They're real fast. They cost a lot. I have one set up for .223 but use my RCBS for .308 and 30-06.

Scott

 

[ReloaderFred]

If you're doing a lot of brass of the same caliber, it's a hard unit to beat for production work. I use mine on my RCBS Rockchucker for .223, .243, .308, .30-06 and 8x57 Mauser. I just wish they made a die for .45-70.



Hope this helps.

Fred

 

[neal7250]

Great . Thanks.

 

[Sheldon]

Had one and sold it to get the Giraud trimmer. The Dillon will not debur or chamfer the case mouths, but the Giraud does so while it trims the case to length. Costs more but you will handle the cases less if you want the deburred and chamfered case mouths. The vacuum noise added to the trimmer noise makes for a pretty loud setup too. I used to have to wear earplugs while trimming with the Dillon.

 

[DaveInFloweryBranchGA]

The Giraud trimmer is the way to go if you're doing volume trimming (more than 300 rounds at a time in my opinion).

Regards,

Dave

 

[Deavis]

The Dillon will not debur or chamfer the case mouths

They specifically state that you do not have to debur or chamfer the cases with their cutter. If that is the case then comparing it to another trimmer on that basis becomes moot. Of course, if it doesn't perform as sdvertised, that is something to consider.

 

[dhg2]

Not needing to chamfer the inside of the case mouth is not something the tool manufacturer should be making the call on. The reloader needs to make that call themselves and choose the equipment to match. If you are loading bare copper bullets and not concerned with damage to the base/heal of the bullet, then it might be a considerable time saver for you. Some other people use moly coated or similar projectiles and do not want the coating scraped off or the heal damaged while seating the bullet for utmost accuracy with match projectiles.

There are work arounds for the Dillon if you want to use coated projectiles or protect the heal, mostly using an expander die between the trimming and seating operations. Others have concerns that the trimming/sizing die overworks the neck and sizes it too much, but that can be addressed with the same expander die.

Determine what you want in a finished product and how best to get there then let that be your guide on what to purchase.


dhg2

 

[artifex]

Does anyone else using the dillon 1200 notice how hot the motor gets? Or is it just my unit?

 

[ReloaderFred]

It gets hot enough that I have to use a glove to remove it after a long trimming session. I'll sometimes do a couple hundred and then let it cool down for awhile before going on.

Hope this helps.

Fred

 

[neal7250]

The rep out at Dillon told me that you don't have to chamfer the inside , if you're loading boat tail bullets. He also said that you don't have to chamfer the outside.

 

[Balrog]

I am resurrecting an old thread, because I have a question...

The 1200 looks pretty bulky. Can you add it to the same toolhead that your other dies are in, or does it have to be used with a seperate toolhead just for it, and then after you trim your brass, put on the toolhead with the dies?

 

[Fatelvis]

Can you add it to the same toolhead that your other dies are in, or does it have to be used with a seperate toolhead just for it, and then after you trim your brass, put on the toolhead with the dies?

If you can't use it while in the process of reloading, and trimming requires its own step, buy a Giraud. I have a Giraud and love it. I figured Dillon's trimmer's selling point was it trimmed as you load. If it doesn't, it will be slower and less efficient than the Giraud. I prefer chamferring and deburring, no matter what Dillon says. Now if someone could come up with a trimmer that worked while reloading, and chamfered/deburred, we'd definately have a winner! I'm going to my workshop now to start designing..............

 

[jmorris]

I figured Dillon's trimmer's selling point was it trimmed as you load.

Trimming over 1700 cases an hour is the selling point.

 

[medalguy]

I use my 1200 in a Dillon 450 where I deprime, size and trim in one operation. Then I remove the brass and swage the primer pockets and followingt his I pop them back in the tumbler for about an hour to remove the lube AND deburr/chamfer the neck in a rotary tumbler. Now I have nice clean brass to start the loading process, and it goes back to a 650 for that last time.

Yes I do use the 1200 in my Dillon as a separate operation but this allows me to completely process the brass back to a like-new state before loading. Works for me.

 

[ScottyPotty]

I dont like that the trim die reduces the neck size. I opened up my time die so that it doesn't squeeze the neck so much.

Also a lot of people run them through a ball expander to knock off any inside burr.