Help Me Pick a Case Trimmer

[TrapperReady]

The one piece of gear I'm missing is a case trimmer. What types or brands would you recommend? I will primarily be interested in loading rifle rounds for accuracy, so speed would be a secondary consideration. At least to start, I'll be prepping .223, although later will be doing .30-06 and 30-30.

 

[Bronson7]

For simlicity and cost, you might want to check out Lee's.
Bronson7

 

[Steve Smith]

Trapper, is this for Highpower? Do you need to do a ton of them?

Giraud trimmer is the way to go. That or a Bertlesman/Gracey.

 

[ocabj]

http://www.giraudtool.com/prod02.htm

Probably the best trimmer you can get. It's accurate, precise, and fast, but pricier than the rest.

I myself use a Wilson trimmer with the Sinclair Clamping Mount available through Sinclair Intl.

 

[Ktulu]

I'm in the process of moving from pistol reloading to rifle. Does anyone have any opinions on the Dillon RT1200B? On the surface it looks like the high volume solution for the .223 shooter.

 

[Steve Smith]

It is good but not great. If you aren't shooting match bullets it is excellent. If shooting for matches, you'd want to chamfer and deburr the neck, which it doesn't do.

 

[30Cal]

I just have the Lee hand trimmers. I set it in my 1/2" chuck drill press and can do 200+ per hour.

Lee cutter and case holder--$4
Lee mandrel specific to caliber--$4
Drill press (sears)--$115

You can also use it with a cordless screwdriver ($19) instead of the drill press. Cases come out +/- 0.001"

It's hard to beat the speed, price and accuracy.
Ty

 

[Ktulu]

Thanks Steve.

 

[Steve Smith]

BTW, the Giraud and Bertlesman both chamfer and deburr at the same time as trimming. The Giraud is the best.

 

[TrapperReady]

Thanks for the input. I've got a Giraud on the way!

 

[Steve Smith]

Wow, that didnt' take long. You're gonna love it.

 

[TrapperReady]

No it didn't take long. It was the one piece of reloading equipment I was missing, and I didn't see any reason to try to skimp on it. After the posts here, I checked a couple of on-line reviews and decided Giraud was the way to go. A quick phone call later and it was taken care of.

Man, this Internet thingy sure makes it easy to spend money!

 

[Steve Smith]

All too well. I am just about to spend roughly $2600 on a supercharger system for my truck and $400 on cigars.

 

[TrapperReady]

I am just about to spend roughly $2600 on a supercharger system for my truck and $400 on cigars.

So you're going to increase the airflow to your truck's engine, and decrease the airflow to your "engine"?

 

[Steve Smith]

You bet...a man must have a vice, to remind him he's alive.

 

[moredes]

Damn, Steve, where'd you find a blower for $2600?? That's cheap!

And I love the Bertlesman. Thanks.

 

[Steve Smith]

Glad you're enjoying the Bertlesman. The Toyota TRD blower is $1800 from a dealer that is running them as a loss leader (usually about $2400 at least). Unfortunately, you can't just run the s/c because it will creat a ping and crack your heads...here comes the aftermarket to save the day. A good regulated fuel system prevents the ping and adds another 45 hp to what the s/c does. That's another $800 something. Gotta get a $70 tranny cooler too... Luckily the s/c is covered by the warrantee and the Magnuss-Fergusson act covers my ass on the fuel system...more or less. 100+ additional HP (average gain at the wheel according to real people) on this anemic Taco will make a huge difference. Another 6 months, coolant injection, laptop tuning, and maybe an exhaust upgrade and I'll be pushing close to 300 hp in my little Taco.

 

[cdbeaver]

A Toyota? Aren't they powered by rubber bands?

 

[Jaywalker]

Unfortunately, you can't just run the s/c because it will creat a ping and crack your heads...here comes the aftermarket to save the day. A good regulated fuel system prevents the ping and adds another 45 hp to what the s/c does.

All the turbos I knew about just lowered the compression ration - probably the heads, I guess. I always hated that. Here I am trying to save money at low rpm while reserving big boost at high rpm, and I give it all back with low rpm gas mileage that resembled a V-8... On top of that, I got turbo lag... Atleast you'll be spared that.

I had to quit driving them, despite their high-elevation performance. Every time I'd turn the engine over, I'd think, "One start closer to a $2,500 repair..."

Jaywalker

 

[Steve Smith]

Turbos suck....didn't you learn that?

 

[TrapperReady]

Followup - The Giraud trimmer showed up today. It apprears to be very well-built and easy to use. I quickly ran a couple of casings through, and it works very quickly, producing a beautifully finished case mouth. Now, I just have to teach my 5-year-old son how to use it, and I'll be set.

BTW, for .223 brass, what is the shortest case length you would use? I know that the specs call for 1.760"... but how many thousandths can you be short without significantly affecting accuracy or safety?