RCBS 3 way cutter on Lyman trimmer?

[plinky]

My case trimmer is the Lyman Universal lathe type. It would be nice to have the RCBS 3 way trimmer head and it looks like the cutter attachment is very similar. But will it actually fit?

The Lyman trimmer head is threaded 7/16" (.4375") by 20 threads per inch (each thread is .050"). Anybody have one of the RCBS heads to measure?

It appears that there is plenty of clearance for the bigger cutter head, at least with short action cases

The RCBS cutter also does not have the 90 degree shoulder which bottoms on the cutter shaft. They seem to use a 45 degree shoulder. Or does the cutter bottom out in the threaded hole of the cutter shaft? Don't know if that will be a problem.

But my main concern is whether the threads match or not. Any help appreciated.

 

[Horsemany]

I don't have an answer for you but I will add I have the Lyman trimmer. I've been very dissapointed how short the lifespan is on the cutterheads. Mine get dull if a nickel plated cartridge is even set on the bench next to it. I have cutterheads that litterally look like a beaver chewed on them after only a few hundred trimmed cases(not nickel). They want $35 for a carbide head. I'm thinking about getting a whole new trimmer altogether.

 

[paperpuncher49]

Plinky-

Shaft on the RCBS is 5/16, not 7/16. Sorry for the bad news. I would suggest replacement of the trimmer if you want the RCBS 3-way cutter. I found it takes a few minutes to adjust them to the way you want the final product, but overall they work well and eliminate the need to debur/chamfer so they save time. I'm sure there are those out there who will disagree, but I find the RCBS trimmer to provide more consistency in trim length than most of the manual trimmers I HAVE OWNED (Forster, Redding) or used. No experience with the Wilson or some other high end trimmers so I can't speak of their quality. I believe it is because of the way the new RCBS trimmer grips the head of the case with spring pressure rather than a collet which could conceiveably allow for slight variation. Although I have a Giraud which I use for .223 and .308, if I am trimming cases for calibers I only load occassionally such as .30-30 or 6.5 X 55, I use the RCBS. If you can afford the Giraud, and most reloaders won't spend that kind of money, IMHO it is worth every cent.

 

[plinky]

Horsemany, Thanks for the tip on nickel cases. Generally don't use them but I'll be sure not to trim any. The Lyman cutters have done alright for me. You may be trimming a lot more cases or maybe just a different batch of cutters. Are you power trimming BTW? Might be the difference.

paperpuncher49, Thanks for measuring. Maybe I'll try an RCBS trimmer eventually. My goal was to get a more consistant and concentric chamfer. Doing them by hand is subjective. Sometimes when trimming, only one side of the case mouth is trimmed. When you chamfer after that it seems like you could end up with an uneven case mouth.

With the chamfer being piloted on the RCBS, it should be even and consistant.

It may not matter but then again...

Thanks guys

 

[Scott23]

trimmer

Get a wilson trimmer and don't look back. This trimmer is the best I've ever used. later, Scott