Trimming .223 brass

[RM]

Getting my Possum Hollow Trimmer set up. Just to confirm what I've been reading on this Forum about trimming .223 brass:
1.760" is the maximum length
1.740" is the minimum length
Trim the longer brass to 1.750"

Does all that sound correct?
What do I do with any brass shorter than 1.740" in length? Does that go in the scrap brass pile? Thank you.

 

[rcmodel]

+1

Shorter will not hurt a thing if you are not crimping in a conventional seating/crimping die.

In that case, it is far more importent they are all exactly the same length, whatever that is.
And they are all less then 1.760" Max length.

rc

 

[Deavis]

I find that 1.745 trims or at least kisses the neck on 98% of all brass 223 I've trimmed. 1.750 misses about 6% more (including partial trims for mouths that aren't square)

 

[mongoose33]

I'm trimming to 1.74 w/ the Possum Hollow trimmer because I'm using the RCBS X-Die.

After firing and resizing, I even found a few that had dropped in length to 1.735.

I called RCBS to inquire; they said it was normal as some brass is more or less likely to spring back, and to just shoot 'em.

RC's observation has proven correct in my case; I just shoot 'em and they work fine.

 

[RM]

After trimming with the Possum Hollow Trimmer, the rounds are about 1.750", plus or minus about .006 inch. I assume the cartridge lengths differ some, because the trimmer headspaces on the shoulder rather than the OAL of the cartridge?

 

[nicholst55]

Did you size the brass before you trimmed it? That is the only way to fly; size, then trim. This makes all your brass effectively the same size from head to shoulder. If you have a .006" variation in case length after trimming, something is wrong. Either your technique needs work, or something else is badly wrong.

 

[RM]

Thank you. Brass is already sized, so I will recheck my trimming process.