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In the market for a case trimmer

3K views 30 replies 19 participants last post by  DeputyDog25 
#1 ·
Any suggestions?
 
#2 ·
What are you trimming?

Personally, my favorite is the Lee trimmer (you need a specific pilot for each caliber you own) but I do own a Lyman trimmer as well. Mainly, because the Lee system doesnt have any pilots below .22 cal and I have a couple sub-.22 bore rifles..
 
#3 ·
What are you planning on trimming and how much? If you're talking mass quantities, I'd go with a motorized RCBS or Lyman. For a small lot of 50-100, I'd suggest the Lee.
 
#5 ·
I have the Hornady Cam-Lock trimmer, and I absolutely do not recommend it. It works fine, once you get used to it, but you have to buy Hornady shell holders to fit it, which hurt me a bit after investing in a full set of RCBS holders to match my press. Even worse, the Hornady shell holders don't hold. Pressing primers into the case using a Hornady shell holder of the recommended size results in a number of ruined primers because the holder lets the casing loose to fly sideways out of the press. They're junk.
 
#7 ·
I use to hate trimming cases. I had the little Hornady lathe style and the Lyman adapter that you use in a drill press. Both where OK but time consuming. I no longer hate trimming. I bought the motorized RCBS lathe style with solid setup so it is repeatable to 0.001 inches and is automatic by design. You place the case in the special RCBS shell plate, move the spring loaded rotating cutter with caliber specific pilot into the case and watch it trim up to the stop for a perfect trim. while the next case is being trimmed (about 10 to 15 seconds) I use the RCBS prep center to chamfer inside and out and to clean the primer pocket with the revolving wire brush.

All this makes trimming go fast and easy. I still don't like to trim case (mildly arthritic hands) but it sure goes faster and is better that the other ways I have tired.

Be careful of LEE products. They usually have a good design with poor choices for the materials to implement them and/or poor build quality. You are better served with better tools. But they do work for awhile.

LDBennett
 
#9 ·
I have the forester trimmer and its ok for small batches of brass . But its a pain to set it up for each different caliber. The one very good thing about this trimmer is that it works very well when making custom cases for obsolete calibers.
For every day NORMAL calibers I use the Lee hand trimmers and they work just fine.
 
#16 ·
You're thinking of the Lee Zip Trim...the Quick Trim is a different setup. I don't have any experience with it so I can't comment.
I agree about the Zip Trim. It just reminds me of the old Ripcord Racer toys from my childhood and I just can't take it seriously. Besides, I've got a cordless drill to use instead. :D

And while I agree with LD's obligatory (yes, it is something that has to be said and LD does it very well. :) ), the Lee Case Trimmer Cutter system isn't one of those iffy products.
I've been using the same cutter for 15 years...I lost my first one somewhere. I did put a knob on the end of it like the newer ball-end cutter so it's easier to hang onto.
I've got a handful of trimmer pilots (length gauges) that are over 25 years old and a few of em I bought used so maybe older. They still trim to spec and I haven't drilled a hole in the lock stud with the pilots like some guys have claimed...and I've been running mine powered by a cordless drill for around 20 years.
 
#12 ·
I too went with the Lee trimmers over a traditional lathe type. The initial cost is low so anyone can easily evaluate the tool and decide if it works or not. Lathe style trimmers have a high initial cost and may require brand specific shell holders, pilots, and adapters to power them. The only upside that I could see compared to Lee trimmers was a lower overall cost if you have a very large variety of cases to trim and/or want a variable trim length. I find the Lee leaves the brass about 0.005" longer than published trim lengths, if that bothers you then polish 0.005" off the pointy end of the mandrel part that sticks through the flash hole.

The way I use the Lee trimmer is to chuck the cutter/mandrel part into my drill press and bring the case in the shell holder to the spinning cutter. It is reasonably fast and precise. Sometimes I have 357 magnum brass that has a chipped rim, zzzzip, now I have 38 special brass.
 
#19 ·
Casual loader here so speed isn't important. I started out with the Lee DELUXE quick trim a few weeks ago, tried it and didn't take 3 minutes to realize it's a piece of junk with a loosely fitted plastic "fine tuning knob" that would never do repeatable cuts so back it went. More surfing the web revealed that the worlds finest trimmer was creating rave reviews so I ordered one and it went back yesterday. Rather than trimming to an overall length, it indexed from the shoulder and was giving widely ranging trim lengths.

Yesterday I dropped by a local store and the clerk at the gun counter said that the RCBS Trim Pro-2 looked promising and said if I didn't like it to just bring it back... nothing but a 1 mile drive invested.

Last night and this morning I trimmed around 150 223 cases and most measure exactly 1.750 with the remaining falling between 1.749 and 1.751 so I'll keep it.
 
#21 ·
If you don't mind spending about $150, the Frankford Arsenal case prep system is a good one. The trimmer is easy to set up and you can trim, deburr, chamfer and ream primer pockets in about 15 seconds per case.
 
#23 ·
Thanks for the info, I took a look at that one but didn't like the way it indexed from the shoulder. I tried one of those worlds finest trimmers and returned it because it too referenced from the shoulder and I wanted something that indexed from the case head so when I set the trimmer to cut the OAL to 1.750", that is what I get on every case.

So far the RCBS trim pro 2 does exactly what I want. The stop lock ring with .001" marks, holds it's position well without slipping which allows me to pop in a case, crank it a few turns, remove the case, insert another and repeat without worrying about them being all over the spectrum in length so I'm happy with it.
 
#22 ·
Interesting.. basically a case prep center like everyone else with an adjustable collet rigged on. Wonder how good of adjustments it holds.

I also notice only for shouldered brass, so you won't be trimming custom formed brass with it I guess. ( straight or taper anyway.. )
 
#31 ·
I just bought the Redding 2400 and I absolutely love it. I have had the Lyman, RCBS, and Wilson. This is by far the best trimmer I have ever used. The choice does depend a lot on how many cases you plan on trimming. If you are doing heavy duty reloading then the Redding may not be the best choice for you. I am going to try out the "The Worlds Finest Trimmer 2" and see how I like it, and I will use it when I have a bunch of cases to do at one time. The 2 version saves you money, as the caliber changes can be purchased and installed in the body. You might want to check them out, I price one out with 5 calibers and was still under $200.
 
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