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Can you use a drill press preparing cases?

4K views 11 replies 6 participants last post by  korny351 
#1 ·
I was wondering when I start doing rifle rounds can a drill press be utilized?Im referring to case trimming and such.
 
#2 ·
You can. I switched to the Lee case trimmers which are caliber specific but so easy to use. You could put the "lock stud" in your drill press or hand drill but I find using my cordless screw driver to be the most convenient. The lock stud has the same hex end used with most cordless drivers. You can see it set up with a hand drill at their site.

http://leeprecision.com/case-conditioning-tools/case-trimming-tools/
 
#3 ·
I use the Lee caliber specific trimmer set up with the drill press, I did set it to a lower speed after a couple of trial runs/trims, I also put the primer pocket brush/cleaner in the drill press, you can run through 200 cases quickly, just dont use too much pressure or you may start removing material (brass) from from the primer pocket that you dont want to remove, you just want to clean, not reshape the primer pocket ;)
 
#4 · (Edited)
And to clarify and maybe save you some time, i started by putting the shell holder in the drill press, but then you have to stop the press, put a case into the shell holder, start the press and then apply the length gauge/trimmer, then stop the press, remove the case from the shell holder, then put in a new case and start all over,

So I switched to mounting the length gauge/trimmer in the drill press, holding the shell holder in your hand, put a case in the shell holder, run it up the gauge to the trimmer, it stops trimming at the correct length when the gauge bottoms out on the shell holder, pop the case off of the holder, put a new case on the shell holder and trim again, and so on, much much smoother and faster than starting/stopping the drill press for each case,

And the reason I lowered the drill press speed was 1, it gets hot from continuous running at high speed, and 2, you dont need much speed at all for the trimmer to work, its very sharp and doesnt need much rpm,
 
#8 ·
Just started back into rifle reloading after a long sabbatical. After trimming down about 150 30-30 Winchester cases my wrist was toast and I started looking for alternate methods. My son-in-law is gearing up to reload for his AR and I dreaded the thought of keeping up with that.

Checking various forums, I've come across several viable alternatives to my old Lyman Universal Trimmer. Yes, there are the Giraud and Gracie trimmers. But they are the Porche and Mercedes of trimmers, and priced accordingly. As for drill mounted units, there is the Possum Hollow trimmer and the WFT. They are caliber specific so you would have to buy one for each caliber being reloaded. Both can be drill press mounted. If you check out Youtube you may find videos of them in action.

I've ordered the Possum Hollow unit and power adapter, and should be receiving it soon. Nice feature of the power adapter is that it will accommodate the RCBS chamfer/deburring tool as well as some of the others.

So, after I get my package, I'll be all set to trim, chamfer, deburr and clean primer pockets on my old HF drill press. I'll let you guys know how it goes.

https://www.possumhollowproducts.com/KWICK_CASE_TRIMMERS.html

http://www.littlecrowgunworks.com/wft.html
 
#10 ·
Thanks Josh.

I've looked at that and it seemed like it would be kind of awkward. Besides the blades on the Lyman seemed kind of dull. I could go for the carbide bit replacement but that, in itself, runs about $35. For the same money I can get the Possum Hollow trimmer and Power Adapter. That, and using the drill press just seems more comfortable. It'll even automate the chamfering and deburring steps. Just figure it's worth a try.
 
#11 ·
Thanks Josh.

I've looked at that and it seemed like it would be kind of awkward. Besides the blades on the Lyman seemed kind of dull. I could go for the carbide bit replacement but that, in itself, runs about $35. For the same money I can get the Possum Hollow trimmer and Power Adapter. That, and using the drill press just seems more comfortable. It'll even automate the chamfering and deburring steps. Just figure it's worth a try.
I understand. And please do let us know how it goes. As I get further into loading rifle rounds (still only doing pistol so far) I have a feeling that I'm going to be frustrated with my Lyman Universal Trimmer.
 
#12 ·
Well, the jury is in. Received the Possum Hollow trimmer and set it up. Resized 20 30-30 WCF cases and ran them through the trimmer. Always resize the brass before trimming to set the shoulder, as the trimmer works off of the shoulder of the case. Max. Variation was .003 in. This is with mixed brass, so some variation might be attributable to variations in the brass itself. Probably not acceptable for the benchrest crowd but within MY standards for plinking/hunting ammo. Took less than 5 minutes at an extremely leisurely pace.

Set-up was easy. The cutting head is merely a 3/4" long piece of tool steel with the cutters machined into one end that slides within the body of the assembly. I took a previously trimmed case, slid it into the trimmer, put slight pressure on the top of the cutter and locked it in place with the set screw. The whole trimmer is then slid into the power adapter and locked in place with a set screw. Then chuck the whole thing into the drill press, turn it on and go to town.

The power adapter also accommodates an RCBS, Forester or Wilson chamfer/deburring tool. When I tried my RCBS tool, only 1 end would fit properly in the adapter. The deburring side was just a bit wide. Chucked it into the drill press with the deburring side sticking out. Ran the press with a whetstone pressed against the RCBS tool until I was able to get it to go into the power adapter. There is a bit of wobble in the chamfer/deburring in operation that I attribute to my RCBS tool. Other tools may be a better fit. The power adapter and trimmer unit run rock steady. Even as it is, the chamfer and deburring operations are quick and easy.

This trimmer fits my needs and takes the drudgery out a tedious and time consuming step in case prep. I like. :thumbsup:
 
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