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Buying a Power Trimmer

2K views 22 replies 11 participants last post by  soundguy 
#1 ·
Looking at the Little Crow WFT...while it's very enjoyable to bench trim with Lyman,doing 10-25 rifle cases at a time,it SUCKS having 2k to do-5.56/.223.I've done a couple hundred in the past few nights,always a joy to listen to radio,have a beer or 2 while trimming in my mancave,but the attraction for doing this many that way has faded.Any one else use the WFT?
 
#2 ·
Yes! I used a LEE length gauge and cutter to do all of my rifle brass trimming. I don't normally do very many cases so it worked well with the Lee. I got to where I was doing quite a few .223s at a time and it was really getting to be a PITA. I decided to find something a little easier and I had heard about the WFT so I thought what the heck. I plunked down my money and ordered one. I absolutely love the thing. It is so easy to use and will trim a piece of brass in a few seconds.

The only thing I wish I had done different is I wish I had bought the WFT 2. The way I read about the 2 is that it has changeable cutters for different calibers. At least that is the way I took it!! The drawback was that it has a 1/2 inch shaft so you need a 1/2 inch drill to use it.

The only advice I will give you is to read the instructions carefully. I did not the first time around and it didn't perform the way it should have. After finally reading the instructions it worked and continues to work just fine!!
 
#3 ·
I've seen these advertised (the WFT) but don't know much about them, aren't they caliber/case specific? For a power trimmer, I've used a Lyman power trimmer for 22 years and can only say good things about it. It holds tolerances of .000" if I do my part, and can do about 70-100cases per hour, depending on what I'm trimming. This is the one I'd recommend.
 
#5 ·
Good to know...I have 2 Lyman "lathe"type trimmers,they work great,I was thinking of the power adapter for one,but I want a dedicated trimmer for 5.56,I'll check out the #2,sounds nice.I got spoiled when I traded 200 large bore brass for 2500 totally processed 5.56,did nothing but loaded them....GD-do you use a drill press or regular drill?I have a couple 18v drills I'm thinking of setting up one with a mount for WFT.
 
#7 ·
If you are inclined to do a bunch of case trimming all at once then a motorized trimmer is a good investment. Some are just the mini-lathe type powered by your drill motor or your electric screwdriver. Others are setup for volume, accuracy, versatility, and convenience. The one I use and really like is the RCBS version:

http://www.cabelas.com/product/RCBS...=GoogleProductAds&WT.z_mc_id1=03371683&rid=20

Shopping around might get you better pricing than Cabelas.

The next thing a volume processor needs is a powered de-burring tool. RCBS makes one of those too:

http://www.theproductsuperstore.com...v2m0yosgw7IHc2kJU6yCaqJe8V_TcrvJgYaAm4x8P8HAQ

Again you'll need to shop around for the best pricing.

With these two tools you are ready to do some volume case preparing work. I have them both and it took all the tedious work out of case preparation. In the past I have used my drill press and the Lyman case holder tool, the hand mini-lathe tool, and even my lathe with custom made adapters. The above RCBS two tool set is the best so far.

LDBennett
 
#8 ·
I use the Lyman lathe type with my drill and it does OK. I made 1000 9X18 from 9MM luger last year and it worked fine but I had to de-burr by hand and that got old real fast. Thanks for the heads up on RCBS items, will have to look into them. There is sometime a rebate on RCBS.
 
#9 ·
I have a WTF for .223 in the mail, it is still underway so I cannot comment on it yet. (maybe Monday or Tuesday. It is not called snailmail for nothing)

For deburring I bought the Lyman variant of the RCBS above, can't really remember why I went with the Lyman instead of the RCBS. Maybe because of the included tools, the Lyman is ready to go. No extra deburring/primer pocket tools or brushes needed.
 
#14 ·
I get real consistent lengths to. I just let one trim and spin while I prep the last one. I don't have 30, but just around 20 and all the pilots to go with them. Fortunately some are multi purposed.
 
#15 ·
howlnmad:

Yes, I do the same: insert case, start up the auto trim operation, prep the last case for burr removal and primer pocket cleaning with the RCBS Case Prep motorized station. We are basically doing multi-tasking and reducing our time trimming.

I too don't have 30 shell plates for the trimmer as some are multipurpose, as you said. And I don't ever trim handgun cases, only rifle cases.

LDBennett
 
#18 ·
i can't imagine having to trim 1000+ cases at a time.

I think I'd shoot less.. :)

I don't usually trim more than 100 at a time.. MAX...
I usually prep my .223 brass over the winter when I'm hunting, and not shooting as much. I enjoy my time at the bench. Especially when my 7yo son wants to help
 
#20 ·
I didn't count them but, the largest batch I think that I've ever done was 5 50 cal boxes packed full of 7.62 NATO. All deprimed, sized and trimmed in one sitting. When I was done, I was done.
 
#21 ·
I tend to do trimming in groups of 100 too since that is the quantity that I typically reload at one time for one caliber. Trimming with a hand turned mini-lathe setup would be pure torture for me. It is not too bad when everything is motorized. But for me just hanging onto the cases for chamfering can eventually get to my hands (arthritis).

LDBennett
 
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