I am looking for a trimmer to use on my rifle brass, mostly .223. I also use 30-30, 30-06, and 270. I have used lee hand trimmers, but when I am trimming 400-500 a day i get sore fingers. I have used a friend lyman carbide trimmer- i like it but seems to "chatter" on the case mouths for .223. Any other reccomendations? I am thinking on the Little crow WFT but not sold just yet on the 'caliber specific' part. Any other recommendations for under $100?
Trimmer recommendation?
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1,327 Posts
Under 100 and powered? Maybe a used hand crank trimmer and then buy the drill adapter. I have the Rcbs trim pro and for the money, I would go with the WFT, much faster.
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30,096 Posts
Maybe you want to look into the Lee Zip Trimmer.
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19,501 Posts
i started with a rcbs trimmer.. crank style.. it was about 80$ maybee.. later I brought in my 1/2" chuck harbor freight 20$ drill and rigged up a board to use as a guide/slide and then had a rube-goldberg powered trimmer.
it was BETTER, but still not awesome.
later on I went an ponied up for the rcbs power trimmer and love it. it's awesome.
I still use the manual trimmer for 1-of projects..
I take the pilots that come with the trimmers and polish them with 3m polish compound on a buffer wheel till they are high polish, vs the machined finish.
they no longer grab or chatter in case mouths.
i also apply a very little synthetic oil with a qtip to the pilot every 20 rounds or so.. works awesome. that and the lyman case prep station with 5 heads and tools.
no more sore hands!
it was BETTER, but still not awesome.
later on I went an ponied up for the rcbs power trimmer and love it. it's awesome.
I still use the manual trimmer for 1-of projects..
I take the pilots that come with the trimmers and polish them with 3m polish compound on a buffer wheel till they are high polish, vs the machined finish.
they no longer grab or chatter in case mouths.
i also apply a very little synthetic oil with a qtip to the pilot every 20 rounds or so.. works awesome. that and the lyman case prep station with 5 heads and tools.
no more sore hands!
I really liked the lyman- so maybe i'll get that one and polish the pilots reduce chatter.
Ditto on the RCBS powered trimmer.
I also use the RCBS powered preparation center. The hardest part of trimming for me is the inside and outside chamfering to remove the burr. My hands ache for days after doing a lot of 500 or so. That's what comes with arthritis and old age, I guess.
I tired a hand trimmer, powered it with a drill motor, used the Lyman drill press adapter, but nothing beats my RCBS powered trimmer. It will keep all trim lengths to a thousandth or two, not that that is necessary.
But it will not work on my 50 DTC (CA legal 50 cal made from 50 BMG cases). For that I made a setup for my lathe. That case is truly big and it even has to have its own reloading press (huge RCBS) and is the only case I single stage press reload.
LDBennett
I also use the RCBS powered preparation center. The hardest part of trimming for me is the inside and outside chamfering to remove the burr. My hands ache for days after doing a lot of 500 or so. That's what comes with arthritis and old age, I guess.
I tired a hand trimmer, powered it with a drill motor, used the Lyman drill press adapter, but nothing beats my RCBS powered trimmer. It will keep all trim lengths to a thousandth or two, not that that is necessary.
But it will not work on my 50 DTC (CA legal 50 cal made from 50 BMG cases). For that I made a setup for my lathe. That case is truly big and it even has to have its own reloading press (huge RCBS) and is the only case I single stage press reload.
LDBennett
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19,501 Posts
I agree.. I have an rcbs manual, and powder it with a drill.. but it's not the same as the powered trimmer kit. i thought about just upgrading tot he motor an sliding palte and using my old trimmer body.. but i opted for the new one with the universal shell plate, and save the manual one for some of the stuff I laod that I only have limited brass for.. 303brit for instance.. I have less than 20 brass for that so I don't feel bad about leaving the trimmer setup for that one and turning by hand..e tc..
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178 Posts
The best trimmer BY FAR is the Giraud. It trims AND bevels the inside AND outside of the neck. The ONLY disadvantage is that it is priced far from the requested $100 range.
It is WELL WORTH the money and I wonder why I didn't buy it sooner. I love my Giraud Trimmer
It is WELL WORTH the money and I wonder why I didn't buy it sooner. I love my Giraud Trimmer
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110 Posts
JT,
I have the WFT in 30-06, once set up it works great, with that being said I am not happy that you need to buy one for every calibur you want to trim. (Price is high) I bought the sinclair trimmer with the micrometer and really like it, I use it for my 223 and 5,56 cases. I have not hooked it up to a drill yet, I do it with the hand crank but since I only do 300-400 at a time I do not mind the hand crank. Whatever you decide on, make sure it will satisfy want you want it to do.Hope this helps.
Chuck
I have the WFT in 30-06, once set up it works great, with that being said I am not happy that you need to buy one for every calibur you want to trim. (Price is high) I bought the sinclair trimmer with the micrometer and really like it, I use it for my 223 and 5,56 cases. I have not hooked it up to a drill yet, I do it with the hand crank but since I only do 300-400 at a time I do not mind the hand crank. Whatever you decide on, make sure it will satisfy want you want it to do.Hope this helps.
Chuck
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672 Posts
Just put the Lee trimmer in the drill pres, the jaws of the press will hold the trimmer just fine, go with a slower speed, and zip, zip, zip, and 100 are trimmed in just minutes, a light chamfer and ream by hand and the trimming is done,
$7.99 or so for the trimmer for each diff caliber, could also use a hand drill in a vise,
Can't screw it up, the trimmer controls the case length/amount trimmed,
$7.99 or so for the trimmer for each diff caliber, could also use a hand drill in a vise,
Can't screw it up, the trimmer controls the case length/amount trimmed,
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3,128 Posts
that thing is shaweeet! $440 isn't all that bad for the quality it looks to be.
hmmmm.....
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450 Posts
For years I used the LEE Zip trim. It works great because there is no measuring and no adjustments to be made.
However, as many others, I got sore fingers after doing a few hundred.
I recently got myself the Lyman case trimmer with the hand crank. Found out real quick I didnt like that. Was hard to crank and apply pressure at the same time to make sure I was consistently trimming the cases to the stop collar.
I got the power drill kit for it and I am now a happy camper. With some minor rigging(making a base for the power drill to rest against), it works great.
One tip though, at least what I have experinced. Drills with a hand chuck, will lossen rather quickly, causing you to tighten it over and over again. If you have one, use a drill with a chuck that you need the chuck key to tighten or loosen.
Add the Lyman case prep center and you will be in case trimming heaven. Guaranteed!!!
However, as many others, I got sore fingers after doing a few hundred.
I recently got myself the Lyman case trimmer with the hand crank. Found out real quick I didnt like that. Was hard to crank and apply pressure at the same time to make sure I was consistently trimming the cases to the stop collar.
I got the power drill kit for it and I am now a happy camper. With some minor rigging(making a base for the power drill to rest against), it works great.
One tip though, at least what I have experinced. Drills with a hand chuck, will lossen rather quickly, causing you to tighten it over and over again. If you have one, use a drill with a chuck that you need the chuck key to tighten or loosen.
Add the Lyman case prep center and you will be in case trimming heaven. Guaranteed!!!
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