need opinions on case trimmers

My only experience to date has been the Lee setup: case holder chucked in a drill, with the handheld cutter. A couple things I like about it: A) it's cheap B)it's very simple with zero learning curve.

What I DON'T like:

A) seems pretty slow. I can trim, chamfer, and deburr a case in about 35 seconds. Most of the time is spent mounting the case in the holder, and you have to be careful to keep it centered. Also, fingers and hand start to bark after 100 or so cases.

B) fixed trim-length. I bought a set of the RCBS X-dies to reduce trimming in the future. However, they recommend a shorter initial length than the Lee provides.

What I would like:

A) speed. I have yet to hear anyone claim to love trimming...it's a necessary chore at best. Especially want ease of loading cases with proper alignment. Hornady makes a "Cam lock" that sounds good...if it works. I don't want to add another step to chamfer/deburr. That's one thing good about the Lee, after you trim you grab the deburring tool while the case is still in the drill. I'm thinking electric powered is a must. I'm lazy.

B) Ability to adjust length. I don't think this will a problem. Looks like you can set them pretty much however you want. There are probably differences in ease and consistency however.

So, what have you used that you liked? Or didn't like?

I have the RCBS manual that I removed the crank handle from and use a battery drill. It costs $90 at midway. I added caliber specific 3-way cutters in 30 cal and 223 that cost $48.99 each. Assuming you have a drill, this will run you about $140 and I can do 10/min.

Length adjustment if fairly easy. There is a sliding collar with a threaded nut that has witness marks. I insert a case then slide the collar flush and tighten it down. Next turn the nut mounted on the collar until the desired trim is reached.

Far and away if money is no object is the Giraud, however I'm getting nearly the same volume. The Giraud trimmer is more precise though, it works off the shoulder while the RCBS works off the whole case.

I use the Lee zip trim with the lee cutter/case gauge. It works, but slow.
I have the dillon trimmer for the calibers i shoot most of. But it doesnt chamfer them. But for 223 i dont even worry bout that.

That giraud is the bees knees if you want the real deal.

Giraud.

The first thing I'd suggest to relieve you of the chore of constant trimming is an RCBS X-die. Trim once and forget it until it's time to throw out the casing. (unless you're a benchrest shooter) I used the X-die to resize brass for my M1A. It was plenty good enough to inhibit case stretching so that I only trimmed cases one time, even for an auto-loader. Cases lasted 8-10 firings, and stretching became a problem only because the primer pockets were getting big.

I have a Giraud trimmer. Expensive, but 'WAY more accurate than a Hornady or RCBS Power Pro trimmer (and I've tried both). All-around performance with a Giraud is everything you pay for--speed, accurate length, ease of use. Neither the Hornady manual trimmer nor the RCBS Power Pro cut exactly to consistent and repeatable lengths from case to case. I wish I'd spent the money on the Giraud outright. Mind you, I'm so cheeep my friends are embarrassed for me when I tell'm what lengths I'll go to save a dollar... but the Giraud--I rue the day I 'wasted' money on those trimmers. Sure, the manual Hornday was 1/6 the price of a Giraud, and the Power Pro was 1/3 cheaper, but for me they were just more equipment I resold at a loss. If you can afford it and have a need for quantity trimming with predictable quality AND chamfering, Giraud is the only way to go.

Giraud looks good...and fast. I like the way you just stick the case in and hold it. Drawback (aside from price) seems to be that it only does bottleneck cases.

You'll note in my original post, one of the reasons I'm looking for a trimmer is to properly utilize my X-dies. If the X-dies work well, I won't need a high volume trimmer, although it would certainly be nice.

Just DO NOT buy the Lyman!! It sucks ...

Phillip, will the RCBS 3-way cutter work on their powered trimmer?

The Redding dies with neck bushing will rduce the need to trim. But, if you must trim - Get a Sinclair catalog and look at the Wilson Trimmers and case holders ---- the Wilson is the one to have.

shoeshooter wrote:Phillip, will the RCBS 3-way cutter work on their powered trimmer?

Yes. It screws in place of the standard cutter.

I looked at alot of Trimmers before buying. Finally decided in the Wilson from Sinclair. I have not been dissappointed. The price was right. It trims to accurate length. All of the Case holders will work on different Calibers. It is also easy to set up. Give it a look before you buy. I was like you. I used the Lee stuff until my hands started getting Arthritis in them. I bought the Wilson and haven't looked back. Trimmers are like Women, some like this one and this one likes that one. It's all good. What ever you buy, I hope you like it.

RCBS power trimmer works really nice, IMHO stay away from the Lyman

redneckly33 wrote:...Trimmers are like Women, some like this one and this one likes that one. It's all good. What ever you buy, I hope you like it.

.... and I like redheads!!

I've never used one so tell me what's wrong with Lyman? Which model?

http://www.lymanproducts.com/lyman/case-trimmers/

PhillipM wrote:I've never used one so tell me what's wrong with Lyman? Which model?

http://www.lymanproducts.com/lyman/case-trimmers/

Phillip, I can only comment on the Lyman Universal Power Trimmer as a friend of mine has that model. From what I've seen, the trimming is not very consistent. I thought maybe it was a collet problem or a shellholder problem but we checked and re-checked both and still could not find consistent trims. I think he is sending the unit back to Lyman because he called and they said to send it back. Maybe I'll find out what the problem was and post back up on the results. I personally use the RCBS Power Trimmer and knock on wood, I have had consistent trimming on my .308, .338 and 223 cases. This is me checking with a micro on every round. The ONLY frustrating part of the RCBS power trimmer is setting the trim length, which takes some practice. Hope this helps

What coincidence, Captain, my wife is a Redhead. I guess we have something in common. I love Redheads myself. I also like the Wilson trimmer. It is very easy to setup, when you change Calibers. Takes about 2 minutes to set the trimlength and your on the way to consistent case length. I would love to have a power trimmer, but I can't justify the cost. I probably shoot about 150 rounds a week. I see where some of these guys load by the thousands. If everyone keeps going up on components, Powder, primers, shell plates and such. They are going to price me out of the reloading business.

redneckly33 wrote:What coincidence, Captain, my wife is a Redhead. I guess we have something in common. I love Redheads myself.

I like redheads so much I married one. And that temper they say about them is true. I'll say something just to set her off, get a good dressing down but I just laugh.
Back on topic, I hope to see some at Beladran's Saturday. See what I like and don't. Need to get to the necked down stuff and it all hinges on the case trimmer.

Well, I went with a RCBS powered unit. Watched Ebay for a few weeks until a good deal finally came along. Ordered a .223 3-way cutter and played with it tonight for the first time. After 90 minutes or so of fiddling with it, got it up speed. Only about 4 - 5 cases per minute, but it's super easy and accurate. Length varies +/- .005.

So 200 an hour with no real effort (or hand cramps). I like it. Ordering a .30 cal cutter tonight.

Still looking for a killer deal on a Gracey though.

shoeshooter wrote:Well, I went with a RCBS powered unit. Watched Ebay for a few weeks until a good deal finally came along. Ordered a .223 3-way cutter and played with it tonight for the first time. After 90 minutes or so of fiddling with it, got it up speed. Only about 4 - 5 cases per minute, but it's super easy and accurate. Length varies +/- .005.

So 200 an hour with no real effort (or hand cramps). I like it. Ordering a .30 cal cutter tonight.

Still looking for a killer deal on a Gracey though.

I use the RCBS manual with a battery drill and get 10/min. I have done this by bolting it down and positioning the supply bin and finish bin very close to the operation so I'm not reaching far. I also line the cutting area with Reynolds wrap to keep clean up to a minimum.