recommend me a case trimmer.

[skyugo]

i'm doing this shiz manually with the lee setup. it takes twice as long as any other reloading operation.

i'd like to keep the cost down somewhat, but if there's something really great out there that's worth the cash, i'd like to at least hear about it.

[thmpr]

The giraud trimmer is thee best trimmer out there. It is a bit pricey but well worth it! I have 2 units which one of it is dedicated for 223 only.

[skyugo]

that's one serious looking trimmer.

i was hoping to spend more like 100 bucks though.

my entire reloading setup as of right now cost me about 70 bucks.

[jmart]

What kind of press do you have and how do you process your cases? That will help frame the answer.

[skyugo]

What kind of press do you have and how do you process your cases? That will help frame the answer.

i have a lee single stage press
i use a lee full length resizing die.


at the moment the biggest (or should i say smallest) bottle neck in my production is trimming cases.

[Redhat]

The Giraud for mass production, but if you don't want to spend the $'s I use a L.E. Wilson. Very accurate, but not too costly. It is made for precision not speed though. Have you tried putting you Lee trimmer in an electric drill? That might speed you up a little.

[skyugo]

The Giraud for mass production, but if you don't want to spend the $'s I use a L.E. Wilson. Very accurate, but not too costly. It is made for precision not speed though. Have you tried putting you Lee trimmer in an electric drill? That might speed you up a little.

i have... i'm hoping for something that i can put a case in/out of a little faster.

[jmart]

i have a lee single stage press
i use a lee full length resizing die.


at the moment the biggest (or should i say smallest) bottle neck in my production is trimming cases.

If you think you are going to stay with this type of press, then I would recommend either a Giraud or a Gracey. The Giraud has the better motor.

If you think you are going to upgrade to a progressive (i.e., Dillon), then I would hold off on getting a trimmer at this time and save your pennies for the press and use it with the Dillon trimmer/trim die combo. Set up dedicated toolheads, one for case prep, the other for charging/seating/crimping. And even if you decide to get a Gracey or Giraud now, and you end up getting a Dillon later, I'd still recommend using two toolheads, one for sizing and the other for charging/seating/crimping. The reason being, you won't want to have to remove your just-resized case from the shellplate and run it through the trimmer and then reinsert in the shellplate for follow-on operations. With progressives, it's about developing a rhythm and keeping things flowing -- the rule is minimize interruptions in processes.

You could go with the Dilllon trimmer now but you'll be pulling the handle quite a few times to get to loaded rounds using a SS. With my Dillon I use the trimmer/trim die in station #1, station #2 is empty, and then I run the trimmed case through a resizer in station #3. This brings the neck back up to my desired inside diameter (the trim die squeezes them down a couple extra thousandths). Station #4 is empty. Afterwards cases are tumbled to remove lube and knock off any remaining burrs. The Dillon trimmer uses a carbide blade that spins at 6,000 rpm and it makes a very clean cut. I don't bother chamfering and deburring my cases afterwards unless one really needs it and I do this when I load them up after doing a quick visual on it before inserting them in the shellplate. But 99% are GTG w/o any extra chamfer/deburring.

The Dillon is loud though. I wear earmuffs when using it, so if you are in an apartment, you won't make any friends with your significant other or neighbors. You also have to occasionally give it a vacuum shot to clear the shavings. It comes with a ShopVac housing attachment, but you know how loud Shopvacs are. Some guys run the Vac full-time, I just give it an occasional shot every 30 cases or so.

Hope this helps.

[toddackerman]

I agree with Jmart on all points. The Giraud costs more than a progressive press, and I don't know of any other trimmers that are "Quick" to get the case in and out of them.

I'm saving up for the Dillon Case Trimmer for $200 (plus die).

[Buck]

I also use a Dillon case trimmer and I have been very happy with it... IMHO they also have the best warranty ever, they are kind of like craftsman tools in that regard...