RileyMartin
New member
Hi, does anyone have any recommendations on which case trimmer to get? I'm going to start off with .223 but will also use it for 30-06 and a few other popular calibers.
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Case trimmer
- Thread starter RileyMartin
- Start date
condor bravo
New member
The other popular trImmer that looks like a small lathe is the Forster.
Ahh one of my favorite subjects and one I have a strong opinion on (off the shoulder trimmers are the only way to go). At least look a them carefully before you jump in.
First, there is class of trimmer that is called off the shoulder (once you resize) - the others due to case variance below the shoulder are much inconsistent.
Off the shoulder works far better than anything else and is faster (consistent, within about .003 and that's I good enough for the best bench rest guys)
Setup right (see the end) they can be very fast as well (and still consistent top quality)
Gerard makes what they call the Tri Trimmer. It trims, chamfers and deburrs . I like this one best of all. Downside is its caliber specific and you have to get one for each caliber. I have two. I would have 3 but they do not make it in 7.5 Swiss. They do in your two calibers. Around $100 and worth every penny.
Trim it II: This is both better and worse than Gerard. It has inserts so you can get any caliber ( I did for the 7.5 Swiss). You can change it. But you have to adjust the blades for each change. So there is a futzing factor. It also chamfer and deburrs. I might of gone this way if I knew about it then as I have at least 600 cases and can do large batches. $130 roughly for the unit and one insert. Extra inserts are $20 or so.
WFT (World's Finest Trimmer): Couple of models, nice, no chamfer or deburring. Still a good one. $80 or so as I recall.
Gerard Motorized: this is the primo one, it has fixed setup inserts, so you just change the pre setup and its all set to go. Base unit is like $450, inserts $30 or so as I recall.
If you do more than 3 calibers this is a good way to go from the start.
Last: I was using a hand drill to do my work and ran out of batteries one day.
So I grabbed the Milwaukee which is heavy half inch and awkward.
It struck me I could put it in the vice upside down, clamp it, and I would have an even better motorized setup as I did not have to use one hand for the drill, its almost as good as the Gerard unit.
I did so and it works primo, both hands for the cases, I can go through them like a factory machine.
First, there is class of trimmer that is called off the shoulder (once you resize) - the others due to case variance below the shoulder are much inconsistent.
Off the shoulder works far better than anything else and is faster (consistent, within about .003 and that's I good enough for the best bench rest guys)
Setup right (see the end) they can be very fast as well (and still consistent top quality)
Gerard makes what they call the Tri Trimmer. It trims, chamfers and deburrs . I like this one best of all. Downside is its caliber specific and you have to get one for each caliber. I have two. I would have 3 but they do not make it in 7.5 Swiss. They do in your two calibers. Around $100 and worth every penny.
Trim it II: This is both better and worse than Gerard. It has inserts so you can get any caliber ( I did for the 7.5 Swiss). You can change it. But you have to adjust the blades for each change. So there is a futzing factor. It also chamfer and deburrs. I might of gone this way if I knew about it then as I have at least 600 cases and can do large batches. $130 roughly for the unit and one insert. Extra inserts are $20 or so.
WFT (World's Finest Trimmer): Couple of models, nice, no chamfer or deburring. Still a good one. $80 or so as I recall.
Gerard Motorized: this is the primo one, it has fixed setup inserts, so you just change the pre setup and its all set to go. Base unit is like $450, inserts $30 or so as I recall.
If you do more than 3 calibers this is a good way to go from the start.
Last: I was using a hand drill to do my work and ran out of batteries one day.
So I grabbed the Milwaukee which is heavy half inch and awkward.
It struck me I could put it in the vice upside down, clamp it, and I would have an even better motorized setup as I did not have to use one hand for the drill, its almost as good as the Gerard unit.
I did so and it works primo, both hands for the cases, I can go through them like a factory machine.
For me, it depends on the volume of brass I have to trim.
As well as the ease of trimming, add into the equation diffrent case families, as well as brass handling and the cost.
I started with a rcbs trim pro, I used the crank handle at first, then put a machine screw in its place and used a drill to turn it.
While it is versatile and will do any case I load,
I was looking for something that would check length trim if need be, and minimized the amount of times handling brass.
I ended up with a CTS gen 2 trimmer and 6 inserts.
While it does not chamfer and debur, the rcbs case prep center does that well.
So depriming,sizing,trimming,chamfer/debur,brush case neck, brush primer pocket or remove crimp on military brass is handled in one string of operation with brass being handled twice, once in the press, once out and all other operations done without removing hand from brass until complete.
But like everything else in reloading, there are diffrent ways to achieve it, and diffrent costs for each.
Some of I will admit to having some duplicate inserts of a case family to cut down on adjusting/readjusting.
As well as the ease of trimming, add into the equation diffrent case families, as well as brass handling and the cost.
I started with a rcbs trim pro, I used the crank handle at first, then put a machine screw in its place and used a drill to turn it.
While it is versatile and will do any case I load,
I was looking for something that would check length trim if need be, and minimized the amount of times handling brass.
I ended up with a CTS gen 2 trimmer and 6 inserts.
While it does not chamfer and debur, the rcbs case prep center does that well.
So depriming,sizing,trimming,chamfer/debur,brush case neck, brush primer pocket or remove crimp on military brass is handled in one string of operation with brass being handled twice, once in the press, once out and all other operations done without removing hand from brass until complete.
But like everything else in reloading, there are diffrent ways to achieve it, and diffrent costs for each.
Some of I will admit to having some duplicate inserts of a case family to cut down on adjusting/readjusting.
Last edited:
RileyMartin
New member
The models that deburr, chamfer and trim in one step definitely look they'll save time but what about the OAL? Does that then become an extra step with a different tool for those cases that exceed the max case length?
No, back to the issue of Case Length and what it does to the over all.
If you want consistent overall from the other types trimmers, you have to check the results each time (unless something has changed)
If you use an off the shoulder trimmer, then measure the whole case the end result is .003 accuracy in Overall Case length.
In other words, where the rubber meets the consistent road is at the shoulder. Forward from there and the back end is irrelevant to Case Overall.
Its sounds totally counter intuitive, and it is but it works gang busters.
Yep, I was totally skeptical at first, after seeing it in action and checking results, I would not use any other trimmer. Even if it was batches of 20 I would get one of the shoulder trimmers.
Its why I am a huge proponent of the type, you can list why some are better than others and likes within them, but the shoulder type are amazing and accurate.
I had the RCBS, you would set the collar, trim and then check, it was often off.
The next case was off the other way.
Its one of those mental puzzle twisters as to why.
All I know is that I don't have to measure the case once its setup, it just trim it to the CORRECT LENGTH and if its the chamfer and deburr type it does that all in one operation.
If you want consistent overall from the other types trimmers, you have to check the results each time (unless something has changed)
If you use an off the shoulder trimmer, then measure the whole case the end result is .003 accuracy in Overall Case length.
In other words, where the rubber meets the consistent road is at the shoulder. Forward from there and the back end is irrelevant to Case Overall.
Its sounds totally counter intuitive, and it is but it works gang busters.
Yep, I was totally skeptical at first, after seeing it in action and checking results, I would not use any other trimmer. Even if it was batches of 20 I would get one of the shoulder trimmers.
Its why I am a huge proponent of the type, you can list why some are better than others and likes within them, but the shoulder type are amazing and accurate.
I had the RCBS, you would set the collar, trim and then check, it was often off.
The next case was off the other way.
Its one of those mental puzzle twisters as to why.
All I know is that I don't have to measure the case once its setup, it just trim it to the CORRECT LENGTH and if its the chamfer and deburr type it does that all in one operation.
I use the Frankford Arsenal Platinum Series Case Trim and Prep System to trim with - got tired of the old Hornady trimmer I had even with the motorized attachment - I find it easier to adjust and having all the prep stuff and trimmer together seems to make brass prep go faster. It trims off the shoulder.
For length trimming in a lathe style hand-crank machine, the Wilson seems to be most repeatable.
Shoulder registration gets you a more consistent neck length, as cases often vary a little in head to shoulder length. The main advantage, though, is with rimless bottleneck rifle cases that headspace on the shoulder. For these, trimming the neck with respect to the shoulder better controls how much neck sticks into the chamber, and that's what trimming is supposed to control.
There is a downside to the cutters that trim, chamfer, and deburr simultaneously, and that is that if your case neck is not concentric with the case body or if the neck wall has thickness runout, the chamfer and deburring will both be off-center in the former instance and only the chamfer will be in the latter (assuming the outside of the neck is concentrically resized). Does that affect performance? Not that I've measured, but I've only used my Giraud on service rifle ammunition and not on benchrest ammunition.
If you are trimming cases that headspace on a rim or a belt, the advantage of shoulder registration is lost. In these instances you would ideally have a way to register the case on the rim or belt to determine perfect neck length. However, a lot of folks shooting these cartridges for accuracy (say, a .303 British or a .300 WM) fireform the cases and set the shoulders back only slightly so they actually headspace on their shoulders before the rim or belt can reach the chamber headspacing surface, in which case the control goes back to the shoulder registration system again.
Shoulder registration gets you a more consistent neck length, as cases often vary a little in head to shoulder length. The main advantage, though, is with rimless bottleneck rifle cases that headspace on the shoulder. For these, trimming the neck with respect to the shoulder better controls how much neck sticks into the chamber, and that's what trimming is supposed to control.
There is a downside to the cutters that trim, chamfer, and deburr simultaneously, and that is that if your case neck is not concentric with the case body or if the neck wall has thickness runout, the chamfer and deburring will both be off-center in the former instance and only the chamfer will be in the latter (assuming the outside of the neck is concentrically resized). Does that affect performance? Not that I've measured, but I've only used my Giraud on service rifle ammunition and not on benchrest ammunition.
If you are trimming cases that headspace on a rim or a belt, the advantage of shoulder registration is lost. In these instances you would ideally have a way to register the case on the rim or belt to determine perfect neck length. However, a lot of folks shooting these cartridges for accuracy (say, a .303 British or a .300 WM) fireform the cases and set the shoulders back only slightly so they actually headspace on their shoulders before the rim or belt can reach the chamber headspacing surface, in which case the control goes back to the shoulder registration system again.
I've used the same Forster Original case trimmer for 30 some years. Quality that will last. I did buy a longer base for long cases like 300 Weatherby. There are some attachments that also work well such as their outside neck turner. Lathe trimmers aren't the fastest but will handle most shooters volume of reloads. Probably the least favorite step in reloading so buy quality and the right trimmer for your needs.
Don Fischer
New member
I have an RCBS 505 hand crank. Need some replacement part's but it's been going over 30 yrs now, about time! Before that I did have another RCBS but it was made by Ohouse and before that an Ohouse. Don't know if Ohouse is around any more but they were good trimmer's. I don't get int to the power tools but then I'm not a high volume loader either. I think I spelled Ohouse wrong but that is the way it sounds. I think that that lee tool is a good idea but you need one for each cartridge! If your not in a hurry it should work fine. I wish someone made a trimmer that deburrs at the same time that I could afford.
For a new reloader K.I.S.S. I have used Lee's cutter/stud/length gauge and Lyman's EZ Trim tools similar to the Lee. And they are quick and repeatable, not a lot of "learning curve" to start. If later you "need" more precise adjustable case lengths, then most of the above trimmers will work...
I wish someone made a trimmer that deburrs at the same time that I could afford.
Don, I just looked at a 3-way cutter for an RCBS at midway for $50. I may have to get myself one when mine is dull. But a review said it was getting dull after like 4000 rds. Can anyone vouche for approx how much life they get out of these types of cutters?