Quick way to trim and deburr

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I have found a fairly quick way to trim brass at a relatively low cost. I know Dillon has a trimmer you attach to the Toolheads, and RCBS, hornady etc make case prep stations. But I think my way may be more attractive for some folks.

I'm using an RCBS trim pro 2, the 3 way cutter heads that trim and deburr all at once, and the power adapter made by DACaM reloading tools so I can use a cordless drill. Tonight I trimmed and deburred 1,250 .223 cases in about 2 hours....no sweat.

The setup will cost about $90 for the RCBS trimpro , a 3way cutting head and pilot is $40 or so. And power adapter is $12.50. the same 3 way cutting head can be used for several calibers, you just have to buy different pilots, but I have entirely new heads for each caliber I load because adjustment can be a bit of a pain.

I tried the little crow trimmer. It was fast, but then I still had to deburr and chamfer.

I'm sure there are some folks on here with more elaborate ways of doing this tedious task. But the method described above gave trimmed lengths of +/- 0.001 and an identical deburr and chamfer on each case...1250 in two hours.

I just thought I would share this if someone is looking to process a good bit of brass.
 
My least favorite job in reloading is case trimming! I'm almost ready to get some kind of power tool. But then I see the price and I and a cheap GOB!
 
Trimming isn't a big deal. Most people aren't doing massive numbers. Isn't required unless the case stretches longer than the max case length given in your manual anyway. Those 1,250 cases should have been checked for length and only trimmed, chamfered and deburred, as required.
 
@T. O'Heir, I have to disagree with you on the importance of case trimming. I check case length before every reloading and always make sure they case is at chamber length. Too short and you can get a hard carbon ring, too long and you can pinch the bullet and neck causing a pressure spike

Sinclair makes a nice inexpensive tool for determining proper trim length. At six bucks a caliber I have one for each caliber I load for.

http://www.sinclairintl.com/reloadi...s/sinclair-chamber-length-gage-prod32925.aspx

back to the OP I have been using a Wilson case trimmer but have to admit I am ready to start with a powered unit. I have been looking at a few now and will add the RCBS to my list of possibilities. Thanks
 
Trimming isn't a big deal. Most people aren't doing massive numbers. Isn't required unless the case stretches longer than the max case length given in your manual anyway. Those 1,250 cases should have been checked for length and only trimmed, chamfered and deburred, as required.
Click to expand...

My post wasn't titled: "Should I trim 1,250 lake city once fired 556 cases that measure, after sizing, as much as 1.780 inches where SAAMI max is 1.760?"

And no, it isn't required that you trim if it is below the max. But for consistent bullet hold, and consistent crimping, which enhances accuracy, trimming is a good idea......And I only took the time to address this comment because some new handloaders have joined the forum asking questions recently and I don't want them getting bad information.

Anyway back to the topic
]
. back to the OP I have been using a Wilson case trimmer but have to admit I am ready to start with a powered unit. I have been looking at a few now and will add the RCBS to my list of possibilities.
Click to expand...

My first and only trimmer had been the RCBS trimpro 2. I didn't mind hand cranking the trimmer or chamfering back when I loaded maybe 100-200 rounds per month.
But I got to shooting and loading more so I got the 3 -way cutting heads.

The 3-way heads helped a lot because I didn't have to chamfer or deburr anymore. Also my chamfer / deburr job was much more consistent. I never scraped copper of my jackets again.

But here recently I began doing some competition steel shooting and going through a lot more ammo ..got a Dillion XL650 and a 550C.

So then I added a drill adapter to my trim pro 2 and I can make pretty short work of over 1000 cases..

I have looked at those$500 case stations, but the gears are plastic inside, and you can't push too hard or else it will lock up. But a 20V cordless drill has all the torque I need and for the price of one of those $500 hornady case prep centers, I can get a new trimpro 2, four or five 3-way cutters, a cordless drill, and a Dillion swaging tool. All of which has a lot more power and torque than those 5 station gizmos.

But, I won't say that my way is best, just best for me right now.
 
When i got started, i had a trim pro and brass lengths that varied, by the time i measured a case decided in need to be trimmed, put it in the trimmer, i decided it was easier to put every peice of brass in the trimmer and use it to check the length, if it needed to be trimmed it was, if not it wasnt. After 400 cases in 2 days and using a lee chamfer/debur tool I decided to change things around a little

With the setup im using now it is faster, and can be done with one hand, while the trimmer cuts flush, and does not chamfer/debur, the case prep center does,
The thing i was trying to achieve with the minimum of case handling was consistiency,

There are diffrent ways to achieve the goal,
And thanks to those who share what works best for them.

But i still use the trimmer to check length as it is quicker for me to do so, and promotes consistiency.
 
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Lee Quicktrim with a drill in your press. Trims, chamfer and deburr in one step. I have the WGT and you still have to chamfer and deburr separately. Lee Quicktrim is the fastest.

Sent from my SM-G920T using Tapatalk
 
This is a repeat, but it does cover the trim, chamfer and deburr issue.

look at the off the shoulder type 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 (Worlds Finest Trimmer): Couple of models, nice, no chamfer or deburrs. 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 cored drill 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.
 
I agree with the OP, the RCBS unit is really nice and I don't have any length inconsistency issues with it either.

One thing I'll add to Mississippi's post is that you don't really need the drill adapter. If you drill has a 1/2" chuck you can just unscrew the handle and then chuck the whole spindle in to the drill. Works really well.
 
I ordered the Lee Quicktrim set up for 2 calibers today. I got the one that is used with a cordless screwdriver. The worst I will be out is less than the cost of 100 bullets and it will be donated to son in law if it does not meet expectations and I will go back to cranking the Wilson
 
I considered using the Wilson power adapter but that still left me with chamfering and deburring. Currently I chuck up the chamfering and deburring tools in a couple of cordless drills but it is still a annoyance. What is annoying me is having to pick the case/tool up 3 times for 3 separate operations

42 bucks for the Lee and 2 dies was less than the cost of 100 bullets and if it does a decent job will be well worth the money.
 
What is annoying me is having to pick the case/tool up 3 times for 3 separate operations
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Here is what my experience has been with the Trim Pro 2, The power adapter, and the 3 - way cutting heads:

I have only used the power adapter so far on .223. I have done about 2,000 round total.

I was trimming to 1.748". At first I was checking every 3rd or 5th case to make sure it was trimming the same length. I set aside the first 30 I did. After all of them were 1.748-1.749", I began only checking every 100th case...still trimming the same. Then, every 250 cases, I would add some 30w motor oil to the crank shaft of the trimmer to keep it lubed up, and clean the brass trimmings of the cutter, and I would randomly check a few cases. Again all within 1.748" to 1. 749" and the chamfer and deburr looked the same as the first cases.

I repeated checking a random sample every 250 cases, and lubing the shaft plus changing cordless drill batteries. After 2,000 cases, It was still trimming 1.748"-1.749" with the same chamfer and deburr.

I have used the 3 way cutting heads for a long time on .300 win mag, .308, .270 win etc. But never with a power adapter, so I was already in love with the fact that once I trimmed them, I didn't have to handle the case again until it was time to prime. But the power adapter is something I wish I had bought for $12.50 a long time ago...because I actually get more consistent trim lengths. My guess is because it makes so many revolutions so quickly and by hand, I was not getting all the material off every time when doing large batches.

Again, the only downside to this is that you really need to buy several of the 3 way cutting heads, and at $45 each, they ain't cheap. They are somewhat universal in that one size will do .223 - .28, one will do .270 - .35, and the biggest one will do .338 - .375.

But they take some work to get set correctly such that you are not taking off too much material with the chamfer and deburr blades, so you will want to buy one for each caliber you trim. But the benefits are amazing.

And, none of the brass prep stations have anywhere near the torque of a 20v cordless drill...or you can use a plug in drill if you want and really have all the torque to trim down anything you want.

I would rather do it this way than buy the RCBS power Trim pro honestly because of the power.

FWIW, it actually takes longer to put a shell in the shell holder or take it out of the trimmer than it does to trim it with the drill and power adapter.
 
I've loaded a lot of 38's over the years and have never trimmed the first one! What is making the case's stretch in the first place?
 
Don,

Im talking about bottle neck rifle cases, not straight walled pistols. Setting the shoulder back in auto loading rifles will case case stretching. Straight walled cases do not stretch as much.

Do you not load bottle neck rifles?
 
I have a Forster case trimmer.

For 223, I have it set to trim cases to 1.753 inches. Why 1.753? Because I know how much cases stretch on average in my rifles and I know that a case trimmed to 1.753 will, statistically, be lost to the weeds before it once again exceeds 1.760. Not trimming the extra 0.003 keeps me from wasting time and effort.

I don't load on an industrial scale so turning the crank by hand on a batch of 50 or 100 cases is not something I find all that tedious; besides it gives me time where I have hands and eyes on the case to spot anything out of the ordinary with the brass. If I did a thousand cases at a time I'd probably be looking for a way to automate, but not at the rate I shoot.
 
I run batches of 300 + at a time (yes I shoot a lot - as often as I can once a week and usually 150+ each time in 3 different calibers)

So the off the shoulder trimmers work and save a lot of time (if they de-burr and chamfer as well)
 
I do 5.56mm and 300 blk cases by the 1000 round lot. ( That's how I buy em, once fired per thousand. )

I use the Little Crow Gunworks trimmers which I got on sale for about $50 each. They say that you don't need to chamfer or ream but you do a little bit. Here's a way around even that:

When I prep these cases, I am lubing them with Dillon Case Lube in plastic bags, then resizing, then I dump them in the vibratory tumbler for about 5 minutes to remove the lube, then trim them with my cordless drill locked in a vice with the WFT facing up, then run them through the Super Swage if needed, and finally the big time saver - run them through the FART SS tumbler for three hours and that will remove any rough edges on the case necks left from the WFT.

Long winded but it works great. And I always have a few thousand of each totally prepped and ready for loading.
 
I am still having my machine do it on the press, but now with an indexable carbide cutter in a much more powerful and refined motor. Pic was when testing power supplies (had to tone it down a bit) and was waiting for connectors to clear customs. Thus alligator clips.

Depending on how I juggle my other projects, this may be another option soon.

As far as I know, this is the only trimmer that will clear a powder measure in station3.
 

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