Revolver brass trimming

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Nathan

New member
What is the easiest way to trim all my revolver brass to the same length?

If it were bottle neck cases, I would use my TRIM IT 2. For straight wall, I don’t have a trimmer.

Is the Lee able to length adjust? I have the stuff to set it up in my Lyman prep center. Also, can I trim it after sizing? That didn’t work with 458 Lott. Any easier way?

I guess I want easy length adjustable trimming after fl sizing…
 
The Lee pilot is sized for fired brass. I may try to reduced the diameter with sandpaper spinning in a drill.

…or trim straight wall before sizing.
 
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I trim my revolver cases before resizing, that way I don't have to alter the setting on my deprime/flare die. I get uniform crimps that way.
 
Measure and sort your brass by length.
Decide what your "trim to" length is going to be. Have cases shorter than that? separate them out.

The goal is uniformity.

I use an old Lyman trimmer. It's labor intensive (hand cranked) but I only need to use it rarely, once done, revolver brass rarely stretches like bottleneck rifle brass does.

Tumble, trim, chamfer, THEN size and go on with the loading process.
 
Additionally, Wilson makes handgun cartridge case holders for their trimmer that will do whatever length you want. The Lee trimmer's "gauges" can be ground down to your desired trim length, but if they start out too short, Lee would have to make you one, but I don't know what they would charge for that service or how long it would take. You could look into shimming the short one at the cutter end, too. The Giraud motorized trimmer has holders for straight wall cases, too. I believe the Dillon trimmer could be set up to do what you want.
 
It's not all straight cases, but the common magnums are there, and if you look at how it works, it appears to be possible to do it for any case that isn't too short. You could also call Giraud and see if they do specials.
 
I think the Lee length gauge (they call their trimming pilot that) is for sized brass. A fired brass simply has too much unknown variations. If a sized brass doesn't fit, the sizer's expanding ball may be undersized or the stem of the length gauge over sized. The latter is easier to correct.

I used Lee length gauges, and had to modified a couple of them for unusual calibers. Certainly it is easier to shorten the existing one. Lengthening is a bit difficult, but it is not that difficult. Small washer to shim the cutter is one. Retipping the tip is another. Sound like a lot of trouble. Why didn't I go to other trimmer? It is because I am cheap. I already have a bunch of length gauges. I'm not going to ditch them and pay more.

-TL

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk
 
If you’re thinking of the Lee Case length trimmer, get the Lyman version. It works much better. With the Lee version sometimes the cases like to spin out of the holder making a mess of things, the Lyman version is setup just a little different but works way way better.
 
Lee Prep Center Version

I’m setup with the Lee prep center version. After I finish 9mm, I’ll jump into this. Now that I think about it, I think I would prefer trimming fired brass for my progressive. I hope it is consistent enough for good crimp precision.
 
I've got .45 colt starline brass that has been reloaded over 30 times that has never been trimmed. Fact is, I have never trimmed any straight wall pistol brass. Never had a problem. I have noticed a very slight variation in some .357 magnum brass while seating bullets, but not enough to affect the OAL. I'm sure accuracy may be affected, but any ammunition I produce will always be more accurate than me.
 
I'm with AL45, I've never trimmed 357, 41, 44SPL, Mag, or 45 Colt Brass in 50 years of loading. Necks have split before length becomes an issue.
 
Nathan said:
Lee Prep Center Version

I’m setup with the Lee prep center version. After I finish 9mm, I’ll jump into this. Now that I think about it, I think I would prefer trimming fired brass for my progressive. I hope it is consistent enough for good crimp precision.
Click to expand...
That version uses the same case holder, which is the problem. Occasionally the holder won’t hold them securely and the like to spin about half way out of the holder. At least that was my experience, the Lyman holder is done different and works 100% of the time. But, I was chucking it up in my drill and turning the case, with the Lyman version the case is stationary and the cutter is turning.
 
Like the others, I've never trimmed pistol brass without special purpose. 45 Auto brass, for example, has always gotten about half a thousandth shorter at each firing. It does not have enough pressure to stick the brass to the chamber walls, so the whole case backs up and spreads out into the taper of the chamber, getting shorter and fatter. Resizing never quite brings it back.

Most of the Magnum and Special cases are right on the edge of sticking but generally don't quite make it. They back up, too, but they don't have a taper to expand into, so they wind up, mostly, not changing size at all. However, the Magnums get a substantial roll crimp, so having the cases exactly the same length for that helps with consistency. I can see using the Giraud to establish that.

In 45-70, I don't see case growth in the more common moderate loads. It can grow a little with the Ruger #1 loads, I understand, though I don't happen to have one to test this. I do have two Marlin 1895s, one being standard and the other being their Guide Gun version. The resized case length has gotten a little erratic in the Guide gun with hotter loads, and that seems to confirm the notion by QuickLOAD's author that the changeover from slipping to sticking and stretching generally happens in the 30,000+ psi range.
 
0.5 thou shorter for each firing in .45acp? I have brass with more than 20 firings. I don't really feel they are that much shorter to develope excessive head clearance. I have never measured them either. They just keep going.

-TL

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk
 
I quantified it back when I was competing in bull's-eye pistol matches. I took 500 new Winchester cases through 50 reloadings. I measured them at the start, and by the end, those that hadn't split or been lost to the range gods (about 300 left, IIRC) were all about 0.050" shorter than when new. It didn't interfere with firing in a 1911, as I loaded to headspace on bullet contact with the throat anyway. Was I not doing that, they would have headspace by rim contact with the extractor hook and fired just fine anyway.
 
Unclenick said:
I quantified it back when I was competing in bull's-eye pistol matches. I took 500 new Winchester cases through 50 reloadings. I measured them at the start, and by the end, those that hadn't split or been lost to the range gods (about 300 left, IIRC) were all about 0.050" shorter than when new. It didn't interfere with firing in a 1911, as I loaded to headspace on bullet contact with the throat anyway. Was I not doing that, they would have headspace by rim contact with the extractor hook and fired just fine anyway.
Click to expand...
0.05" in 50 loads is 1 thou per firing. That's a lot. Gun still fires because of the extractor. But there must be something wrong with that, or headspace has no meaning, as all guns have extractor.

I regularly plunk test with gun's chamber. So far I haven't noticed rounds that sink below chamber mouth. Quite probably I didn't look carefully.

-TL

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk
 
You are correct. My brain farted the digit forward from 0.0005 by two decimal places The correct answer was 0.025" shorter after 50 firings. My records, when I take the time to actually look at them, show I measured it as 0.020" shorter at 40 reloads and five more thousandths at 50 reloads.
 
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