Trimming Brass

[MrRobot]

I was wondering what are you guys using when trimming brass. I have the frankford arsenal center. it works great but after doing some testing and knowing more now to get the right trim the headspace all have to match. would it be better to have one that measure the whole cartridge and not go off the headspace?

What are you thought and which device are you trimming your brass with.

 

[Moonpie]

I use an old school Lyman hand crank case trimmer.
This one has the different caliber pilots that can he changed out with an Allen wrench.
When there are a lot of cases to do, the crank cutter shaft gets replaced by a shaft that can be connected to a motor drill.
Since I prefer to run moderate level loads the rass doesn’t stretch much so trimming is typically minimal

 

[Havok1]

I use the Lyman ez trim.

 

[robertc1024]

I use an old school Lyman hand crank case trimmer.
This one has the different caliber pilots that can he changed out with an Allen wrench.
When there are a lot of cases to do, the crank cutter shaft gets replaced by a shaft that can be connected to a motor drill.
Since I prefer to run moderate level loads the rass doesn’t stretch much so trimming is typically minimal

Likewise. I can tell you that the Lyman with a carbide cutter does a great job. It consistently trims to a thousandth of an inch.

 

[Vaquero]

I use an old school Lyman hand crank case trimmer.
This one has the different caliber pilots that can he changed out with an Allen wrench.
When there are a lot of cases to do, the crank cutter shaft gets replaced by a shaft that can be connected to a motor drill.
Since I prefer to run moderate level loads the rass doesn’t stretch much so trimming is typically minimal

This^^ for moderate handgun loads.
For most rifle loads, without crimping, I trim once on initial processing and run them till they show imminent failure signs.
For precision rifle, I trim or measure every time after sizing.

 

[TexMex247]

I run a Lyman prep station with cutters and Lee case length guides. I cut after full length resizing since it does change dimensions. No need to worry about headspace if I sized them correctly. Shoulder setback is close enough as long as I run the dies in all the way. Normally a Lee case length gauge has a holder that acts as a stop for the tip to cut the same length from case to case. I just use my fingertip to feel it as I cut them.

I cut, chamfer, deburr and measure. I usually make several batches that vary by .005". If I'm feeling lazy I cut to max length if they're already under I cut to minimum or .005 over.
I keep them all within .001 for each batch. Load them that way later. I don't sort by weight within each headstamps but do sort by headstamps before batching. I've used several different cutters but this is the most hassle free method for me.

When I start loading precision rounds for the 6.5 creedmoor this year I'll probably sort by weight as well. I expect to produce 1/2 moa ammo for the Tikka and that rifle may see the 1000 yard range one day. I even sort pistol cases by headstamp but I know a lot of reloaders don't.

 

[robertc1024]

When I start loading precision rounds for the 6.5 creedmoor this year I'll probably sort by weight as well. I expect to produce 1/2 moa ammo for the Tikka and that rifle may see the 1000 yard range one day. I even sort pistol cases by headstamp but I know a lot of reloaders don't.

For what its worth, I used to weigh every rifle case and I'm about to abandon that. I used to sort the brass so it was within 0.2 grains. Then I just loaded up a bunch of random brass and really didn't see any statistically relevant difference. I could see where sorting brass volumetrically could be an advantage, but with my experience, weight doesn't seem to matter that much.

 

[Txhillbilly]

When I start loading precision rounds for the 6.5 creedmoor this year I'll probably sort by weight as well. I expect to produce 1/2 moa ammo for the Tikka and that rifle may see the 1000 yard range one day. I even sort pistol cases by headstamp but I know a lot of reloaders don't.

No need to waste the time sorting brass by weight if you're using quality brass. Just find a good shooting node for your barrel, and then fine tune your powder charge, and bullet jump / seating depth, as well as consistent neck tension on the bullet.. Load consistent powder charges, and producing 1/2 moa or better ammo is no problem.
I have several precision rifle's that have no problem shooting under 1/2 moa groups when I do my job, and a couple will shoot in the .1's on good days.

As far as trimming brass, I use WFT trimmer's on all of my rifle brass.

Worlds Finest Brass Case Trimmer 2 | Little Crow Gunworks

The WFT2 allows you to quickly change from trimming one rifle cartridge case to another by simply changing the Trim Chamber insert and re-setting the depth of the cut. Instead of press fitting the trim chambers, like our original WFT, the trim chambers on our WFT2 are a slight slip fit in the...

www.littlecrowgunworks.com

 

[CodyK]

I use to use the Lee case length gauges with my Lyman case prep xpress. I would trim, then chamfer and debur. Now I think it’s faster to use the Frankford Arsenal case trimmer.


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[deemus]

I’ve used the Lee case length guides, with the cutter on my cordless drill. Worked well.

I have the Frankfurt Arsenal prep center but have not used it.

 

[srab]

I guess I'm old-school as well. I've been using an L. E. Wilson case trimmer with the hand crank for 30 years. Works well enough that I never considered an upgrade.

But, I consider it a busy reloading day when I load more than three dozen cartridges, not three hundred. If I were to ever get into high volume, I might start looking for more efficient options.

 

[Moonpie]

Back when I shot National Match Service Rifle competition I was going thru a ton of 5.56 ammo each month.
I bought a Gracey case trimmer for 5.56. It worked well for trimmer large amounts of brass.
Still have it but don't use it anymore as I rarely reload .223/5.56 anymore.

I'll sell/trade it if anyone is interested.

 

[Vaquero]

Back when I shot National Match Service Rifle competition I was going thru a ton of 5.56 ammo each month.
I bought a Gracey case trimmer for 5.56. It worked well for trimmer large amounts of brass.
Still have it but don't use it anymore as I rarely reload .223/5.56 anymore.

I'll sell/trade it if anyone is interested.

Gimme a holler.

 

[Lonesome Dove]

My case trimming tools have prepared thousands of rounds of ammo. I have no need for speed when assembling ammunition.
I once prepped and loaded 500 rounds of 223 for a Prarie dog hunt that never transpired and it took me like they say Oooh loooong time!
and I enjoyed every minute of it.

 

[MrRobot]

Thanks everyone for sharing what you use. I didn't trim before but had an issue when I loaded for my 223 and the charging handle was tight. felt weird but since then I started to trim.

Just need to find a good swag cutter to add to this Frankfurt.

Thanks once again, and have a good night.

 

[Mike_from_Texas]

I was wondering what are you guys using when trimming brass. I have the frankford arsenal center. it works great but after doing some testing and knowing more now to get the right trim the headspace all have to match. would it be better to have one that measure the whole cartridge and not go off the headspace?

What are you thought and which device are you trimming your brass with.

Are you talking about pistol cartridges or rifle cartridges?

Cartridges that headspace off the case mouth would be the only ones affected by trim length.


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